I didn’t expect to become a coach when I did my coaching training.
We've all faced that moment in our careers when we pause and ask ourselves, "What now?" It's a question that can persist, quietly urging us to explore new horizons. As we head into the bank holiday weekend, I want to share with you how I listened to that call, embraced one of the biggest changes of my life and stepped into my next career chapter as a Leadership Coach, Consultant and Mentor.
My hope is that if you are considering a career change right now, that my story inspires you to also follow those insistent nudges!
My career journey began in the dynamic and innovative world of Digital…what feels like many moons ago! With nearly two decades of experience, I navigated through digital marketing, sales strategies, self-service platforms, and product development. From Junior Account Executive in an international PR firm, to Vice President Digital Experience for a leading telco in the UAE. Over the years I had worked with giants like Sky, O2, Three (later also BT and EE), and Dubai's du, I understood the telecom landscape well.
In 2018 I knew I was at a pivot point in my career but I needed help to clarify it. So I began working with a leadership coach to help me get some answers. In our sessions, after much soul searching an ‘ah ha’ moment hit me. Despite my accomplishments, I realised there was more to my career than climbing the corporate ladder. A yearning to be an even more impactful leader kept nudging me. I wanted to inspire and support my team members on a deeper level and know what it meant to fully embody and role model being a ‘change maker’. I felt the call to be even more authentic, even more conscious of who I was as a leader and to really own that knowing that as I did this, I would help others to be and do the same. And that mattered to me on a soul level.
This desire changed everything.
I make the decision to enrol in the ORSC coaching program – organisation and relationship systems coaching —a commitment that demanded time and resources over many months. I dived in! Juggling full-time work and weekend training wasn't easy, but I was determined.
I had the clarity I had been seeking. I now wanted to master how to take people and teams to their next level as they navigated through change. This approach, I believed, would lead to more sustainable transformations.
As I acquired new coaching skills, I found myself naturally weaving them into my leadership approach at work. The positive impact on the leaders in my team, in how they were showing up for themselves and leaning more into their strengths, was undeniable. On top of this, not only did team dynamics improve, but I witnessed a ripple effect on the surrounding teams, relationships and collaboration as well.
This approach resonated with me and, as I transitioned back to the UK in 2019, I integrated it into my next role as a Product Director at BT/EE. As well coaching and mentoring my own team members and as other leaders across the organisation, I led cultural transformation for the sizeable1,000+ Digital team. I also undertook further coaching training to deepen my 1:1 coaching skills. Early in 2021 I launched Stacy Holland Coaching and began coaching leaders 1:1 alongside my full-time job.
The pivotal moment arrived in December 2021. Driven by my passion, I took the leap of a lifetime. With the support of my own coach once again, I left my corporate role and fully embraced merging my decades of Digital experience with1:1 Leadership Coaching, Team Coaching and Consultancy. A fairly unique path and offering. This move allowed me to collaborate closely with remarkable leaders and teams, many of whom were navigating change themselves within Digital roles and teams.
I’m pretty amazed at how my path has unfolded! The success stories of my clients and their testimonials solidify my belief that I'm making a meaningful impact. My commitment remains strong; to guide individuals and teams through change, just as I've navigated my own transformation.
So, if you're standing at a crossroads, feeling that whisper of something new, remember my journey. Follow that thread - it might just lead you to astonishing horizons!