Story

“I can trust my experience. When an activity feels as if it is valuable or worth doing, it is worth doing.” Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person

When I was 14 and a half, I wondered what I could start doing that would be both challenging and exciting. Learning a new language by myself seemed the perfect choice (mind you, this was before the Internet Age) so I gave English a try.

I remember staring at the phonetic symbols, head in my hands, asking myself what on earth they meant. Somehow, I cracked the code, which was a source of pure joy, then I gradually worked out all the grammar rules; the rest was, by comparison, a piece of cake.

Having studied English for a year as if my life depended on it, I told my parents what subject I wanted to study at university.

It was a foreign language which, in a communist country like Romania in the 1980s, must have sounded quite apocalyptic, therefore my parents’ gasp for air. It was also a self-taught language which rendered my idea totally unfeasible or simply dumb, therefore their sigh of relief.

My eccentric endeavour, fully supported by my parents after a brief period of hesitation, paid off wonderfully as in a few years’ time the unimaginable happened: communism collapsed and Romanian people turned the page (or so we believed).

I did study English at one of the best universities in Romania and I became a teacher of English, a job that offered me great professional and personal fulfillment.

After I took up teaching drama, I began to write original monologues and adapted plays which I later collected in a book called Masks On! At my school I started my own theatre group, “The Irresistible” and, as a playwright and director, I involved my students in numerous county and national drama competitions where we won fantastic prizes: Best Actress and Actor in leading roles, Best Show of the Festival, Best Script (to mention only a few).

My own three talented children, whose teacher I was, got first and second prizes at national drama competitions in English.

In 2010 I decided to do something that had never been done in our county, namely to participate in a theatre competition abroad. Despite many difficulties, The Irresistible and I made it to The World School Theatre Festival in Sanremo, Italy, where my students presented my own adaptation of The Twelfth Night.

When the winner of the competition was announced, it took us a few seconds and a nudge from an Italian organizer to walk onto the stage and get the prize.

What made those moments especially memorable was the fact that I shared them with my daughter who was the leading actress in the play.

About fifteen years ago on my birthday, knowing that books make the best gifts for me, my mother gave me Jeffrey Eugenides’ famous novel, Middlesex. Little did I know then that the book whose odd title intrigued my mother (and me) was soon going to be part of the research for my doctoral degree. And that I would also relocate to another country just like the characters at the start of the novel.

Writing my PhD thesis in English literature involved incredibly hard work and numerous sacrifices. But hey, didn’t I do exactly what I wanted? Needless to say, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family.

Moving to England in 2013 was a truly bold choice. The experience of living in a new country, albeit challenging, especially in the beginning, has essentially helped my family grow as persons.

I continued to teach mainly English as a first language (yep!) and drama to secondary school students, including those studying for their GCSEs. I also started working on a novel in English while attending a great creating writing course in London where I lived for seven years.

The coaching course appeared in my life when the highlight of my days was watching dozens of swans gliding nonchalantly on the lake near my place: after the first lockdown in England. The saying “every cloud has a silver lining” fits perfectly here as this opportunity was a gift falling from the sky.

I love being a life coach.

It is so rewarding to see my clients’ facial expressions change from anxiety to contentment, from disappointment to awe, from doubt to triumph. There is a tangible shift in awareness or even a revelation during the very first session. Trough coaching, my clients rediscover their potential, rediscover the beauty of life and rediscover themselves.

They make changes in their lives in a relatively short period of time (definitely shorter than if they were to face their challenges by themselves) and these changes prove to be long-lasting. One reason for this is that they learn new skills for life that help them design the lifestyle they want. Isn’t it amazing?

I am grateful to be part of people’s journeys of transformation.

Being a life coach has literally changed my life on a personal level. By rediscovering myself and improving myself, I see how I make an impact not only on the people I work with, but also on my family, friends, colleagues. I am continually learning and evolving which keeps me excited, gives me joy and makes me want to become the best that I can be.

Well, I think I saved the best for last.

I have one daughter and two sons who are young adults on their own exciting life journeys.

I love them with all my heart. Unconditionally.

They’re my gifts.

Other details about myself if you’re still interested:

• If coffee hadn’t been “invented,” I would have done it myself.
• I sometimes remember myself doing ballet or rhythmic gymnastics in my childhood and teenage years. And my body seems to hurt a little only thinking of the movements my body was able to make.
• Don’t ask me why, but I never had a pet. Now I have three amazing dogs and I’m loving them.
• The beach is the only place I am willing to give up my high heels (and the mountains, if I think twice).
• Swimming is, above all else, freedom.