Overcoming Challenges as a Professional Sailor
It would be very easy to assume given my 13 year career as a professional sailor that I grew up the kind of confident kid always selected for sports teams and never in doubt of my ability to achieve. In fact the truth is quite the opposite. Buried deep inside of me there was a burning passion to go grab the world with both hands and shake it up. To be the first at something, to do things other girls didn't. But I never really allowed myself to belief this as the "I can't" voice would quicly overwhelm me and quash any fleeting moment of confidence. Sadly by the age of 17 I had developed a severe eating disorder and given up any hope of making an impact. It was the night I lost consiousness however that I attribute to changing my path in life. Just before my world went dark I remember being terrified, not of dying but of never allowing myself to turn dreams into goals and goals into realities. The first thing I remember after regaining conciousness was staring at a book on the coffee table about sailing around the world and wondering if I could take on that challenge. For about 5 seconds I thought of it as a possibility and then along came "I can't just..." but then something new. I had been given a second chance and here came the new voice "but what if I could?"
Five years later I got my captains license. Five years after that I set off to become the first female to skipper the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, finishing with a podium position. I have been priviledged to sail with winning teams, podium in prestigious ocean racing events, hold captains positions on notable yachts and smashed through many glass ceilings. I have been doubted almost every step of the way as a female in a predominently male sport but never discouraged because of that one moment when I learned that as much as I had the power to stop myself from achievieng great things, I also had the power to enable myself to achieve great things.
In 2015 I realized I had a passion for mentoring and coaching. I studied the 'Art and Science' of coaching to become certified as a lifecoach. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to help others make that crucial shift no matter how big or small to allow them to unlock their potential and remain committed to making a change in life. Coaching has enabled me to understand my own journey and the process of learning to believe in possibility. I am now the person I always secretly wished I could be and I draw huge inspiration from being able to help others on this incredible journey.