In reality, dependence on others is part of being human ~ Brené Brown
There are moments in life that divide it into before and after. For me, one of those moments came during my coaching certification. After completing the first semester at Mindjuice, my father passed away.
Grief has a way of changing everything. The things that once felt important suddenly lose their meaning. Concentrating became difficult. Studying felt impossible. Continuing the course no longer seemed important.
I remember telling Laura that I wanted to quit. Her response has stayed with me ever since. She said, “You need this coaching course more right now than ever.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. Looking back, I realise she was absolutely right. This wasn’t just a course where we were learning how to coach others; we were actually being coached ourselves.
Just two days after my father’s death, the second semester started, and Pernille, my teacher and the founder of Mindjuice, chose me as the coachee. I still remember that session. She didn’t try to take away my grief. She didn’t offer easy answers. She created a space where I could be with everything I was feeling.
For the first time since my father’s passing, I felt heard, and that is when I realised that coaching isn’t about fixing people. It is about being fully present with another human being with full attention. That experience has stayed with me.
Later in the day, another one of my fellow coaches guided me through something I had never considered before. (You know who you are). He coached me about letting go and asking for forgiveness as well as offering forgiveness to someone who had passed on. It shifted something deep within me. It changed the way I thought about death. It taught me that healing is not about changing the past. It is about freeing ourselves from the weight we continue to carry.
These coaching conversations didn’t take away my loss. They, however, changed my relationship with it.
As the months went by, I realised something else. I didn’t complete my coaching certification because I was exceptionally strong. I completed it because I wasn’t alone. My family encouraged me when I wanted to give up. My fellow coaches checked in on me and walked beside me. My teachers believed in me when I had stopped believing in myself. Their support carried me until I could walk on my own again.
Today, when people congratulate me on becoming a certified coach, I smile and say that certificate represents far more than completing a course. It represents choosing to continue when life gave me every reason to stop. It reminds me that resilience isn’t about never falling apart. It’s about allowing others to help you put the pieces back together.
Life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs, which is a reminder that we are not in control of everything. We make plans. We dream. We set goals. But sometimes life writes a chapter you were not expecting.
I’ve come to believe that our task is not to control every outcome. Our task is to meet whatever comes with faith, courage, and the willingness to keep moving forward, even when the path changes.
Losing a parent is tough. And through that loss, I experienced the extraordinary power of coaching, compassion, and community. It shaped not only the coach I became, but also the person I continue to become.
If there is one lesson I carry with me, it is this: You do not have to face life’s hardest moments alone. Sometimes, the people around you become the strength you cannot yet find within yourself. And one day, because they stood beside you, you will be able to stand beside someone else.
And that is what I want to offer through my coaching. A space where you can pause, find your clarity, and discover the strength and direction that is already within you.
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