‘R’ TO THE, ‘E’ TO THE…
Rebecca-Monique, PCC | Coach | Coach Supervisor
Coaching is one of the most undervalued and under-utilised abilities, yet one of the most impactful meta skills that we can hone and seek not just in our career but in our personal life.
I often reflect on my personal journey and think…
How would I have coached the 8-year-old me who’d just lost her adopted mother to a heart attack?
How would I have coached the adolescent me through the 7 years of psychological and physical abuse she endured at the hands of someone who was supposed to be her ‘carer’?
How would I have coached the 17-year-old me: homeless, placed in a hostel, clinically diagnosed with depression, in the middle of studying for her A-levels?
How would I have coached myself weeks after giving birth to my son: experiencing postnatal depression, looking down at him in my arms, riddled with guilt as to why I was unable to feel for my own flesh and blood?
How would I have coached the newly-divorced me weeping on her kitchen floor; grazed knees from falling so hard from the agony of the heartbreak?
How would I have coached myself, in my late twenties just moments before speaking to my birth mother for the very first time?
When my son turned 8, over dinner he asked me: “Mummy: Your mummy died when you were 8; does that mean I’m going to lose you soon?”. My heart bled.
How did I coach myself through that conversation? Gah!
Turns out I coached myself through surviving and thriving 100% of those traumatic days.
If you place one hand on your chest and feel your heart beating, you’ll come to realise that every single cell in your body is rooting for you.
You already have everything within you to thrive. Give yourself time to think, time to reflect, time to introspect. Honour that time and the answers will become clear.
The world is waiting for you to truly step into your greatness, and show up unapologetically as the authentic you.
My pain has become my purpose. Coaching is my calling.
WHO - BACKGROUND
Hallo there! I’m Rebecca-Monique (she/her): a somatic and transformational coach specialising in grief and trauma. I’m also a coach supervisor. My first name is hyphenated, and yes, it's a bit of a mouthful, but “Names are important!”, a coach of mine once insisted. Agreed, though I’m not precious about it, so I won't be offended if you don't say the whole thing; Rebecca will do just fine BUT if you do manage to consistently call me Rebecca-Monique, you’ll get extra brownie points!
While we’re on the topic of names, in case you’re wondering (and you very well might not have been!), the name of my website is ‘Rebecca-Monique’ without the vowels. If we get a chance to connect – and I sure hope we do – I can tell you more about what it symbolises.
I'm glad you’ve stopped by to check out who I am and explore the value and support I can add to your life. I'm a professionally trained coach, International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited, and a member of the National Council of Psychotherapists, so I can assure you you’re in good hands. I’m also a coach supervisor.
Before becoming a coach, I acquired over ten years of PeopleOps experience – in stand-alone roles and leading small teams in VC-backed tech start-ups – where I built out and scaled People functions from scratch to support plans for hyper growth.
During my career as a People leader I was responsible for collaboratively designing, implementing and iterating holistic people-first processes, frameworks, guides and experiences (EX – Employee Experience) spanning the entire employee lifecycle including hiring, onboarding, and the growth & development of individuals and teams.
It was a wonderful (and challenging! Wonderfully challenging?!) journey, but one day it dawned on me why I was progressively feeling drained. In between strategising, implementing scalable processes, rolling out initiatives, managing a team, winning ‘best place to work’ awards etc. I discovered – through weeks of introspection – that my role left me a few too many steps removed from fulfilling my purpose of directly enabling individuals to actualise their full, authentic potential – oftentimes, this journey begins with working through a version of ourselves that is no longer serves our greatest good; cue unaddressed trauma and grief.
Coaching was a skill I had acquired and honed over the years, and I knew – first-hand – the immeasurable positive impact it could have not just on an individual’s engagement and performance, but also how they intrinsically felt about themselves, work and life.
So, I took the very vulnerable, yet courageous step to do coaching full-time. And here we are. What a beautiful, honourable place to be!
WHAT I DO
I help people normalise and navigate their trauma and grief so they can thrive with confidence, self-love and authenticity.
I am me, and you are you; respectively, that is our superpower….In order to truly coach, I must hold individuals with ‘unconditional positive regard’, listen to understand, and ask generative questions to unlock new thinking.
There’s a saying that if you want to explore anything in life, one must first look to the origin. I’m curious about people’s values, needs, and motivations and wants; the stuff at the core, but sometimes beneath the surface. I provide that psychologically safe space for clients to bring their authentic selves and together we can explore a plethora of possibilities.
It’s my hope that after every interaction, they develop a greater sense of mobility to tackle their personal and professional challenges head on, and see those challenges not as problems, but as puzzles.
In my spare time, I dabble in a bit of amateur photography and have a new-found enthusiasm for cinematography. Click here to view my other website and check out some of my earlier work. Go on.
WHERE
London, UK. No place I'd rather be.
“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”
- bell hooks
CREDENTIALS
Here are a few important things to cover off to give you confidence in my experience and qualification to professionally coach you through your journey.
I am an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited coach (PCC: Professional Certified Coach) – you can also find me on the UK Chapter site. I adhere to the coach code of ethics;
I have training in Business & Personal Coaching from Barefoot Coaching – the gold standard in professional coach training in the UK; to date, I’ve undergone 200+ hours of coach-specific training and completed 1K+ coaching hours;
I am a full member of the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists, and a practitioner member (complementary therapy) of the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network.
I have an ICF Accredited Certificate in Body-oriented (Somatic) Coaching from The Somatic School (and am a former course coach);
I’ve received university approved training as a coach supervisor with Barefoot Coaching;
I have full Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance;
As part of my ongoing commitment to develop myself as a coach and heighten my self-awareness, I invest a considerable amount in my own mental health: I undergo coaching supervision and weekly therapy and coaching. These support services give me the space to ensure I’m aware of my own needs and limitations, enabling me to deliver quality coaching at my very best.
In summer 2020, I was appointed as a trustee of Let’s Talk About Loss – a charity supporting individuals, between the ages of 18 and 35, to talk about, and feel less alone in their grief. Due to other commitments, I no longer sit on the board but I continue to champion their work and provide ad hoc support. I’m a contributor in their book ‘Letters from the Grief Club: How we live with loss’ (published in June 2022). In the publication, I share my truths about grief and offer advice on how professional grief support (coaching, counselling etc.) can help individuals better manage their loss.
Testimonials
It’s always such a joy to witness my clients grow, and humbling to hear their kind feedback.
“Rebecca-Monique is an extraordinary human being. She has inspired me deeply by bringing so much beauty and empathy to our sessions.
With candid and open conversations I felt truly seen, heard and safe. I left every session energised, hopeful and capable of defying my fears.
Working with Rebecca-Monique brought me much needed clarity on who I am, how to love myself and my superpowers, and how I can harness them for growth.
Thanks to her I’ve been capable of letting go of labels that do not serve me and to reframe my fears into powerful learning opportunities, every day blooming more and more through adversity, with joy and a sense of peace and fulfilment.
I’m really grateful that I had this opportunity and would strongly recommend her to anyone.”
“Rebecca-Monique was able to provide useful insights into how I was feeling and shared her expertise in a clear and supportive manner. She was very respectful of boundaries and facilitated a safe space where I felt in control of the direction of the conversation. ”
“It was a really powerful opportunity to reflect and be seen and heard. The opportunity to have questions put my way also felt supportive towards the reflective and mobilising process. ”
“Rebecca-Monique had a unique way of delicately guiding me through my self-reflection journey and hand-picking timely exercises to deepen my introspection, which brought about many ah-ha moments. She is very thoughtful with her words and knowledgeable within her field. I’m so grateful our paths crossed and I’m now parting ways with a multitude of teachable moments. ”
“Rebecca-Monique! I want to tell you something I’m sure you already know but if you don’t, here you go: You saved my life! You helped hold me together and gave me guidance and room to feel my feelings and make life-altering, mind-altering decisions with such expertise.”
“You could see me at a time I couldn’t bear to see myself...I’m thankful for that.”
“Rebecca-Monique’s cool, level-headed approach gave rise to me feeling relaxed and held throughout our sessions. Her insight and observations were fluid and controlled, with the ability to recognise old patterns and give room to new ways of self-awareness...Her compassion and understanding drives the sessions, and you always leave feeling listened to. Most importantly, you take away tools that help change your life.”
“Our sessions have been powerful, gentle and magical...I always felt safe and well-supported during our time together.”
“Rebecca-Monique is an excellent listener and coach with an ability to perceive and highlight the nuances of language and empower greater self-awareness and understanding.
The time flew by and I felt calm and clear and confident where I had previously felt rather at sea.”
“Deciding to work with Rebecca-Monique was quite an investment for me. I’m so glad I did it.”
“Rebecca-Monique has a powerful and empathetic approach. Subtle yet informative, probing and encouraging in a relaxed manner. It definitely helped me looking both inward and outward while feeling more empowered. Thank you.”
“Rebecca-Monique is an exceptional coach who has shown dedication to help me heal and grow. Her guidance has given me the confidence to move forward. I’m so hopeful about my future.”
“There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep, and still be counted as warriors”
Adrienne Rich
pERSONAL PRINCIPLES
You cannot pour from an empty cup; equally, you cannot give what you do not have. That's why I apply two simple principles to my life and work.
Seek Enrichment
ANCHOR THOSE ROOTS
Knowledge is key, so unlocking its power is a must.
Ask more whys; challenge the norm; teach, be taught; speak less, listen more; learn from everyone and everything; surround myself with enlightening people.
Elevate my mind by always choosing growth, focus, empathy, compassion, presence, visualisation, gratitude, and humility.
Pay It Forward
PRIME THOSE WINGS
What use is enrichment if one cannot extend it to others?
When you share your experiences and knowledge with others one altruistically witnesses them heal and thrive.
Abundance is infinite, and there's plenty for all. No one wins unless we all win.
