Speaker: Kate Atha, Head of ECF, Allianz
Kate Atha: people that are learning and in that kind of like the same headspace as you
What made you choose this menopause coaching diploma instead of other options?
Kate Atha: So I got the information about this course uh from LinkedIn. And, um, contacted Lauren to have the, the, you know, the intro chat. And just following that conversation with her, um, with her talking through, you know, what the course content is, um, how it's delivered, you know, what you get at the end of it. And, for me, I didn't explore any other, uh, options. I thought it sounded perfect, um. I didn't really know that I was even looking to do something like this, but I was so, uh, drawn to the, the advert and what Lauren had to say that for me, after that, it, it felt like this is something that I really want to do, and um, yeah. So I did.
What specific challenge or uncertainty did you have before enrolling, and how has the training resolved that?
Kate Atha: So I had real concerns about, you know, my own abilities, you know, would I be able to, to learn something new? Would I be able to do the course, um. Would I be able to do this after so many years of not having done any, any study or anything like that, and, you know, being menopausal myself, you know, brain fog and loss of confidence and, and things like that have really had an impact on me. So I was really concerned about, you know, my own capabilities coming into, um, the course, but that was really quickly, um, like, Put aside by, first of all, how, how lovely and supportive Lauren was throughout the whole experience. And Lauren had a really lovely saying that she, she uses a lot, which is, you know, you're exactly where you're meant to be, you know, on your journey and in this process and and trust the process. And when those kind of self-doubts and fears were creeping in, you know, there'd be some weeks where I may have thought, oh, I'm not sure if I'm getting this, um. Lauren really, really helped with those and was, you know, an absolute kind of source of comfort in those times when I wasn't really sure. Uh, and the second thing is that the group, the group were just so supportive and so lovely. Um, it just had a really, really lovely, um, unified feel, and everyone was supporting each other. So, yeah, it really helped.
How has this diploma changed your confidence, career, or business results so far?
Kate Atha: This course has helped my confidence immensely from having all those moments of self-doubt around will I be able to learn something new and am I capable to that feeling when you've actually gone through the full programme and looking back and going, oh wow, I did that and wow, that went quite fast and oh that's sad, it's over. And all of those things have massively helped me in my confidence and you know, career wise it's just really, really opened my eyes to all the different options that are out there, you know, currently I'm just really excited to be able to use what I've learned to help my colleagues and The people that I work with, but just the amount of things you can do with the skills that you learn on this course has genuinely been, you know, like a mind blowing kind of reality of like, wow, this, you can do a lot with the things that you're learning here. So and it's not just about menopause, the things that you're learning, it's it's life skills and it's The tools to, um, improve, you know, your your own life and, um, hopefully those of, um, of others as well. So, yeah, it's, it genuinely has been a fantastic experience.
What surprised you most about the experience?
Kate Atha: What surprised me most was just how many people there were on the course from all across the world, all different parts of the world, which I absolutely loved, and it was so good to be first of all, like meeting people from different countries, um, but there was such a wonderful sense of community, and it was so fascinating being on a, a session with someone in a different time zone. We have people from Australia, Colombia, the Caribbean. And it was fascinating to kind of hear their experiences and, and, you know, just be part of that with them. So that really surprised me because for some reason I thought it was um the diploma was just UK based, so that was a surprise, a lovely surprise. And um, and I suppose as well I have to say that, you know, what surprised me, um, Still to this, you know, to this day, is that whilst menopause is a topic that we talk about so much more now than we used to do, there is still so much to do on it. There's still so much education that's needed and, um, boundaries to kind of be broken and equity, um, for people to have, you know, access to the same levels of healthcare and support and education. So. For me, hearing other people's experiences and the topics and the things that we were learning, it was a real surprise still that there is still so, so much to do, uh, on this subject.
Who would you recommend this diploma to, and why?
Kate Atha: I would genuinely recommend this diploma to like everybody if you're interested in learning, if you're interested in learning new skills, if you want to educate yourself, if you want to help others, I genuinely would recommend it to so, so many people. It's been an absolutely fantastic experience. I've really, really enjoyed my, uh, Friday afternoons with um the group and with Lauren, and it's inspiring to be around other people that are learning and in that kind of like the same headspace as you and in that supportive group environment, uh. It genuinely has been such a a great thing to be involved with. I'm really so happy that I did it and, um, put myself out of my comfort zone and um yeah, I absolutely would recommend it to, To so many people, you don't have to just be interested in learning about the menopause or wanting to use the diploma, um, to be a coach, you can use it in so many different ways. So yeah, I, I would really recommend it to to everybody.
