Newstead life coach Sarah McNicol is motivating people isolated in coronavirus lockdown

Sarah McNicol, who has nearly 30 years in coaching and mentoring, is supporting groups of students online by helping to build up their confidence and showing them how to achieve their ambitions.

Each week of the REALISE sessions has focused on different topics to help students find out what is important to them, their likes, dislikes and values. Sarah’s coaching teaches them how to speak in public and contribute better to group sessions.

Jo Hayes, a 17-year-old student on the BTEC National Foundation Diploma in Performing Arts, has taken part in the sessions online at home. She said: “It’s taught me new coping strategies that I now use regularly. If these current hard times were to come before this programme I don't think I would have coped half as well as I am doing now. It has really helped me in the last few weeks, not only with college work, but basic day-to-day life.

“The biggest thing the sessions have shown me is to have self-belief and to know what I want and when I would like to achieve things. This has helped me massively going into the second year of my course as I know what I'm working towards and I have goals. It’s also given me confidence within myself and I won’t judge myself too harshly if I go wrong as I now have the motivation to try again until I get it right.”

Sarah, who is based in Newstead, said: “The REALISE programme will help students to be more confident, get an idea of what they want to do in the future and know how to take steps towards that. I help them to see what they want and how to create it, how to feel more confident and how to deal with life’s ups and downs.”

The life coach has worked with business leaders, large organisations, individuals and students both in the UK and abroad.

Since coronavirus emerged, Sarah has been focused on providing coaching support to people working at home who would normally be in the office, to help them feel less isolated and able to cope with the challenging circumstances. To contact her, email [email protected] or visit www.sarahmcnicol.com