Becoming a Hearing Support Coach

At the end of 2021, I ran a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to retrain as a transformation coach, specialising in working with people with hearing loss. I was overwhelmed by the positive response to the fundraiser. Thanks to everyone who generously donated, I am currently studying for my diploma in Transformational Coaching. 

What is Transformational Coaching?

This type of coaching focuses on exploring personal beliefs and values. It involves helping people bring about positive change in their lives by working on changing the way they see themselves and their limitations. 

Why Transformational Coaching? 

For the past 5-years, I have been on a hearing loss journey. I initially experienced emotional pain when grieving my lost hearing, and I took a step back to look at my life to reflect on what I felt was truly important. 

My hearing loss gave me pause for thought, and I ventured on a mission of self-exploration. I became interested in the human aspect of hearing loss and discovered my passion for helping people, like me, on their own hearing loss journeys. Through my blog, I offered support to people on their personal and emotional roads to rehabilitation and beyond, helping to make the process as smooth as possible.

I took a keen interest in building connections and created a Facebook community for people living with hearing loss to share their stories and support each other. I continued to hear from people struggling to move forward in their lives with hearing loss, and I recognised a need for further support. So, I decided to do something about it by training as a transformational coach to help people with hearing loss make positive progress in their lives and gain greater fulfilment. 

Future Plans: Providing Hearing Support Through Coaching

Once I am qualified, I plan to offer coaching sessions to anyone affected by hearing health issues such as hearing loss, tinnitus, sound sensitivity, and balance disorders. As someone with first-hand experience of learning to live with hearing health issues, I feel I have a unique insight into the challenges my future clients may be facing.

My mission is to help people affected by hearing health issues by giving them the tools to empower themselves, move forward positively, achieve their goals, and live a life they are proud of. 

I will work towards achieving this mission by coaching people who are

• Exploring their identity as someone with hearing loss and determining the life they wanted to lead. 
• Experiencing limiting beliefs (that little negative voice in your head that holds you back from accepting great opportunities) related to their hearing health. 
• Assessing their work-life balance.
• Seeking to enable effective communication with partners, friends, family, and colleagues.
• Making decisions, e.g. exploring hearing aid/implant options.
• Experiencing fear of further hearing loss.
• Dealing with low confidence and/or feelings of isolation. 
• Experiencing hearing loss grief and are on the journey to acceptance.
• Determining how to be their own advocate.

And any other areas related to moving forward with hearing loss.

Clients may be the person directly affected, or their partner, friend, or family members. Given my strong teaching background, I’d also love to support parents of children with hearing loss or teachers with hearing loss. 

Accessibility is Paramount 

I will strive to provide an accessible service to people with hearing loss. I will consider my clients’ individual communication needs and aim to conduct coaching sessions in the following ways:

• Via Zoom with captions enabled. There will be a live transcript of the coaching session, and the conversation will take place in real-time.
• Via email, meaning there are no geographical limitations. This method will fit around clients’ busy schedules and gives clients time to think and respond.
• Via WhatsApp Chat, using instant messaging to enable real-time conversations.

Clients will be able to choose the most accessible approach based on their individual preferences and needs. 

Any Thoughts?

I’m so excited to be on this new path and am hoping to help many people along the way. I’m hoping to be up and running by July 2022! 

I would be interested to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments about this new venture. Please share them in the comments section below. Thank you.