EARLIER this year, at a local 4Networking meeting, I ‘came out’ as a Tarot Reader who offers card readings as part of my coaching practice. It took quite a leap of courage. This is a business group of people I know well and respect, who’ve known me as a coach and writer for many years and had no idea of this colourful side to my life. I had no idea how they might react. However, I’d been through some challenging times over the past couple of years and I was ready to be taken for who I am, rather than who I’d like to be seen as.
For those of you who don’t know my career story, it basically goes:
Secondary School Teacher in Dudley > English Teacher in Greece > Training Manager in Hong Kong > Public Speaking Consultant in Singapore > Arts Advisor in East Anglia > Freelance Trainer and Business Coach in NW England > International Travel Blogger > Tarot Reader and Life Coach – wherever that takes me
In between all this, I’ve been fortunate to raise a lovely son who now works in London and looks set to have a much more ‘sensible’ career than me. A somewhat rackety life path as you might agree, though most definitely never boring, always keeping me on my toes and mostly doing what I love which is helping others fulfil their potential. However, it’s the Tarot bit that I had never, until recently, integrated into my working life.
The reaction I got from the network meeting was most unexpected. Most people were intrigued and what surprised me was the number of people who came up to me afterwards to either tell me of their own interest in this area or to ask for a Coaching with the Cards session. Of course, there were some who were sceptical, nervous or uncomfortable, but the majority were really supportive and very encouraging. So much so, that I was invited last month to give a talk to the group on Coaching with the Cards for Business!
I’m what is called a clairsentient or empath. Not a clairvoyant (they ‘see’ things) or a clairaudient (they ‘hear’ things). I have highly developed intuition and when I use cards such as Tarot or Oracle decks, I’m able to tap into a higher level of knowing that enables me to help clients understand their situation better. Most of us are highly intuitive, but many have lost the ability to tap into it these days as we get used to relating more to a phone than our own feelings.
I’ve been using the Tarot for 15 years; I started during my coach training in Ireland. I’ve been doing readings for people since then but it is only in the past 2 years that I have, somewhat warily, combined it with my coaching work. The results are, quite simply, remarkable. I work with clients from all walks of life, including doctors, solicitors, shop owners, artists, specialists in media, industry and tourism and many in the holistic and wellbeing world. Clients usually sign up for a minimum of 3 months and sessions typically include straightforward coaching and then a card reading to add guidance and support. It’s not magic, it’s not occult, it’s not weird, it’s just a unique way of helping people to achieve their goals and live their best lives.
I spent too much time getting in my own way, knowing that I have a gift that could help others but wary of using it in case I was ridiculed or thought crazy. But hey, I am The QUIRKY Coach so you’ve got to expect the unexpected! Some fear the unknown but I say, embrace what you don’t understand, seek answers in new places and Dare to be Different.
Find out more: Coaching with the Cards and Tarot with Zoë
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