My Story - Julie Fitzpatrick

I’ve worked in the corporate world for over 30 years and the last 10 years as a project manager. When I was nearing my 40th birthday my first marriage had ended, and I had just met the most amazing man (who is now my husband) who at the time was a youth worker and he totally inspired me to make some fundamental changes in my life. I realised that I was bored in my job of 14 years and decided that I wanted to try something new and have what I called  a ‘worthwhile’ or ‘do-gooding’ job that truly helps people. I was offered redundancy so took the money and ran and signed up to start training to become a counsellor.

My shiny new life took a tumble soon after as I realised that I had no experience for a ‘do-gooding’ job and quickly realised that these jobs don’t pay very well and I had a mortgage and a young son to support. I wanted time out to evaluate my life but the saying “the world is your oyster” is all well and good but where do you start?

 I wish I had a coach at that time in my life to help me review my goals and ambitions……

I then decided to apply for jobs back in the corporate world to earn the money whilst studying to become a counsellor. There was a slight problem here too as the country was going through a recession following a stock market crash so finding a job wasn’t easy and I was out of work for quite a time. The longer I was out of work the more my self-confidence declined making me feel even more worthless………….

This had a huge impact on my mental health:

    • I was always crying
    • I struggled with no longer having a routine in my life
    • I felt that I no longer had an identity and a true purpose

I met my son’s father when I was 17 and we had been together for 19 years when the marriage was finally over. Effectively I had:

    • lost my previous married life
    • given up a perfectly good job
    • and was in a new relationship but for some reason, I couldn’t cope.

What was the matter with me?

    • I loved the fact that for the first time I was able to be a full-time mum and take my son to school but because I hadn’t previously I didn’t really know many of the mums I felt like an outsider
    • I had this lovely new relationship but couldn’t understand why he would want to be with me because when we met I was a confident, high flyer working in London and now I was this needy person who cried all the time and I was a shell of my former self
    • I kept questioning our relationship almost to the point of self-sabotage and I could have easily pushed him away. Luckily for me, his love for me ran deep and he supported me through those dark times always encouraging me and helping me rebuild my confidence

I thought he was mad but what I can say, we have now been together for over 12 years and he is my best friend.

So, fast forward another 10+ years we are now married, moved into a lovely house, between us we have two grown-up boys who we are hugely proud of and had some great life experiences. I gained my counselling diploma back in 2012 and volunteered at and OACS in Benfleet as a counsellor one evening a week for years and was Trustee and then chair for Relate south Essex.

Oh, I can’t go any further without mentioning our joint baby and my baby, I mean Luther our Great Dane. As you can see below, he is adorable.  As any dog owner will know, dogs are amazing and bring you so much joy, fun and they are good for your mental health (unless they are naughty of course). Due to his size, he always causes a stir when we take him out and he always makes people smile. He is so special to me I wanted him to be at the heart of my new business. At least he is a talking point!

Anyway, I digress, we are now 2020 in our first lockdown. We are all now working from home and although the impacts of Covid have been awful for so many people who have lost loved ones, jobs, and business etc. there has also been significant positive impacts for many people. There has been time to slow down and reflect and spend time with your family that you may be struggled to do before. Like many of us, I felt like I was on a treadmill and couldn’t get off and life was just passing me by. I hadn’t been particularly enjoying my work for some time and had been considering leaving the corporate world again and setting up a new business as a Coach Therapist but didn’t have the confidence. The only true fulfilment I had from work was always the people. I love being with people and always found myself drawn into their lives and coaching/counselling them.

As lockdown continued so did the pressures at work and I was working longer hours but feeling less and less fulfilled. My confidence levels and self-belief were at an all-time low. Then, towards the end of 2020, an opportunity arose for me to get off the treadmill and leave my job and start my business. It was unexpected and huge risk, but I thought it’s now or never. Luckily for me, I have a wonderful support network of friends and family who were more than happy to lend their support and really encouraged me to do this.

We say that sometimes we have ‘light bulb moments’ in our lives and this was mine. With that in mind, I immediately signed up for an NLP Practitioner course with Neuroscience and loved every minute of it. So much so I have since successfully completed the NLP Master Practitioner course. And if that wasn’t enough, I then found Marisa Peer and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and by the end of October 2021 I qualified as Licensed RTT® Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist. Not bad for someone who was lacking in confidence and self-belief and had little interest in studying. What a difference a year can make and how by changing my mindset my life is now moving in a completely different location. I have gone the opposite way now and I can’t stop myself from signing up for new courses!

Where am I now?

  • I have now launched my very own business called Millieside Therapy and Coaching
  • The name Millieside has special meaning to me as it named after my nan and my great-niece
  • As Luther is so important to me, I wanted him to be at the heart of my business. He now features in my branding, logo and website. (He likes to attend sessions too if the client doesn’t mind)
  • The transformational journey I have been through in the last 12 months has been amazing. From a personal perspective, I have learnt so much about myself but having the ability to transform other people’s lives as well is the icing on the cake
  • I believe that finding NLP & RTT has changed my life and I know I can help you transform your life too

 

When I looked back on my life, I realised that I’m actually very lucky. Why, because I have been through so many happy and sad events, but all the experiences in their own way have made me the person I am today. Until I researched the menopause, I didn’t appreciate how my life has been impacted by many of the symptoms and I have now been able to make more sense of things and feel more at peace with myself.

Thank you for visiting my site and I hope my story resonates with you. Please contact me very soon to book your FREE 30-minute consultation.

Best Wishes

Julie & Luther

xxx

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