A Life Changed Thanks To Coaching - Liam Wakefield | International Coaching Week
As part of International Coaching Week, we wanted to spotlight one of our community members Liam Wakefield’s experience of coaching through BetterUp’s human transformation platform.
This original partnership was created to provide our wounded, injured, and sick veterans and service personnel community on the We Are Invictus platform with free access to specialised 1:1 coaching.
The Invictus Games Foundation’s community gave the coaching service a 99% approval rating, with online assessments showing a 58% increase in goal attainment, 52% increase in resilience, and a 35% increase in emotional regulation.
Liam Wakefield is British army veteran and former NHS therapist who uses music to help him overcome a degenerative, chronic illness. He recently completed 6-months of coaching and found the entire experience “life changing”.
Liam was familiar with the concept of coaching and had previously worked with counsellors and assumed that these coaching sessions would follow a similar pattern.
“I connected with the first person and immediately it just unraveled so much, for me it just opened a new perspective of life in a way that I hadn't looked at before.”
Liam, also a singer-songwriter, was eager to take part in the coaching process after hearing of the positive experiences that people were having with BetterUp. He made an instant connection with his coach and now recognizes that the process dramatically changed his life
“The cliché is saying that it’s life changing but it really was”, he said.
“I didn't think it would have the kind of impact that it had on me professionally, but it did. The coach I was working with really went, ‘okay, what can you look at doing that's going to really make you the best version of you’ and it's put me on this path now and I'm so grateful every day I get to live this kind of life. It's fantastic.”
Liam recognised that some people might be apprehensive when it comes to reaching out and talking to a coach but he stressed that going through the process was a collaborative effort and that the two worked on a customised plan tailored specifically towards his individual needs.
“I'm a lot more controlled and directed on where I want to go and I learned how to break down things into bite sized pieces and it makes a big difference.”
Like many servicemen and women who found it difficult to transition to civilian life, Liam mentioned that coaching helped him adapt, as he felt that his life was in “disarray” after his military career was cut short.
Liam completed his 6 months of coaching and feels he is ready to move forward on to the next chapter of his life and is encouraging all members of the wounded, injured or sick service community to reach out and take advantage of this opportunity.
“I don't want to use the word indebted, but there's a part of me that wouldn't be who I am now if it wasn't for BetterUp, so I'm incredibly grateful for that. I really wouldn't be the same person I am today. It's made a massive difference.
BetterUp is a human transformation company that drives peak performance in individuals and organizations, through unparalleled access to coaching, content, and cutting-edge AI technology.
The platform is powered by insights from more than 17 million data points on human growth and coaching effectiveness, the largest human behavior dataset on performance at work in the world, and evidence-based insights from world-class experts.,
International wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans of any nationality, with or without Invictus Games experience, can make use of BetterUp’s coaching services through the We Are Invictus platform here: weareinvictus.co.uk