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Game Changers

Game Changers

December 29, 2017

Anybody feeling like they’re at a crossroads?  A little unsettled maybe? Ready for something new? And if I said you could go on a digital adventure with a group of like minded women who despite not knowing you or ever having met in person will be your cheerleaders, voice of reason and all round sounding board babes, would you be furiously nodding your head? If any of that sounds like you it’s time you took a look at the Game Changers programme being run by the Guilty Mothers Club (click the link and you’ll land on their homepage).

Earlier this year this was me, and then some.  Having a little bit of time on my hands while I’ve been on maternity leave has given me some perspective on what I want to do with my life – not just my career.  I knew I wanted to create a life that encompassed what I’m passionate about (my family, new adventures, helping people, working with variety), what I’m good at (coaching, writing, being creative) and to feel like I always had the power to balance whatever life was throwing at me (even if I don’t always achieve it).  I’ve definitely had points since having the girls where I’ve felt like I’ve lost my own identity – there is a novelty to being known as somebody’s mum but for me it wore off and I just wanted to be introduced by my own name once in a while at a baby group! This was flanked by working in a big corporate organisation where you’re ultimately just another number working away to achieve somebody else’s goals and hit their definition of success.  It was time to take back some control and remind myself that I’m a role model to my babies and their impressionable sponge like minds are growing FAST and their beady little eyes are ALWAYS watching.

I love being creative but I take a lot of joy from being practical too, and if I can throw in an opportunity to learn something new I’m the most content I could be. I’d known about Game Changers for a while – I know the founder of Guilty Mothers Club and had heard her talk about the concept from a very early stage, so when the opportunity came for a space on the programme it felt like the perfect time for me to explore. I was hesitant to begin with on the logistics side – Sunday evening calls every few weeks and a Facebook group for on going support left me wondering if it actually was for me…would I really want to be on a video call at 8pm after a non stop weekend? I’d managed to stay off Facebook for years and now at the age of 30 I was going to have to break everything I’d said about it?! Hmmmm….it was my first leap of faith, and although I can’t say I’m a seasoned user or actually a user outside of Game Changers I’m so glad that I did.  The closed group that is just for those of you on that specific intake was great – I think we were quite a quiet group on there and reassuringly there were a few of us who were first timers to this particular social media outlet, but to know that there was an easy way to interact in between the calls and get quick updates to and from Helen who runs the course was brilliant. And the Sunday night calls?  They felt like I was catching up with a group of friends who all lived in various parts of the UK every few weeks. The time flew by and we got to chat openly and with so much ease, you really can’t question the value of these sessions – I’m a huge coaching advocate and these calls meant that we got to do that for each other in an almost face to face way.

For those of you wanting to cut to the chase and know how it works…here are The Logistics:

  1. It runs over 12 weeks and is broken down across four sections: rediscovery, reboot, re-energise and relaunch.
  2. Each week has a new online video workshop for you to watch.  They last between 20 – 60 minutes depending on content and the time you take out to complete the activities.
  3. There are four live calls (one every three weeks) that are an hour and a half.  Pour yourself your favourite tipple, put on a comfy trouser and sit back to catch up with your new crew.
  4. Your weekly challenge…if you choose to accept it.  Each week Helen will send out a ‘welcome to week xx’ email explaining what’s up next and a little challenge to complete.  It’s nothing scary and I found they were things that I could incorporate into  everyday life pretty easily.

You might still be wondering if this is for you, so let me answer a couple of the questions I’d have if I was at the beginning of all of this….

Who is this for? This is for anybody.  Employed and loving your job, employed and hating your job, self-employed, wanting to be self employed, unsettled and wanting to figure out what’s next, ready to change industries, all that’s in between and stationery lovers.  You’ll probably want a new notepad at the very least.

Where do I need to be up to with my own thoughts? You can be at any stage.  You might be ready to make the change now, next week, next year or you’re not even sure about the ‘when’ yet. It might be stage one for you, or you might be further along with your plans but you’re looking to put them into some practical goals with some structure around how it’s all going to work. Come one, come all.

How much time does it take up? The reality – as much as you want to put into it.  Let me be blunt – if you do the bare minimum you’ll still get something out of it, it’s how the programme is designed BUT you won’t be doing yourself any justice if you don’t embrace it with open arms and just go for it.  There were some weeks where all I felt I had time for was to watch the video and then not think about it until the following Monday and I did just fine, but the times where I stuck to the weekly challenges, gave myself the headspace to plan and get creative and found the time to think were mega.

I’ll sum it up with this – do it if you want some focus, some peer coaching, ideas testing, no judgement and a team that keep it real. Don’t do it if you’re looking for someone else to give you the answers – you’ve got them inside you, they’ve just not escaped yet so you’re going to need to be open to having them freed.

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