The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 13: Autumn 2019 | Page 17

WORKPLACE WELLNESS 10 Minutes with Slow Coach Sarah Sarah Thayer is Slow Coach Sarah, a transformational coach who helps high achieving individuals and organisations to slow down, transform past patterns and live more authentically in life, in business and in relationships. Sarah helps people understand how they’ve ended up where they are, establish where they want to go and assists them in following their dreams and taking steps towards a new and different future. We met Sarah to find out more about her and the business. What did you do before setting up Slow Coach Sarah? leave the education sector in early 2018 that I set up Slow Coach Sarah. I worked broadly across two main career areas, with approximately ten years in both; Human Resources (corporate and education sectors) and as a Counsellor with adults and young people in both secondary and further education, as well as in private practice. I dabbled in coaching while I was still counselling back in 2008/09, training in neurolinguistic programming (NLP). It wasn’t until I decided to enrol on a coaching course with - www.animascoaching.com and What’s the driving force behind the business? I really want as many people as possible to experience the transformative changes which can take place through any kind of self-awareness practice. Self-awareness and change can really make massive differences to our own lives and the lives of the people we touch. As we raise our own consciousness and awareness, we impact the world in far more positive ways than if we stay with O URSEL Y P L E F H FREE Health & Wellbeing Book Swap Every month we’ll meet to connect, share ideas on self-help & wellbeing and swap the self-help books we no longer need. STARTING 19 TH SEPTEMBER 2019 our old patterns, for example family relationship dynamics which keep repeating through the generations. How do you work with clients? I like to work primarily with the person in mind, rather than just the goal(s) clients want to achieve. Sometimes people work with me even when they don’t quite know yet what they want. They know something’s not right or they want their lives or careers to be different, but they may not always have a clear picture of what they want instead. It’s my job to elicit that information and facilitate the awareness that sometimes creeps alongside the emerging insights. I love helping leaders in organisations, whether they are leaders of people, products or processes. It’s also rewarding helping those who feel like a square peg in a round hole and want to change their lives. Whether that’s a radical change in a new direction or small changes to improve how authentically they’re living and working today. Why is health and wellbeing so important in the workplace? CONNECT. SHARE. GROW. Bring along a book to give away Buy yourself a drink Join the group - to chat or listen-in on ideas Help yourself to another book to take home. Boston Tea Party, 8 Alf red Street, Bath, BA1 2QU QUESTIONS? 3rd Thursday of every month Feel f ree to email Sarah at [email protected] From 4:15pm - 5:45pm. We spend so many hours at work. Why would we not want that to be a healthy, life- enhancing experience? It makes long-term sense for employers to invest in a healthy ‘family’. Dysfunctional families (of any kind, whether work or personal) are always destructive. When we all invest in the commitment to health and wellbeing, we can do so much together. It’s like a good relationship. It’s two-way. If only one side cares, then it’s doomed to failure. How can companies be more supportive of employees? Firstly, I am a big believer in getting your policies and processes right, it’s the HR background in me! If those policies are in support of wellbeing as an ethos, then at least it’s on the ‘agenda’ so to speak. Secondly, get employees involved! Talk to employees about what can help. Often, it’s the small things that mean such a lot to a member of staff. Sarah hosts a free monthly health and wellbeing book swap at Boston Tea Party, 8 Alfred Street, Bath from 4:15-5:45pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Bring a book to give away, buy yourself a drink, join the group to chat or listen-in on ideas and help yourself to another book to take home. How do you get involved in the Bath community? I currently work with The Genesis Trust, which I’m so passionate about, as it’s a charity which supports homeless and vulnerable people in Bath on their journey from crisis to independence. I believe that any one of us could find ourselves in vulnerable or challenging circumstances, at any time in our lives, depending on what life throws at us. Helping others to see how they can help themselves and change their lives for the better is truly an amazing job, which I am very grateful to have. To contact Sarah for a free initial consultation. E: [email protected] W: www.slowcoachsarah.co.uk THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 17