When I saw the incredible things that can happen through providing this opportunity to people, I knew I had to continue this, and this was the breakthrough I needed.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I balance work and family with lots of planning, time management and being flexible!
Looking after myself and practising self-care has helped me so much too. By looking after myself first, I fill my cup so I have the energy to help my family and others when life coaching.
I have always been career-orientated, so having my business I believe has actually made me a better mum. It allows me to feel like I’m doing something for myself and feel like I’m contributing financially to our family, which in turn gives me a better balance in life. I look forward to the times I am with my son and my family as I can be fully present.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
We are all a work-in-progress and the main challenges I have come up against are my own limiting beliefs. I struggled initially with the fear of failure and imposter syndrome, and some days I still do. All mums experience mum-guilt and I am no different. Putting my son into day-care so that I could pursue my own dreams was incredibly hard at the beginning, but it was the best step for our family, and I am fortunate that I have an amazing day-care that supports his development.
Part of my training for life coaching was to coach myself and to be coached and this brought up some challenges, but by dealing with this head on and seeing the transformation in myself just builds my drive to help others break free of their own limiting beliefs.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The main pro of running my own business is having the opportunity to help people. This is hands down one of the best things I have ever done and drives myself and my business to continue.
As a mum, I also love the flexibility that comes with having my own business. I get the best of both worlds, having the flexibility to be a mum and be there for my son when he needs me, but also have a career.
I love being able to provide a genuine, caring, honest environment for women where they feel safe to be themselves without the expectations of the outside world. I genuinely want to make sure that my clients know that I am in their corner making sure they achieve their dreams.
There are not many negatives with owning my own business but if there was one it would be that some days it is hard to switch off. I care about my clients and want them to achieve their ultimate goals.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Even though it is early days for my business, I can already see the positive impact it is having on the women I have coached. I am working on expanding my coaching services from 1:1 coaching to holding workshops and group challenges to create a sense of community and help bring like-minded individuals together.
If two of us can create an amazing empowering atmosphere, imagine what a group of us could do!
I also want to work on changing the stigma of life coaching in New Zealand through education and public speaking. Life coaching is still a few steps behind what it could be compared to other places in the world. It is an amazing process to go through and I would recommend it to anyone.
To find out more about Cassandra and her business, Fontein Coaching, check out her Facebook and Instagram pages, or email her directly.
