From Isolation to Empowerment: Embracing Education at 40

I always feel like I belong when learning. Wherever I moved to, I would go to a class or program and it's where I feel a strong sense of community, freedom, and belonging. Moving back to Canada, the pandemic made me feel isolated, alone, and in real need of support. We just moved back to Canada, and it was hard to make friends or be sociable during a pandemic (trust me it is very awkward). Nevertheless I joined and created art workshops at an art studio downtown, checked out co-working spaces, volunteered, and joined sports leagues. None of those things worked for me. And no, the sports leagues did not help even with beers.

I tried taking classes on Coursera and Neilson Norman, but none of them made me feel connected and supported. I then explored doing an MFA at UBC and an Art Therapy program at Kutenai Art Therapy Institute. But, a Master's degree would take two years, and it wasn't something I can do full-time. That's why I started looking into part-time classes in the evenings. It turns out UBC offers a lot of these extension learning classes.

I looked into a few courses and felt inspired by Organizational Coaching because I've always been interested in helping people, and this course would teach me how to do it professionally. So, I decided to sign up.

I didn't know anything about coaching before joining this program. I honestly joined because I was curious, and parts of my position at work would require me to mentor my peers. Little did I know that coaching and mentorship are different, and I would be learning a completely different skillset through coaching.

Coaching is about achieving goals and supporting others in doing so. It's something I was never taught growing up or in school, so I was really excited to learn how to formally do this.

A week before Christmas, I learned that I got accepted into the program. I was so happy, excited, and felt hopeful for the upcoming year. A week before school started, we got access to a program called Canvas. It's an online portal where you log in to read about your assignments, email your peers, receive updates, upload your assignments, and download your readings. And let me tell you, there is a lot of material! A week before January, I had to read over 150 pages of paper. To others, that's probably not a lot, but for me, I was reading at an ant's speed, and it took forever. We also had to complete self-assessments, which were really interesting to me. As part of the prework, I had to upload all the assignments before January of 2023.

The program had four days of live intensives, where there were 50+ people in a virtual seminar of live learning, lectures, and demos. I really enjoyed these sessions. I got to meet new cohort members, audit coaches, mentor coaches, and felt well-supported in an environment of learning. That went on for four days.

After that, we began our "modules," where every two weeks, we would learn a new topic. Each module came with a set of readings, again, lots of reading! So, if you're not a fan of reading, this might not be for you ! Additionally, each week, we had to write a practicum paper and a journal entry. We also had peer coaching during the week to practice with our peers. So, there was a lot to do in a two-week journey. Furthermore, there were "Community Calls," where we could connect with our peers. These calls were facilitated and super helpful in answering any questions we had about the program.

The program also included "audit calls" and "mentor calls." Audit calls were sessions where we were audited by an accredited coach. I really enjoyed these sessions because I felt like I learned the most about how I was doing and what I could work on next. Mentor calls were opportunities to connect with an accredited coach and design the support we wanted. This included being coached by a mentor coach, receiving feedback, or getting guidance on specific problems I was having.

At the end of the term, we had to write a term paper, which was a way to summarize Term 1 and engage in a self-coaching exercise. I thoroughly enjoyed that as well.

So far, there aren't any areas of the program that I didn't enjoy. I feel that every activity, program, and reading had a lot of variety and allowed me to engage as much or as little as I wanted. One of the things that I found challenging was organizing my time and schedules, but that's on me, and eventually, I got used to it. Initially, understanding the Canvas program was hard, and the discussion board area could be improved (trying to give some UX feedback here ), but it wasn't a life or death situation. It is usable, and there is a search functionality.

I learned that my family's support is incredibly important to me. There were times when I didn't want to read anymore or continue, and of course, there were moments when I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work the program presented. But my family was there for me, and I'm learning to ask for help from them. I'm also learning about grit, and even if there's just an ounce of hope, to keep going - one more day. It was challenging to look weeks ahead with all the assignments, papers, and readings looming in front of my eyes, but I just took it one day at a time. I'm glad I did. I don't know if I did a fantastic job, but I completed all my assignments and readings. That was my only goal from the get-go. Now, it's time to practice and embark on the journey. I feel like I'm just at the beginning, taking it one day at a time.

I'm leaving behind hiding and not sharing my experiences. I've noticed that many people are going back to school and exploring new skillsets. I hope to share my experiences so that we can learn from each other.

I'm taking with me the idea of doing things one day at a time and relying on those who are on this journey with me. There's a saying: 'speak, and the world becomes smaller.' I have learned how true that has been for me.

Term 2 is coming up in July/August. Throughout the summer, I'll be coaching long-term clients in a 6-session program. I'm also making time to paint, draw, and visit family on the East Coast. I intend to rejuvenate with the love of my family and friends. I'm learning so much from coaching so far and I'm grateful for those who have signed up to experience pro bono professional coaching and taken a chance on me.

Have a great summer!

Wynne