When Jess approached me, she felt ‘stuck’ and anxious about moving on with her life after breast cancer. She was diagnosed at the age of 29 and her life and career as a scientist was put on hold. As a result of her surgery and active cancer treatment, Jess moved back in with her parents which naturally felt like a setback for her. She began hormone treatment which combined with chemotherapy side effects, sent her into a very early menopause. Jess was also affected by her brother’s cancer diagnosis which had occurred sometime before her own. When I first met her, she felt frozen in time, anxious to move on with life, wondering what else might go wrong.

After discussing Jess’ background questionnaire and her vision for the future, we began to unpick what it was that she wanted to work towards in our sessions. Jess identified that the goals she wanted to achieve were to:

• Work towards a promotion at work.

• Reach the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week.

• Improve her confidence.

Jess explained that she was worried about being overlooked at work because of her cancer treatment, that she was keen to make exercise a more natural part of life and that her confidence had been knocked, leaving her unsure of how to move on.

Using the coaching material, Jess began to break down her goals and completed the action planning exercise to identify timings, milestones, obstacles and steps to measure her success. She found it very helpful to refer to this document throughout the process.

By questioning and challenging Jess’ mindset, we unpicked her concerns about work, and she was equipped with tools and strategies on how to approach her manager. We discussed how her action plan was a working document, holding her accountable while working on her goals. In session 3, she had already had a positive conversation at work and plans were being put in place for her future professional development! In this process, Jess also completed a personal audit where she analysed skills used in the past and identified how these could be used in the present.

Jess was very aware that exercise played a crucial role in her recovery, her future and her mental well-being. Together we identified what kind of exercise she enjoyed, and we explored new options. Jess was initially anxious to start yoga again because of her tight breast tissue, but we established that gentle stretches everyday would ease this. Jess started using weights and as the sessions progressed, signed up for classes at her local gym which she thoroughly enjoyed.

When tackling Jess’ low confidence, we began to explore her current mindset and perceptions of herself. She used the coaching material to support her development in this area and began keeping a confidence journal to celebrate her achievements. Jess also used a range of confidence exercises and positive affirmations which made her realise that she had so much to offer.

As the coaching sessions progressed, Jess appeared lighter and more comfortable; she turned up to every appointment with something else that she had achieved or discovered. In addition to Jess’ goals, discussions in the sessions covered recurrence fear, menopause relief, making plans, practicing gratitude and generally looking forward to new beginnings.

After the coaching sessions, Jess wrote: