I believe that…
There is a myth that by the time we reach our thirties that we should have our sh*t together.
We face a constant battle to live according to everyone else’s timelines, milestones and opinions. Societal messages convince us that success means we have to do things in a certain way, in a certain order.
When we turn 30, suddenly this is amplified, throwing us into a frenzy of comparison, questions and doubts about whether we are on the right path.
Ageing is a privilege, giving us an opportunity to evolve into the individual we want to be, and with each year that goes by we can discover new parts of ourselves, have new experiences and make aligned choices. However, I didn’t always feel like this.
Let me tell you about my own ‘Turning 30’ crisis…
My Story
It was my 29th birthday and I was out celebrating with friends. From the outside everything looked great, I was surrounded by my amazing girl friends, sitting at a cute bar, sipping cocktails and talking about the usual 29 year old dramas. I should have felt so grateful for another wonderful year of life, but for some reason when I returned home, I felt empty.
With my 30th birthday looming, I was starting to panic that I hadn’t hit the milestones that I was ‘supposed to’ by this age.
I looked around at my friends, most of whom were hitting those milestones that we often define ourselves by: engagement, promotions, buying properties. Some of them were even starting to procreate (😮 I could just about look after myself and my dog).
I felt like a spectator in other people’s successes, standing in the wings waiting for my turn. I started asking myself “do I even want all of these things?”. I didn't have any answers, I just felt so left behind.
This panic led me to distract myself by constantly socializing, binging tv shows, shopping (lots of shopping) and strings of bad dates. I desperately wanted to leave my job and find a fulfilling career, but my confidence was so low that I didn’t know where to start with making such a big decision.
I knew the time had come to make a change and the run up to my 30th birthday seemed like the perfect time to dig a little deeper.
It was then that I discovered life-coaching.
Through coaching, I became aware that I had fallen out of alignment with who I truly was and what I wanted.
I was so focused on what others were doing, I had neglected my own self development. I was stuck in ‘emotional childhood’, playing the victim that things hadn’t worked out how I had hoped, blaming others and my external circumstances.
I started in the most important place, my mind. I learnt that the key thing that had to change was my mindset and the story I was telling myself. By learning how to manage my mind and dedicating time to focus on my personal development, I was able to go inwards to build a life that looked great both on the inside and outside.
I did three key things: I reflected, I accepted and I took action.
Four years later, as a woman in my mid-thirties, I have never felt happier about my age. I continue to build a chapter and a life that is on my own terms.
I now dedicate my life to helping give my clients the tools to navigate this transformational time and build a life that they love at thirty.
In the past four years I have helped countless women build their next chapters, creating a life at 30 that feels right for them. I love seeing my clients shift their lives from being stuck and lost to empowered and fulfilled.
“I would recommend Emma to anyone feeling lost in their journey, she is the best hype woman and coach you could ask for and believes in your and everything you can do, at a time when you don’t”
- Karina, 32