Onward - A KaptivateMe Client Story
By Kat Atwell, Retirement Advisor turned Freelance Writer, Life Coach Client
Coach Kate has been working with me for six months now, helping me to figure out who I am, what I want, and most importantly, why all of it is perfectly OK. Confession: I was very skeptical when I began my relationship with Kate. I didn’t place stock in life/career coaches.
After taking one workshop with her, though, I recognized she has an innate talent for helping women take action. And that’s what I lacked. I couldn’t take any steps, because I didn’t think there was anywhere to go. Fear had me locked down, and I didn’t even notice. So, I hired her. Admittedly, it was not easy. I didn’t think I deserved the help. I didn’t think I could afford the help. In both cases, I was mistaken.
As Jen Sincero said, “ Olympic athletes at the top of their games have coaches. Broke people at the bottom of their games insist they can get rich without any help. Just sayin’.”
It’s important for me to mention here that in addition to my work with Coach Kate, I also see a licensed therapist. The work I need to do on myself isn’t limited to my career and life goals. I have more than one diagnosed brain condition requiring attention.
Coincidentally, my therapist is named Kate, as well. Kates are my spirit animals, evidently.
I’ve been at the same corporate job for ten years. And over my professional lifetime, I’ve spent over 20 years in the financial industry. I have always worked for someone else. I have always been stuck in a cubicle. And, with limited exception, I’ve always been stymied in regard to my income.
More personally, though, I have spent years cramming what I truly love to do into the crevices between the hours I’ve worked my “real” job. I love to write, and speak, and create. I love advocating for mental health. I love storytelling. And doing all of those things, for free, for years - it has taken away time from my family and friends, leaving me exhausted.
This is why I reached out. Kate makes me feel hopeful, and she has done what I thought was impossible — she left behind the safe job to pursue her dream career. Even more impactful is that she has managed to do so successfully. If I hadn’t started working with Kate when I did, I would have continued to sink into a more defeated, depressive place. I would have continued to burn my candle at both ends.
More than anything, though, I would have been a poor role model for my 11-year old daughter. I want her to see that a woman can do whatever she sets her mind to, and can go beyond the traditional, if she chooses to do so. No one should settle when it comes to their career.
The first several months working with Kate were focused on my personal beliefs and values. I had no idea just how much I had chosen not to see, and what skills I had that I’d spent a lifetime ignoring and/or discrediting. All of those countless hours spent speaking in front of groups, writing blog posts, dropping social media one-offs, and crafting business testimonials – those did not need to be limited to my “free” time. .
Had it not been for Kate, I wouldn’t have created a home office. I wouldn’t have established my own LLC. I wouldn’t be asking to be paid now for doing what I do and love best.
As much as I want to keep writing, this is slowly transforming from a blog into a novella. Come back, though, so I can tell you more about what we’ve worked on, and what specific tools Kate has given me to work through my challenges, and obviously, what those obstacles have been.