—Jessica Natale Woollard, Writer and Communications Specialist, www.jessicawoollard.ca, Victoria, BC, Canada
“I feel like the world is opening up to me.”
“When I first started working with Erin, I was stuck in “very good.” But what if I could be exceptional? I felt I could do more, write better, go further. I felt it was in me, I just didn’t know how to get there.
Often, when I sat down to write, I felt strained and fearful. What if this article wasn’t very good? What if it was only good enough? I decided to work with Erin because I wanted to change how I approached my writing; I had a suspicion that my worrying about the result was interfering with the process, interfering with my capacity to get to exceptional.
I wanted to focus on the art and not on the outcome. I wanted to change my definition of success.
Just a week into the coaching, I noticed a difference. I noticed I started to edit my pieces differently than I had before. I was taking chances, trying new techniques, playing with new turns of phrase, new ways to open articles. I started to feel excited, like there was the potential of something really great around the corner. There was possibility. And I was having fun with my process. I didn’t feel pressure, and it was so much more enjoyable to sit down and write. It was joyful.
Before starting coaching, I thought I would only find value if a piece was published and praised, but I learned that there is value from the experience of doing, of creating. Writing is fun!
Since I started talking with Erin, I haven’t felt burned out. I feel more positive, lighter. Refreshed. The strongest thing I’m taking away is this: I can change my story. I can press pause and insert a new film, a new way of being, thinking, feeling, experiencing the moment to moment, influencing the future. Erin helped me realize how powerful we are. Since coaching, I feel like the world is opening up to me. The potential is exhilarating. I’m more curious about what could be.
Some of the things we accomplished together have become so integrated in my life that I’ve forgotten they ever gave me any trouble. I feel proud of the work we did. I notice a big difference in the way I’m working, and I know my articles are the better for it, too.
I have a completely new and improved approach to work. I no longer feel strained, no longer feel like I’m squeezing ideas out of my head and onto the page.
I get to tell amazing stories that have an impact on people’s thoughts and hearts. That’s the work I have the privilege of doing, and I enjoy it.”