Raechel Pooley: on hat wearing and being true to who you are.

In my management role in the public sector, I felt like I was putting a ‘hat’ on as soon as I entered the building and it was staying firmly in place until I shut the doors at the end of the day. The job I was in ran a 24/7 service, so it meant that I felt like I was ‘manager Raechel’ more often than I was the real ‘me’. Only when I left to have my baby and began maternity leave, did I realise that I was able to be me every single day, and it felt fabulous. As the time drew closer for me to return to work, the anxiety I experienced took me back to a place of poor mental health during my teenage and younger adult years. Together with a real lack of support from work, it led me to a dark place. Coaching saved me.

Coaching has always been a part of my role, ever since I began my career, but it was only on returning to this dark place, where my mental health was poor, that I realised that coaching could allow me to be my authentic self continuously. What more could I want than waking up, eating, breathing and speaking how I wanted to and not how I thought others wanted me to be?

I truly believe that everyone has the power to feel this way. With the support of some powerful coaching, more people can feel empowered and authentic in all aspects of their lives, including their working life. We spend the majority of our lives at work – so understanding and appreciating the need for mental health support in the workplace as much as we understand the need for physical support is paramount to bringing in change. What fifty50 offers is just that – the opportunity to take back control, to feel supported, to find your voice and, ultimately to have better mental fitness.

Now, I empower people every day to be their authentic selves and to find them if they’re not sure who they are anymore.  I equip clients with the tools they need to move forward and create success through adversity. Now, more than ever, mental health support is not only necessary; it’s a necessity. Acknowledging the requirement for mental fitness coaching is the start; seeing the brightened faces of clients after realising their full potential is the goal.