As I write this About Me page, I am filled with gratitude that the feelings I have about my life are so far beyond anything I could have imagined 20 years ago. Simply put, I love my work, and I love my life!
I love how I feel when I wake up in the morning knowing that my work is waiting for me. I love that I find joy in all of my interactions. I love how I get to express myself and my passion for my work. I love that I can choose who I work with. I love the balance I’ve created in my life, with my family. I love that I have the time and space to enjoy my life.
Someone once said to me that ‘you are what you are because someone believed in you’. I’m not sure how true that is for you, but I know for a fact that if I hadn’t had that one person on my side, I’d still be ‘existing’. The job I had loved disappeared in a re-org and I found myself stuck in work I didn’t enjoy. To boot, I was living in a relationship that was going nowhere. It wasn’t a life. It was an existence. Yes, I was earning a good salary, with benefits including a company car. Oh yes, working for a global telecoms company meant I had a great pension lined up too. Yet, I was so miserable that by my early 30’s the only things I looked forward to were my holidays abroad and retirement. Eventually, with the help of a coach, I realised I deserved more than a few weeks in the sun and a comfortable retirement. I deserved a life.
So, I took a week off work to research and generally get my head around the notion of doing something different. I signed up to study NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and qualified in 1999 as an NLP Practitioner. After that, I qualified as a life coach. A few years later it became clear to me that stress had been a big part of my life, and those of my clients. Sadly, a life lived with stress inevitably leads to relationship challenges and health issues. On becoming a single parent I was determined to model to my boys what life is really about. I maintain a great relationship with their Dad, and I manage my stress with a technique that I have shared with them, and I am keen to share with you.
“I have worked with Sandra on and off for several years and her understanding of what makes me tick and how I operate really helps me to gain insight , and she asks very pertinent questions.”S Jones, Hemel Hempstead
My Experience and Qualifications
in 1999 I gained my NLP qualification and in 2001 I qualified as a Life Coach. After becoming interested in how to manage stress in 2010, I trained with the Institute of HeartMath to learn how to facilitate resilience and reduce biomedical stress both in myself, and others. I became an Add Heart Facilitator.
I went on to qualify as an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Advanced Level Practitioner with AAMET . This has enabled my ability to help people reduce their stress even more quickly.
More recently I chose to add children’s stress to my portfolio. I am delighted to help our young people grow into more resilient adults and am currently working in a Primary Education setting teaching Year 6 children this amazing stress busting technique in the lead up to their SATS.
Over the years, I’ve invested heavily in my own personal development and I enjoy updating my knowledge through continuous professional development with regular supervision, mentoring and coaching. I am currently studying for an MBCT qualification in Mindfulness.
I love how my work not only impacts the individuals I work with, but also their families and communities. I enjoy giving back and to that end I choose to work with two charitable and community establishments a year. Right now I’m working with Stopsley Community Primary School and Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary.
If you think I might be the coach you’re looking for, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you.
Sandra Swan is a professional life coach based in Luton. She specialises in coaching using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and other stress management techniques. Sandra’s coaching style is geared towards corporate executives, and parents of school age children. Sandra can facilitate in person coaching with clients in Luton, Harpenden and London, or online worldwide.