Celine's Story

When I first started working with Nicole, I felt broken. I'd just been laid off in what felt like a hostile takeover of an organisation I'd spent the last 20 years building. I'd put my energy, my passion, my everything into that place, and then suddenly there was a shift in focus and I was out the door. I was hurt, frustrated, and angry, and my exit felt so undignified. There were people I'd spent years with, people I thought of as friends, people who'd seen me through major life stages, and then suddenly it was just goodbye. It felt heartless, and I had no idea what my next steps were.

For a while I moped and let my anger fester, but that's not who I am. I knew I didn't want to sit in that place for long. I'd come across Nicole's work in positive psychology through my organisation, and I remembered how she talked about shifting focus from the problem to the solution. That appealed to me. I didn't want to get stuck asking why this had happened to me. I wanted to move forward.

I'd already tried self help books, podcasts, even a couple of sessions of therapy, but none of it was what I needed. I needed someone to help me refocus on what I wanted, who I was versus who I wanted to become, and how to rebuild my confidence.

We spent real time unpacking the stories I'd been telling myself and how they were feeding beliefs that were limiting my next steps. I still remember one session clearly, online since we were in different countries, when Nicole gently challenged a belief I'd been holding onto for years. It was that cliché lightbulb moment: I just thought, oh my God, that isn't true anymore!

Something unlocked in me.

I started feeling differently about myself and about what I was capable of.

In the sessions that followed, we honed in on my goals, what mattered to me, and small, actionable shifts I could commit to in becoming the next version of myself. That work didn't just leave me with a renewed sense of energy, it changed how I show up with my children and my partner too. And the cherry on top: I landed a new job that valued the experience I brought while letting me be a beginner again.

Today, I know I can overcome any hurdle that comes my way. I trust myself to do it because I've already been there.