Celebrating Kate: Director and Mother of two, Production Industry

“I was so busy, there was so much going on, I struggled with a mix of stress and anxiety. I didn’t know how to find balance. I needed to make things more manageable. I made lots of excuses. I was so uncertain about everything and fearful. And now, I have so much courage and curiosity. I am open now. I feel so clear in my head. I KNOW that things are possible!”

Kate

Tara – High Definition You Coach

I’m Tara McCarthy, one of the high definition coaches. Today I’m with the marvellous Kate, a busy mum, actor, talent agent, acting coach and involved in castings for productions. Hi, Kate.

Kate

Hi.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

Hi, early this year, we worked together with me as your coach. So today, we’re just going to have a chat about your experience with that. So I’ll just run through some questions, you just share your experience.

And we’ll see how we go. So lovely. Kate, can you tell me what did your life look and feel like before you started our coaching program, what were you struggling with.

Kate

All sorts of things, try it, for me really sort of not been able to, I was so busy and there was so much going on I I really struggled with a mixture of stress and anxiety and sort of, you know, not really being able to know how to balance out everything that I was doing. So how am I going to be going, you know, from working there, you know, long jobs back to back with my children?

How can I still sort of spend time with them and be able to really manage things? So I think the main thing really was just that, trying to find balance, which I just didn’t know how to find at that stage. And I was really yeah, really anxious a lot of the time and, and stressed and I just needed to find how to deal with that. And, and make things a lot more manageable.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

Was there any resistance? When did you think about coaching? Was there resistance about committing anything that stopped you from saying yes, straightaway?

Kate

Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Lots of inner thoughts going on? self-doubt. I don’t know if I’m ready. Yeah. Excuses. I made lots of excuses. Oh, maybe it’s too soon. Maybe I don’t have a clear enough picture of what?

Maybe, maybe I’m just I’m not ready I don’t know if I can talk about it. I just, you know, all these thoughts. were blocking any way of me being able to move forward anyway. So self doubt, just thinking I wasn’t ready. Um, I guess that’s called fear.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

So, what’s changed what, what’s changed professionally, personally?

Kate

Everything, um, so many things, ah, belief in myself. And, and knowing that actually, I have everything within me to be great at what it is that I want to achieve. And I think before there was just so much going on. And I would question myself and think, oh, I don’t know what to do. I’m not good enough. Maybe this is beyond what I’m capable of doing.

And so I would give up. Yes. Or I was, I was nearly giving up, I was at that sort of point before sort of doing my, my coaching with you. There. I was thinking, Okay, actually know, when I was able to sort of have this platform, if you will, to be able to talk through the steps and, and moving forward, I was actually I could see more of a picture and I could see my own capabilities.

And then I actually did know a lot more than I thought I did, and it became more clear. I think before it was all very busy. And what I think Tara, you were able to help me do is sort of break everything down. And I was able to see things more clear. And I became more focused. And that’s, that’s huge.

Um, I was able to realise too, I could hold down, you know, a full-time teaching job, and still, keep that and pursue other dreams without giving that up, or giving up, you know, wanting to pursue these other dreams, just to be teaching full time, but actually, they both work so well hand in hand because I am actually teaching what I love.

And I’m becoming more skilled with that. And instead of thinking that I had to give up one or the other, I realised that it was very much about managing my time, more effectively, I can remember we had a conversation. Once about, I knew I wanted to find time, more time to do exercise, even if it was just yoga. And we talked about I have to be up, you know, 6 am.

And, and it’s just so early, and then I’m making coffee, I’m getting myself reading up getting my kids ready for school, we’re going to be out the door by eight, I don’t have time. And we talked, you talked to me about maybe making the time before that 6 am, even if it’s just 1015 minutes to do some yoga and some meditation.

And I started to do that. And I remember thinking, Oh, that’s gonna be awful, but actually, I did it. Especially in the mornings, I knew I had a really busy day. And even though sometimes it was only 10 minutes of practising or doing some kind of yoga and breathing, I felt so much more motivated for my day focused and so much calmer, than waking up straight with the alarm going uhhh.

And just, it was almost like, straight ahead, just keep going, going, going, going. And it was like, by doing that, it just kind of allowed me to have that time to just get focused. And even then Id light a candle sometimes and just sort of get ready and then blow it out. It just kind of gave me that other than also that other aspect to Live me, you know, and that made a huge difference. And I yeah, there’s this, I mean, so much.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

So yeah, did you have an aha moment. Is there an aha moment? When you thought, yeah, this coaching is working.

Kate

I’m just trying to think what that aha moment really was for me, um, because I remember having that, that call with you, we were talking about the website as well.

And just, I think that putting the date on something that I never would do before, and just saying, okay, but if you actually put a date, then you can work back and you can just, and I’ve never really done that I’d always just sort of thrown everything out there. And it just was almost too much was going on.

And so then it never really happened and things would go over and over and over. And I think having the date just created the vision, which made it real, which made me drive more and be more motivated. So I think talking to you through the No, Kate, let’s have a date. Maybe I don’t have a choice.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

It’s how are you going to hold yourself accountable for getting the results you want. What what’s possible now for you professionally and personally, that you didn’t think was possible before?

Kate

Yeah, um, well, I didn’t think it was possible to do to, to be full time working and still pursuing, my dreams and my passion globally. I just did not think that that was possible to me, you know, I’m working a full-time teaching job, I’ve got kids, I, I there’s no way this can happen. Um, it has happened.

And, you know, I’m, I am working globally. And I am, you know, I have made the connections that I didn’t think were possible before. And you know, I have got, you know, we’re between UK, New Zealand, Australia, throughout Asia and America. And I don’t you can get too much more global than that. And the thing that wasn’t going to happen, and that’s all happened only within I would say three months

Tara – High Definition You Coach

Mind-blowing right?

Kate

Yeah and I really, and also those thoughts that you that say I can’t I’m not good enough. And you do it looks scary. But I think what you have made me realise is that, no, it is possible. You’ve just got to slow down. You’ve just got to start removing some of these negative, doubtful thoughts.

And you’ve got to just find that inner wisdom work, we forget, or we don’t listen to sometimes we might need somebody to encourage us or to help us look more within.

And yeah, now these opportunities have just kind of started coming and instead of which I would normally do before run away from them. I started confronting them and grabbing them when they come and things have now started to happen and I think that is just It’s incredible. It’s mind-boggling. It’s just Yeah. And I have to stick to it. Thanks for that.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

Ah, and you yourself, you’re doing all the work. That’s the amazing part about it. Right? That’s so exciting. So, somebody considering coaching, what would you say to them? What would be your advice for someone who is considering? Or should I maybe I don’t know it’s the investment.

Kate

Be brave. um, be curious, because I think that, um, if you’re already having some kind of, which I was, you’re really struggling with not really being able to make decisions or you kind of have this vision, but it’s blurred, then. I think already, that’s the universe saying you’re ready to have somebody to kind of talk you through those blocks. So I would say just listen to yourself, that’s, that’s yourself saying you need this time. And do it, just do it.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

So then just then a word or a short phrase that you would describe where you were then, and where you are now, or who you are.

Kate

Yeah, I said, back then, before any of the coachings, I was so uncertain. I just was uncertain about everything. Um, and now, and fearful, uncertain and fearful. I just, yeah, the not knowing the self-doubt, all of those things, so uncertain.

And now I have so much more courage. And I am going in every step of the way, with this more curiosity, more wanting more, and just a lot more open now. And I really do love that whole mindset where I met, that I do really, truly believe that things that I did think were impossible, will be possible. And that is a huge change from where I was, you know, only three, four months ago. Yeah.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

That’s fantastic. And very inspiring, I think also, for other people, but for your own life. And for me, as a coach, like, I think that’s so exciting, I want to be part of that journey. And yeah, where you go from here.

Kate

And I think, even within my coaching, and so you just take that energy with you, when you’re working with other people. And it’s an energy that they too, are inspired by. And when people see one person’s growth, you know, then that helps them. And so it sort of becomes like, you know, you only want to be around, I guess people that give you sort of this good energy that makes you feel better.

And often when, you know, if we’ve got too much going on, or we hit other people, and they’re just complaining all the time, doesn’t make you feel good about yourself.

So I think to just even having somebody like, I think it was really nice, especially during, like COVID times when, you know, for me to just be able to kind of go into the away from the kids away from this crazy sort of everything else that was going on, and talk to somebody that wasn’t here in Hong Kong with me, you know, somebody that was on the other side of the world, that I could just go hey, and just get connected with and could just openly talk to, without the judgement, just hey, let’s chat.

And allow me to kind of talk about things that without, you know, it’s creating that safe place to just really be open. And that I think really was, I was looking forward to those times. It was like, I’ve got something really fantastic. And then afterwards just felt so much clear in my head about things. Like ah, before, before it was this, oh, I could do this, go do this. And then afterwards, just like ahhh, angry, brilliant.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

I love hearing you say that because my whole philosophy is I will hold you bring what you bring to coaching and I will hold the space for you. Right. So that’s wonderful that you felt fantastic. But afterwards, you’re like, Yes, I feel like I’ve I’ve been able to share in that space. So that’s fantastic.

Kate

Yeah, absolutely.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

Thank you, Kate, I absolutely am really excited about everything that you’ve built and what you’re building. And I really look forward to seeing where it goes. And as you go on your journey and self-coaching and working with other people as well. Using that same philosophy in mind. It’s amazing

Kate

Yay. Thank you so much. And yeah, you are wonderful.

Tara – High Definition You Coach

My pleasure thank you very much.