Lina Maria came to coaching not only to find a new job but to discover how to feel comfortable and settled in Australia. She had moved to Australia in 2017 to start an MBA and build a new life. We all know what happened soon after – a pandemic that plunged many of us into an isolation that was exacerbated for new immigrants living far from home and loved ones.
As many of us know, it takes great bravery and resilience to move halfway round the world to start again. Doubly so when you are doing it in a second language. However, rather than see this as a strength, a lot of what was holding Lina Maria back was the belief her English wasn’t going enough coupled with a self-consciousness about her accent. We worked on this in our coaching sessions, playing with perspectives that allowed Lina Maria to embrace the richness of experience signalled by her accent. This is beautifully summed up in the Professional Migrant Women’s slogan ‘My accent is my superpower’.
As Lina Maria began to claim what she had to offer she gained confidence in applying for roles. Originally thinking she had few options, Lina Maria began fielding numerous interviews and understanding she had choices in what she did next. The values of fun, empathy and adventure informed her decisions, and she began to see the strength in asking for help both in networking and in the job itself.
During our coaching, Lina Maria made the move from a small independent outfit to online retailer Lovisa as an eCommerce Merchandise Planner. Of coaching, she says: “I realised I have control over my decisions, I am the one who decides how I want to live my life in all its aspects.”