Stage-4 Cancer to Level 3 Life Coaching: Lena’s Mission to Spread Wellbeing

Six years ago, if you had asked Lena if she ever envisioned herself as a life coach, she would have firmly said, “No!”. The hardworking senior outsourcing manager was flying all over the world for her job. A shock diagnosis of stage 4 cancer forced her to re-evaluate her life, but she has now come back stronger than ever as a life coach.

So, sit back, and get ready to be inspired by Lena’s experience on our Life Coaching Diploma Level 3.

Table of Contents

• Finding Healing Through Counselling and Coaching
• A New Path: Lena the Life Coach?
• Offering Life Coaching to Cancer Patients
• Life Coaching Diploma Level 3: A Transformative Experience
• Learning and Support Throughout the Course
• Tutor Support and Course Completion
• Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Success
• Knowledge is Power: Lena’s Commitment to Helping Others
• Looking Ahead: Lena’s Life Coaching Journey

Finding Healing Through Counselling and Coaching

After experiencing the healing effects of counselling and seeing first-hand the impact of life coaching on rebuilding her own confidence post-treatment, Lena began researching her next steps.

Through her sessions, Lena realised that life coaching didn’t just focus on surviving the disease but on helping her find clarity and a renewed sense of purpose. Each session gave her tools to not only cope with her diagnosis but also to imagine a future where she could use her own journey to help others.

This forward-thinking approach ultimately inspired her to take the next step in her personal and professional life.

A New Path: Lena the Life Coach?

“The counselling did help me, but I felt like I couldn’t be a counsellor; I would take it too personally!” Lena laughs.

She continues, “But then I thought about coaching and realised I would actually be good at this because I have an HR background as well. When I was Senior Outsourcing Manager, that was part of my job—not personal coaching but business coaching. I thought, ‘I could do this!'”

As a Senior Outsourcing Manager, Lena was already accustomed to working closely with individuals and teams, helping them grow and achieve their goals. Although her coaching was in a business context, it laid the foundation for the skills she would later use as a life coach.

Transitioning from business coaching to personal life coaching felt like a natural progression, as she had already been guiding people in professional settings for years. The difference was the personal connection, which Lena knew she could handle due to her own experience with cancer.

When asked what inspired her to pursue life coaching as her new career goal, Lena explained, “The whole reason I started this was because so many people made a difference in my life and in my journey. The coaching and counselling I received was invaluable.” She said, “The medics know what to do to get you to survive, but it was the coaching and counselling that actually got me back on my feet.”

Offering Life Coaching to Cancer Patients

Lena would like to go on and offer life coaching to fellow cancer patients free of charge, to offer hope and encouragement that life won’t always be this way.

“I don’t even want a contribution; even if I only see one client a day, that’s enough for me.”

Explaining her business plan, she continued, “Cancer patients will never pay, but I would also like to take on regular clients. For instance, out of seven clients, maybe four would receive free counselling and three might pay.”

Lena’s vision is rooted in her desire to give back to the community that supported her during her darkest times. While she hasn’t set up formal partnerships yet, she’s hoping to connect with local hospitals, oncology units, or cancer support groups to offer her services to patients who are navigating the challenges she once faced.

By providing free life coaching, she aims to instil hope and show that there is life beyond the diagnosis, giving patients the emotional tools they need to rebuild.

Life Coaching Diploma Level 3: A Transformative Experience

After deciding to shift her career focus to life coaching, Lena enrolled in our Life Coaching Diploma Level 3. Lena took to online learning like a duck to water and felt that the system was suited to her needs.

“I think it’s a really easy system to use; it’s very informative! I’ve got a degree in HR, so I’ve never been a novice at things like referencing, but there’s information about how to do everything, so I thought that was really good. I think if I had come onto this course without any prior knowledge, all the information was available.”

Lena appreciated the flexibility of the online platform, which allowed her to fit her studies around her ongoing treatment and recovery. The course was designed with clarity in mind, making it easy for her to navigate through the modules and complete assignments at her own pace.

She particularly found the self-assessment sections helpful, as they allowed her to reflect on her personal growth alongside her academic progress. These elements are common in many life coaching courses, emphasising the importance of a tailored learning experience.

Moreover, Lena discovered that many life coaching courses incorporate elements that encourage practical application. This aspect resonated with her as she recognised the importance of not just theory but also the real-world impact of the skills learned.

Learning and Support Throughout the Course

As she worked through the units and submitted her coursework, Lena got a better idea of the online portal and how to use it to her advantage.

“I think the portal itself, when you’re writing, breaks down all of the questions really well,” she explained.

“I really like the portal, actually! I liked how you were notified that your results were in as well, so you’re not having to keep logging in to check if they’re in yet.”

Tutor Support and Course Completion

With the support of her tutor, Mark, Lena flew through the course in no time, thanks to Mark’s quick marking (no pun intended!).

“Mark was absolutely excellent. He marked my work within 24 hours of my submitting it. His feedback was always fair; he was really informative, and he always gave me some really good further reading to do! He’s truly good at what he does. He was always encouraging me to include more of my opinions, and even though it was only email contact, I felt like I could relate to him, and he really did help me. I loved the way he gave feedback, both positively and constructively.”

Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Success

Lena’s lifelong love for learning helped her power through, even when her illness wanted to keep her down.

“Towards the end of December until about the end of March, I just couldn’t do anything, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to study or wasn’t motivated, or couldn’t fit it in. I was just feeling really bad at that time. The winter had kicked in, and my body was hurting me.”

However, Lena pushed on, achieving her qualification by the beginning of the summer, making her achievement all the sweeter.

Despite the physical challenges she faced during the winter months, Lena found inner strength by focusing on the end goal—becoming a life coach. She knew that if she could just get through the tough days, she would emerge stronger.

Her family, friends, and the life coaching community provided her with the encouragement she needed to stay committed, and this sense of accountability helped her overcome her struggles.

How Lena’s Knowledge Empowers Her to Help Others

“I always think knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you can help people,” Lena said.

“I think everything you know can only help you and your loved ones. Like I said, I’ve always done coaching in one way or another, and I think that one of the biggest reasons I did this was because I didn’t want to do any injustice to any cancer patient, because they’ve already been through enough.

I didn’t want to lead anyone up a garden path without knowing that I was doing the right thing for them. This course has confirmed to me that I am doing the right thing, and I’ll use what I’ve learned every day.”

Looking Ahead: Lena’s Life Coaching Journey”>What’s Next for Lena in Her Life Coaching Journey?

We can’t wait to catch up with Lena in the near future and witness the progress she’s made in her life coaching journey!

Her story is a testament to her unwavering strength and thirst for knowledge. She’s fearlessly conquered every obstacle that has dared to stand in her path, leaving us proud to call her one of our students.

Lena’s next steps involve establishing her life coaching practice and continuing to offer free services to cancer patients. She plans to network with local healthcare providers and charities to broaden her reach and is already thinking about how to use social media to connect with potential clients.

Her long-term goal is to create a supportive community where patients can share their stories, access resources, and receive coaching that empowers them to rebuild their lives. She believes that her experience, combined with the skills she gained from various life coaching courses, will enable her to provide meaningful support to those in need.

If you’d like to learn more about our Life Coaching Diploma Level 3, follow this link to the course page.

For a better idea of what courses we offer, have a scroll through our catalogue, here.

To read more inspiring stories from our students, check out our blog.