Why Coaching Women for Greatness is My Passion
Posted on February 20, 2015 by Jessica Thompson, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
I always heard about wellness coaching but never really knew what it was about. I was working, having emotional breakdowns and didn't even know why...
If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I’d ever have the passion to become a life coach I would have looked at you crazy. I was always a go getter, always able to succeed in my career and in college, but I thought I had my life all planned out. I was going to finish college, work my way up the retail corporate ladder, get my Master’s degree, and then open my own women’s retail clothing company.
I started along that journey with ease, soon ran my own stores, trained other new store managers throughout the country, had the education, and was well on my way to what I thought was the life of my dreams.
And then I had a baby. Wow!! WHAT?? What in the world was I going to do with a kid?
She wasn’t in my plan yet, she wasn’t supposed to come until around 6-8 years later!
Where was THIS in my Book of Life??
Then it hit. Post-partum depression, anxiety, stress, feelings of defeat.
I’d focused so much on my idea of “winning”, that I hadn’t even stopped to pay attention to what Life is really all about.
Did I stop there? NO WAY! Instead, I “got over it”, changed my career to working at the University level, and devoted my every moment to helping others find the right path for their career and training others to do the same.
So why did I have this “I MUST Win” mentality?
Here’s the Life they didn’t get to see….
I was always very self conscious about the way I looked.
As a kid, I used to cry every time I received a swimming pool birthday party invitation because I HATED my body, especially my THIGHS! I felt like I’d been handed the WORST BODY EVER!
That didn’t change much during my teen years, even with boyfriends and popularity. I decided that I would change my body my own way and fell into an eating disorder called bulimia. I mean, I HAD to keep up with the girls on my cheerleading squad. NO ONE WANTS TO SEE A FAT CHEERLEADER, RIGHT??
Then, at just 15 years old, the ultimate betrayal, I was violently raped.
Did that just happen to ME?? WHY ME?
I’m the preacher’s daughter! Who would do that to ME?
I guess I really must be worthless. All of those words of “Honey you’re beautiful, honey you have tons of friends, you’re so popular, others wish they were you,” all of that went right out the window.
What was left was an emotionally fragile, angry, bitter ME, battling bulimia for another 5 years. What was left was a person filled with a I MUST WIN mentality but for ALL of the WRONG reasons.
Have I had a lot of success? Well that depends on how Success is Defined for you. I used to think I was successful. All of the awards, the accolades, the husband, the talented gymnast daughters, being a pastor’s kid, I used to think that all of that meant that I MADE IT.
But underneath it all, that little girl, that lost emotional teen, was still a complete wreck, with unannounced bursts of anger and tears, losing weight, gaining weight, eating well, barely eating, working 75-80 EVERY week to be the BEST, afraid to go home and have to STOP and be PRESENT. OMG where’s the App for That??
I completely hit rock bottom during the month that I decided my life wasn’t worth living.
Aww, I am oh so thankful, oh so grateful, that God saw fit to pull me out of that dark internal hole.
I realized that I’ve spent my ENTIRE career helping others without first taking the time to truly love myself. I never even gave ME a chance, from early childhood, I was so tough on ME that I couldn’t see the beautiful ME that He created me to be.
This chance at life that I have, this opportunity to help women find their place, to empower women to make themselves a priority again and to treat themselves right, is my ultimate passion.
When working with clients, I can hear the Past, the hurt, the emotion, the busy schedules, the active parenting, I hear the Desire to Be Stronger, to be Healthy, to be Happy.
I am honored and privileged to help women have a complete life transformation.
I am a Wellness Coach because to first Love Your Worth is the only way to Truly Live Well.
Jessica L. Thompson
www.jamwithjessica.com
