Laura Holmes is one of the coaches we found and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her expertise and her unsettling passion to always improve her coaching skills. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Laura Holmes:

Name: Laura Holmes
Pillar: The Spirit
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to transcend their self deprecation and tackle their life purpose with confidence.
How they can help: By using goal setting techniques and strategies to find your purpose, releasing limiting beliefs and mindfulness meditation.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

I’ve been very lucky to have started my online business at the start of the pandemic.

I live abroad in Bali and haven’t been able to see my family for a long time due to travel restrictions, but they’re all doing well and we keep in touch all the time!

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

Many of my clients have faced a sense of overwhelm, more so as we approach normality again.

It’s been hard on all of us to constantly be adjusting.

I think so many people have changed their careers in the last year, whether that’s working from home or a total job change and that’s something we certainly cover in coaching sessions.

Rather than taking the perspective of panic and scarcity, I like to support my clients in seeing leaving a job role as an opportunity to figure out what it is they truly want to do, then cultivating self belief to make it a reality.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The pandemic has taught me to slow down and to listen to my own needs rather than focussing on others or what I think I ‘should’ be doing.

Pre pandemic, western society was in a very ‘yang’ state. We were feeling imbalanced and burnt out.

I believe the pandemic has brought us all more into a yin state, it taught us that it’s ok to just be, without being productive every moment of the day.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I began my coaching career after struggling with my mental health and working as a part time online tutor.

I knew that wasn’t my ‘calling’ in life but I didn’t know how to find clarity in what I actually wanted to do and I thought my options were limited.

I started working with a life coach myself and realized that my psychology background and experience in teaching and behavioral therapy all made sense, plus I am extremely passionate about people feeling empowered, life coaching was my thing all along!

I trained and got my life coaching qualification, then started working with clients from August last year.

My coaching style and the values behind my business have shaped and shifted but now I am so happy with the work I do. It’s so rewarding to support other people in feeling their best and living a life they deserve.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

What a tough question!

Honestly, I think moving abroad has been my toughest hurdle.

Most people tell me I’m lucky to be living in Bali but when you move and immerse yourself in a totally contrasting culture to your own, you go through a process of acculturation which then brings about an identity crisis!

I’m so pleased I’ve undergone so much personal development to feel sure in who I am and therefore rooted in my own values and beliefs.

I know this is where I want to be but it’s been a rollercoaster to feel settled somewhere so novel.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I work with clients from all different background but with similar goals.. they feel out of control and aren’t connected to who they truly are.

I continue my professional development constantly to ensure I am improving my coaching strategies and techniques.

But what has helped the most with perfecting my coaching services is experience.

I now know from the first session with a client what will work best with them and specify their coaching aims, then I can tailor our coaching trajectory to allow each session to be unique and complimentary of the client’s needs.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

While I am a confidence coach, I take a gentle approach and integrate a lot of mindfulness practices into my coaching.

I believe mindfulness helps us to develop true inner confidence as we cultivate a deeper relationship with ourselves.

More than anything, my coaching is compassionate.

I am compassionate, I encourage my clients to be compassionate and therefore there are no ‘rules’ or ‘shoulds’… which is pretty unique!

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

Where do I begin?

There are the ‘practical’ wins, such as clients moving to their dream homes, getting the job they’ve always wanted, leaving a partner that wasn’t serving them.

But in my eyes, the biggest wins are the mindset shifts.

Going from a place of self deprecation and shame to a place of self trust and compassion. To me, that’s a long lasting shift that can change someone’s life.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I have a whole range of tools that I use with clients and am constantly developing.

I’ve created my own goal setting strategies, techniques to find someone’s deeper life purpose, how to defeat limiting beliefs and more recently have been integrating meditation and other mindfulness tools into my coaching practice.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Stop what you’re doing, unclench your jaw and take some deep breaths! Nothing is more important than your wellbeing, so take time to just be.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

To listen to myself and trust what’s right for me.

Your final thoughts?

It’s been a joy to talk through my business and how it’s developed during the pandemic.

This is my dream career and I feel so lucky to be doing what I love to do everyday.

I have a new affordable membership opening up at the start of July, so head to my website to learn more!

Where Can You Find Laura Holmes?

If you want to learn more about her work you can visit her website at Mindful Confidence where you will find all about her coaching.

You can also listen to her podcast Fill Your Teacup or ask to join her private Facebook group. It was an honor having this interview with her.