"So, what made you leave VFX for coaching?"

It wasn’t planned, it was more of a slowburn, seeking a new challenge and following what interested me to see where it led - I certainly didn’t anticipate quitting my secure job and going self-employed! But I have absolutely no regrets as I’ve never felt happier professionally.

Here’s what happened - 

I’d been in a senior leadership position at a major visual effects studio for a long time and was ready for a change… I still loved the people and the great vfx work, but my actual role as Global Head of Compositing was beginning to feel a bit Groundhog Day and I was increasingly feeling the need for ‘more’ in terms of a new challenge.

...but what else could I do?

Which lead me to ask, why was I even successful in my role?

Yes, I had an understanding of compositing and an interest in vfx, but that wasn’t unique…

Ruminating on this, I reached the conclusion that the reason I was good at my job was my genuine interest in people, in guiding their professional development and in team building - and whilst this was a genuine interest, it also delivered results - ie, it’s great people who deliver great vfx, so, by building a world-class team, I was ensuring we delivered world-class vfx to our clients. 

This insight led me to consider investing in coaching training, as I felt this would complement my skills as a head of department.

When I say slowburn, I do mean it -

- as this seed of an idea took about 2 years to develop into me actually booking a coaching course!

After some research, I opted to train with Barefoot Coaching, taking their Business and Personal Coaching course in January 2020. This was both a financial and time commitment, costing about £7k at the time, and requiring me to attend 12 full days of training over a 3 month period and then complete an exam, an assessment and 100 hours of paid coaching (to achieve ACC) - all whilst working full-time and balancing my role as a single parent! Blimey. 

Fortunately, both my line manager and my teenage twins were encouraging and supportive, making this feel do-able. And - as it turned out - because I was enjoying learning how to coach well, this never felt like a chore.

And then, in the midst of the course, the UK and the world went into covid lockdown…. Where the training started in person, Barefoot then had to pivot to delivering the final third of the course online. This was actually the best of both worlds for my cohort, as we’d bonded in person (and hugely benefited from the expertise of our lead tutor, Linda Marshall and many others), and then Barefoot founder Kim Morgan stepped in to run our online modules, with Jo Reeves. Bonus!

Reunited with most of my fellow 'Barefoot Blobs' for an extra bonus day of training with Jo Reeves & Sorrel Roberts, May 2022

Of course, during this time, our vfx studio and industry had also pivoted (impressively quickly) from in the office to fully remote… proving it could be done!

And my twins were no longer attending school during their formative Year 10; this was initially ‘just for 3 weeks’... and became far more protracted - but that’s a different story for another time.

As for the coaching training… this was absolutely transformative for me! Before the course, I thought I was already coaching….. And quickly realised how little I knew, how much there was to learn, and - most importantly - just how impactful coaching can be! Here was something that could genuinely make a difference in people’s lives - and I was good at it!

And that switch from always being in-person to working online meant coaching began to seem more feasible too, as I wouldn’t be restricted geographically… hmm, an idea was forming…. I’d found something that I was good at that made a difference, and provided me with the new challenge I’d been seeking (x10!).... hmm....

It was during a week away with my twins in the Peak District late that summer - with time and space to think (and inspired by the epic landscapes) - that I made the bold decision to follow my newfound passion for coaching and give it my full attention and energy - ie, I would quit my ‘safe’ job and step into the unknown of being a self-employed Coach. 

Me in the Peaks, Sept 2020

Scary? Not as such.... although there's nothing like needing to earn a living to help focus the mind! And - I felt excited and invigorated, fuelled with purpose and agency.

On my return to work, I had the tricky conversation with my line manager of 16 years and explained I’d be leaving at christmas - and, as always, he was fully supportive of my decision, recognising this made sense - to me, at least! 

And I felt I left with my colleagues’ blessings: one kindly built my website for me, another very kindly said their partner would be happy to design my logo, those I’d coached already were happy to write testimonials and still more became my clients - all of which helped enormously.

Oh! And this amusing leaving gift of the Comp Management team...!

It’s now almost 5 years since I made that decision…. almost 5 years of seeing the positive impact 1:1 coaching has, of continuing to learn and grow as a coach and solopreneur (not sure I like that word, but it fits) - and of discovering how liberating I find the autonomy of doing my own thing.

As for leaving VFX…?

I don’t really feel I have! Instead, I have expanded my reach as a cheerleader for those doing the actual craft - with the benefit of also enjoying coaching people in games, in film, in art and animation - and beyond (including a zoo vet!). And even more than that, alongside my VFX community I now also have a fabulous coaching community too.

Speaking on Creative Resilience at FMX this year

And that's my first blog post!

Thanks for reading. And I'd genuinely like to know:

• Has this been of interest?

• What surprised you?

• And what else would you like to know?

Please add in the comments.