A quiet rebel
I grew up with three siblings – the children of parents who emigrated to the UK in the 50’s and 60’s. I remember sometimes feeling different and “other” from my friends because of my ethnicity; I never felt that I fitted in.
Sharing this sense of alienation with my siblings, we grew up very close. Bonded by our “otherness,” we had fun and adventures together. But when I was 13 my brother committed suicide, and we were left devastated. Shortly after that my parents divorced. Everything I thought I could count on had evaporated.
These two experiences made me a passionate believer in the importance of good mental health, and a fierce defender of those who don’t fit neat societal norms.
Living the life unexpected
By the time I reached my early 40s I had become one of a growing band of single, childless women. I had created a good corporate career in pharmacy, working on therapies to help people with rare diseases, but I had let my career consume my time and I realised that my hope of meeting someone special, to settle down and have a family, was not going to happen. I tried fertility treatment on my own but, when I realised that my only option was to go abroad and use donor eggs, I decided to draw the curtains on my dream.
I was an emotional wreck. I had lost interest in everything I used to enjoy and had no motivation to do anything. I found it difficult to picture how my life would look moving forward, or to imagine a different future. During these dark days I found an organisation called Gateway Women, which provides support to women childless by circumstance, and I joined a year-long mentorship program with the founder, Jody Day.
Rediscovering my love of coaching and mentoring
This experience helped me recover emotionally and when I was strong enough, I found an empathetic coach to help me create a new plan. Working with her, I was reminded of the joy I had always experienced at work when I coached and mentored my team. I decided to enrol on a Masters in Coaching and Mentoring. I wanted to do for other childless women what my coach and Gateway Women had done for me – help them regain their confidence and motivation and find their path forward.
