Jill has '˜reinvented' herself as a life coach

After growing up and working in Gainsborough as a nurse, Jill Cowley chose the town as the location to launch her own business and 're-invent' herself.
Jill CowleyJill Cowley
Jill Cowley

Jill established Pozitive Minds in November 2015, after she completed basic and specialist training to follow a career of life coaching.

She said: “Initially I saw clients in their own homes but quickly recognised the need to establish my own consulting room.”

Jill now operates from the Plough Business Hub and says she chose Gainsborough as she worked in the town for many years as a community nurse, followed by nursing at Caskgate Street Surgery.

Jill is originally from Lincolnshire and went to school at Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough. she left to train in London aged 18.

She said: “I decided on coaching as a new career pathway having both witnessed and experienced the benefits of it over the previous two years.”

Jill says within her current role her greatest achievement has been having the courage to change direction and step out of her comfort zone, to re-train and set up a business at the same time as developing a client base.

She said: “On top of that my father, who is almost 90-years-old and has health issues, lives with us, so I am also a carer.

“In order to reach my goals, I had to change my own mindset and that remains a constant as I develop my business.

“In this line of work clients generally move on very quickly, though this is down to individuals. That said, those challenges are insignificant compared to the fabulous changes I see in my clients.

“My sister-in-law told a friend the other day that I had re-invented myself. In a way, I have.

“My own life has been better since starting this new career path. At an age when people might be looking to take early retirement, I wanted to keep going and change direction.

“I just keep aiming to be the best that I can be and to make a difference to people’s lives.”

Jill has clients in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Dorset and Oxfordshire.

She said: “Clearly some of these are via telephone coaching and I intend to expand this line of work. While my work is strictly professional and highly confidential I completely understand that for some people it is easier to speak on the phone, as opposed to face to face.

“As well as individuals I currently see a lot of business people about both personal issues and their business. I really don’t think you can altogether separate one from the other.

“Earlier this year I offered five free one-off sessions for businesses. I have done some work in school and, as I think there is so much scope there, I am looking to work more with young people who face considerable life pressures and help them deal effectively with these such as stresses at school or home, peer pressure, addiction to technology, self-belief, setting life goals, to name but a few.

“I also intend to work more in health, particularly supporting clients and carers facing end of life issues. I made a significant life-changing choice and have no regrets.

“The hard work achieving this has been further character-forming, even though at times it has been a challenge to remain positive due to the pressures of following my vision.

“Supporting my clients to move on in their lives is very rewarding and I take great pleasure in seeing the difference coaching makes to people. Not just to my client but to their family and others, there is a real knock on effect.

“A starting point to see if coaching is the right form of help for an individual is to plan a free 20-minute consultation, often by phone but a prospective client does not need to make a decision there and then.”

n To find out more about Pozitive Minds visit www.pozitiveminds.co.uk or email Jill directly at [email protected].