I Felt Bullied At Work And Had Lost My Confidence

Before my coaching series, I was working in a high-pressure environment abroad, I was struggling with a bully at work, I couldn't find a way to do a meaningful job, I had lost my confidence, and felt utterly trapped. I was questioning whether my career of the last 11 years was a good one, and was paranoid that a health issue I had had a few years ago had permanently impacted my ability to do a good job.

I had never worked with a coach before and had very little expectations, only that I needed some help. But by the end of the first session I knew that I wasn't alone and that some of the feelings I had around myself and my work stemmed from historic events in my life.

The biggest change that I have witnessed in myself is that I am no longer as scared of my very intimidating, establishment working environment or of bullies and have stopped blaming myself for the issues I was struggling with.

In my personal relationships, I have not put up with behaviour that I may have otherwise internalised and felt was my fault, but feel more certain about what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is not, and as such, feel more able to walk away from situations that are not serving me.

As my coaching series coincided with a major event happening to me at work (which was likely a consequence of the coaching which empowered me to stand up to a bully), it was so helpful to feel that Lavinia was literally by my side, cheering me on, and constantly available with advice and wisdom as I faced up to some of the biggest challenges of my working life.

I'm also surprised that as soon as we started coaching, things started to shift and change, and there was a way out of what had seemed like an intractable situation. Although the situation has not yet been resolved, I feel reassured that by standing up to the bully, this will change my patterns in what may be a life-changing way.

Overall, I found the experience to be loving, supportive, and empowering.

~ H.W, lawyer & mother, USA