I Was Zoning Out Alot With My Family

When we first connected, I was struggling with a difficult relationship with my toddler who had a strong preference for the other parent, I was zoning out a lot with my family and I was struggling with making decisions. I was doubting myself, I didn’t feel at ease with myself and felt that a difficult past relationship with my parents was continuing to have a hold over my life and confidence.

I had been to numerous counsellors and one life coach in training so I was hopeful and intrigued before working with Lavinia, but very apprehensive about the financial investment.

I recall being surprised that the first session seemed to be over so quickly and I still felt somewhat unsure about the process after it (I wasn’t sure how much to talk initially as it’s different to counselling). It took me a while to feel comfortable but this changed over subsequent sessions as I began to get to know Lavinia and saw the impact of the work.

The most important change in my life since coaching has been the transformation of my bond with my toddler son – I now feel such a strong attachment to him and he seems so much happier with me and soothed by me. I am also able to be more present with him and my family, and can now catch myself spacing out.

I can manage my fears and anxieties quite effectively by inner parenting. And, as an unintended bonus, I have lost weight as I am managing my comfort eating with awareness and don’t need to lean on it as much. I appreciated how this all happened without any sense of shame.

I surprised myself the most during the series with how effective inner parenting was for me in managing fears on a daily basis. I was also surprised at finally getting a sense of peace around a difficult relationship with a deceased parent. (This had been a source of incredible pain since childhood and talking about it with numerous counsellors had never made much difference).

My biggest learning was that I am kinder and more comforting to myself (and therefore to everyone else in my life) as a result of inner parenting.

I really appreciated how practical and focused the sessions always were and truly felt that Lavinia genuinely had my back. She was so encouraging that this really helped carry me through whenever I hit a bump.

I absolutely think that the coaching series was good value, given what I got out of it. And whilst I think the cost would be prohibitive to most mums I know, I wish everyone could do it. (I was able to use savings and I am really glad that I did).

~ Anna Tolby, healthcare worker & mama, UK