Marion Nixon is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her dedication, expertise and wisdom.
Since her teenage years she had a passion of helping people become the best version of themselves. But, she had no idea how to do that professionally.
So the next logical thing was to follow her passion, and as an avid reader she became a librarian. But, as life does often, she got pulled in many directions away from her real purpose. Only after being retrenched from her corporate “safe job” she realized she was paid to leave something she doesn’t want to do.
That reframing (from being fired to being paid to leave a job she doesn’t want to do) showed her the power of our mind and beliefs. She started her own hero’s journey of discovery and healing her childhood trauma, she turned her aroma therapy hobby into a full time job, she learned and incorporated many modalities to help people heal from trauma. So, coming back full circle, now she helps people heal from trauma, get clarity about their purpose, and make their heart dreams come true. Here is what she said.
Meet Life Coach Marion Nixon:
Name: Marion Nixon
Pillar: The Spirit, The Mind, The Body, The Heart
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to live their heart dream and get clarity about their purpose in life.
How they can help: By using tools and techniques like aroma therapy, EFTs, various relaxation exercises, deep listening, as well as the ARK process framework (Accepting, Responsibility, Knowing).
First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?
I live alone so the lockdown period was a strain, although I maintained regular telephonic contact with friends and the internet enabled me to stay in contact with family members living far away.
The more frequent family contact brought us closer together so although it was a difficult time, it has had a positive outcome.
How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?
Other than a few people becoming ill, fortunately none critically, the biggest Impact was the inconvenience of the restrictions on movement.
The impact on me was much the same, plus the reduction of face to face appointments.
The upside was more people becoming familiar with working online.
What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?
The importance of connection and personal support.
The antidote to trauma is feeling connected and safe with people you trust.
I saw this played out in reverse during the pandemic as the weeks of strict lockdown were very stressful for many people.
The Origin:
Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?
From teenage years I wanted to support people to resolve their emotional issues and to improve their lives.
I had no idea how to do that so I chose librarianship as I was an avid reader.
It wasn’t really what I wanted so I tried Human Resource management but quickly realised that it entailed more paper shuffling than improving the lot of employees.
I returned to library work, this time in the corporate world, and got stuck in the proverbial ‘good job’ until I was retrenched.
When the shock wore off I realised that I had been paid to leave a job that gave me little satisfaction and could now afford to take time to figure out what I really wanted to do.
That re interpretation of my situation was transformative and I realised the power of changing the way you look at things.
I turned my hobby side hustle of aromatherapy into a full time practice and over the years trained in other modalities as well.
Through this, I learnt about trauma and the impact it has on the physical, mental, and emotional health.
I was amazed to discover that I carried signs of childhood trauma of the ‘little t’ kind.
This is emotional trauma caused by seemingly small events that have a profound negative emotional impact on children too young to be able to process the emotional overwhelm.
Instead, the child takes on a belief that they are at fault and that certain behavior or activity is unsafe.
This is stored in their unconscious mind and may not be remembered in adulthood, yet will shape how they think about themselves, the way they show up in the world, how they relate to other people, and even what career choices they make.
Having done a lot of work on reprogramming my unconscious beliefs I decided to use coaching to share my training and experience with others so they too can live to their full potential instead of being trapped by their (forgotten) past.
I’ve come a full circle, back to my early desire to help others improve the quality of their lives.
What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?
The effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect slowed my transformational journey until I learnt about trauma and how to release the negative beliefs my childhood experience instilled in me.
It’s an on going journey but I have the tools to rapidly deal with any issues that arise.
I am now passionate about helping others free themselves of limiting beliefs so they can live to their full potential.
The Coaching Style:
How do you innovate with coaching your clients?
I’m not a conventional coach as I include mind body techniques in my coaching process.
This enables my clients to release the emotional trauma held in their bodies as well as reprogramme their limiting beliefs so they can do things differently with ease instead of struggling.
The flexibility of the tools I use enables me to offer truly personal coaching tailored to the needs of my clients rather than taking them through a set process or system.
What’s unique about your coaching approach?
I believe that everyone who feels stuck and unfulfilled has a dream that they have stopped dreaming but still lives in their heart.
I call it their heart dream.
I use my ‘build your ARK’ process to give them clarity on what they truly desire, and build the courage and confidence to live their heart dream.
The ARK process is Accepting your present situation without judgement (not acquiescence) taking Responsibility for your present life and that you are the only person who can change it, then you are able to focus on Knowing what you truly want instead and start living in alignment with that.
What benefits do your clients get after working with you?
On a personal level: Personal growth and transformation, Clarity of vision for the future, Confidence and Courage to make it happen.
On a business level: Clear direction, Strategic decisions, Personal confidence, Motivational values, Defined purpose, Inspiring vision.
These factors create a foundation for staying focused on priorities and long term vision instead of being distracted by short term seemingly good ideas.
Strategic decision making is easier when there is clarity on underlying motivating values, and understanding of how these support purpose and vision.
Clarity of purpose and vision also creates a strong basis for a brand identity which attracts and retains ideal clients.
Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?
My main tool is Emotional Freedom Techniques, the ‘s’ is there because there are various forms of EFT, and a variety of ways of using them, not a one size fits all approach!
Through deep listening, my clients feel heard at a new level and safe to process their memories and emotions.
I show my clients easy to use calming techniques they can incorporate into their daily lives.
The Impact:
If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?
You CAN achieve that ‘impossible’ dream, and live life true to your own values.
And it’s easier than you think!
What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?
That I am not alone.
For a large part of my life I thought the only person I could rely on was myself.
Discovering that there is a whole world of people willing to help and support me has transformed my life!
Your final thoughts?
There are always options, even when you can’t see them.
As a mindset coach, I help you look at things from new perspectives so you can find your way to living your dream and being true to yourself.
Where Can You Find Marion Nixon?
If you liked this interview and you would love to find clarity on how you can live your own heart dream, go to www.marionnixon.co.za and see how she can help you.
If you like to connect more personally with her, you can do that through LinkedIn or Facebook. It was an honor having this interview with her.