Martha Cuffy

Age at time of shift

32

Gender

Female

Education level

Postgraduate

Universities attended

University of Bristol; Business School Bihar Yoga Bharati

Shifted from

Assistant Director in Corporate Finance

Location

?

Salary

£50,000-£75,000

Years in old career

2

Shifted to

Facilitator and Life Coach

Location

?

Salary

undisclosed

Years in new career

3

Year of shift

unknown

What was your role in your old job?

Lead adviser for e-business ventures of corporates and unquoted technology companies. Strategy, coaching and partnership development.

What is/are your new role(s)?

Facilitator and coach - career transition, social/eco entrepreneurship and partnerships and leadership development.

Why did you change?

Felt restricted, skillset more suited for a people-oriented service, too heady, more aware of differing values, needed a more innovative environment where I used more communication skills. So I accepted redundancy rather than redeployment.

Are you happy with the change?

Yes, I feel and express my creativity, authenticity in terms of my values and aliveness. Experienced many changes in myself that would not have happened had I stayed. There are many challenges ahead but of a different sort.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

Miss - predictability of cash flow, personal development services, certain work colleagues.

Don't miss - timesheets, culture, regulatory environment.

How did you go about making the change?

Started researching options by talking to people in similar roles, got fitter, sold flat to free equity to enable me to take a leap to do MA in India to get my zest for life back and to deepen coaching skills through a course upon my return.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Letting go of others' approval - the status of having a nice job and flat and accepting that some would not understand what i was doing - in short, learning to be comfortable with the unknown with only self-belief to guide me.

What help did you get?

Acupuncture treatment, yoga and attended personal growth workshops. Friends and family helped with logistics. Words of encouragement from many.

What have you learnt in the process?

It is unpredictable, miracles happen out of nowhere, despite a lot of fear and procrastination. Sometimes it is better not to know too much in advance as you waste time worrying. Importance of keeping the body and mind relaxed and balanced. I am not alone and many can help in different ways. It is worth the risk to say something to someone you would not have dared done before - you'll be surprised. Do not take negative feedback personally; close ones just want you to be safe.

What do you wish you'd done differently?

If I had employed a coach to support me during the career transition I would have stayed for a shorter time in my past role and had more faith and confidence in my decisions.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

Don't sit with fear alone - it zaps too much energy and distorts reality. Understand the difference between exploring your options and procrastination rooted in fear. There are clues for you to find answers in known and unexpected places - be a very curious detective. Have faith in your inner decision-making process even when it doesn't make sense! Stepping into your power disrupts what has gone before so stand firm. Whenever you face a screaming Witch of the East - remember she is melting.