This week on my interview series I am talking to Jenni Donato, who has just launched her new coaching business, Chance Coaching, where she specilises in life coaching and supporting families.
With a young family to take care of and a daughter with a life-changing condition, she is truly inspirational in how she is managing to fit it all in. She has an amazing vision for her business and wants to help others going through a challenging time. I stayed at home full time with my young family, my daughter was 5 and at school when we decided to set up our business so I was able to work during school hours and still be there for pick-up and after school chaos. It amazes me how well ladies like Jenni manage, I am not sure I could. Please do take a read and find out a bit more and Jenni is offering a discount to readers of Fifty & Fab so if you would like to find out more or know someone who might benefit from chatting to Jenni then do please share this blog post!.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a wife, a mother of two adorable children, a sister, a daughter and a hard worker, and I’m passionate about helping families to find - and live - the life they want. I left my career as an Environmental Consultant to start a family, however things didn’t go as planned and after my daughters life changing diagnosis I spent the next few years going through some very challenging times. However, throughout all the turmoil, I met some truly inspiration people and I am more determined than ever to raise my children right whilst following my dream to become a life and family coach. And tell us a little bit about your business venture and what inspired you? Choosing to have a family is one of the most life-changing experiences we can undertake. However, we get no official training and can never fully prepare ourselves for exactly how much our lives and relationships will change. It is not then surprising that family life is filled with surprises and challenges, which even the strongest of us sometimes struggle to navigate. I have recently set up a company called Chance Coaching, who offer life and family coaching to families struggling with unexpected challenges. I also work with families whose children attend Chance to Dance, a dance school dedicated to giving children with additional needs the chance to participate in dance classes, summer camps and stage performances. To hear more about my story click here What does an average day look like for you? At present my average day consists of an early wake up from a hungry 6 month old, who normally then doesn’t go back to sleep until my 4 year old shouts “It’s daytime playtime!”. My mornings are then filled with food up the walls, mess in the house, football and swimming classes and general chaos. But also plenty of fun, cuddles and laughter until my daughter goes off to preschool for the afternoon and I get a valuable 3 hours (of relative quiet) with my baby boy. Once school pickup is done, it’s then the daily rush of dinner and bedtime before I can relax and see what I need to do for my new business venture. Evening are currently spent sorting paperwork, chatting to business partners and clients and applying for funding to be able to provide my services at reduced rates to families within certain eligibility criteria. My biggest aim is to be able to provide my services free of charge to families going through crisis to help them through their own challenges and create a better life for themselves and their children. What has been your biggest challenge? By far my biggest challenge was coming to terms with my daughters diagnosis. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at two and a half and went through a major operation to build her a working hip socket which would last as long as possible, hopefully giving her a pain free childhood where she could take part in all the things any child should. During her treatment I suffered both emotionally and physically and, at one point, undertook counselling to come to terms with everything that had happened and what her future could look like if the treatment didn’t work. This experience really made me reevaluate my life and pushed me to hire a life coach. This was the best thing I’ve ever done and - along with other inspirational people I had met through my daughters treatment - gave me the drive and encouragement to follow my dream of becoming a life and family coach, providing help and support to families also going through tough times. What advice would you pass on to someone wishing to change career in midlife? Just do it – and obviously, hire a life coach! Seriously though, coaches are trained in scientifically proven tools and techniques to get the most out of people and really get them to focus on what they want out of life and then how – in detail – to get there. The one thing someone said to me along the way which changed my outlook on life, was to really picture who I wanted to be once I’d achieved my goal and then wake up tomorrow and be that person! I am now the person I pictured and I’m loving every minute of it! Do you have a signature style, an everyday look that you love? Currently I’m loving the messy bun and whatever I grab out of the cupboard look, but that’s mainly because I normally have exactly 2.5 minutes to get ready in the morning. Once my daughter starts school in September and my son is at the childminder I’m sure I will refine my signature style into something more glamorous than the ‘just been pushed through a bush’ look! How do you balance your business with family life? Despite having done multiple training courses in this very subject in order to help my clients, I still find balancing the time between family and work difficult. There is simply not enough hours in the day when you are a parent, especially if you would like some sleep! However, my best tricks are to only focus on one thing at a time and to give myself realistic challenges for the week – and write them down (both in my home life and work life). I do this by keeping a strict to-do-list and a very large family calendar. Getting a big magnetic calendar to go on the fridge and getting input from all the family members (well, the ones who could speak) was one of the best things we’ve ever done to organise our week – and this, along with a shared iPhone calendar with my husband, which comes with a rule that if it’s not in the calendar, it doesn’t exist - has made a massive difference in minimising the stress around balancing all our activities, work, studying and hobbies! What is your biggest achievement to date? Having my two children has been my biggest, and best, achievement. Even when times are hard, I’m exhausted, and my daughter needs my help on the toilet whilst I’m trying to feed the baby, I try to remember they are both miracle babies and are worth every ounce of effort. Just to watch my daughter running around with her friends after everything she’s been through fills my heart with pride and now seeing my son starting to develop his own unique personality fills me with excitement of the times to come. Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time? In five years time, both my children will be in full time education and I would love to be running a truly successful life coaching practice helping as many families as i can to also fulfill their dreams. I’m currently undertaking a Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and hope to be able to plug the gap between coaching and counselling in order to help as many families as possible, especially those going through tough times. One of my current areas is families with children diagnosed with any complex health condition, but my aim is really just to be there for families who could do with that extra bit of help to really make the most out of their lives and bring happiness and laughter back into their homes. How can we get in touch with you and find out more about you or your coaching? All my coaching packages come with a free initial consultation in order for both parties to decide whether we are a good fit and for a coaching package to be specifically tailored. I'm also dedicated to providing affordable coaching to all, therefore, along with our partners and funding organisations, we can sometimes provide significantly reduced packages. However, all coaching packages can be tailored to available budgets and individual needs. Our three example packages can be found on our website: https://www.chancecoaching.com And you can contact me either directly through my website or through my Facebook business page at fb.me/chancecoaching I’m offering a fabulous 30% off any package of your choice to the first three clients to contact me and quote 'Fifty & Fab' after that there is still a 10% discount off the total package price to clients who undertake four or more sessions and who quote “Fifty & Fab”.
Thank you so much Jenni, you must be a very busy lady!
I have had some life coaching in the past and I can vouch for how helpful it is with getting you to focus your thoughts and make a plan. And working together as family, whether your family are young or growing up as mine are, seems to be a very sensible idea. It can be quite challenging learning to live as a new unit after years of being single or just the two of you and I know I have had some difficult times when my children were younger and if help had been available I would have grabbed it with open arms. My one aim for my own children has been to give them to confidence to go out into the world and do whatever they want to do. I am so proud of them both. They are independent, capable and likable, they both know what they want to do and they are out there working hard towards their goals. It never ceases to amaze me how they grow and change, my son was the nervous young boy at the school gates who would often have a few tears when I left him and I wondered if I had done something wrong, I doubted my parenting, but he has grown into such a strong and determined young man and I have every confidence he will succeed at whatever he wants to do. Give them the tools, trust them and talk and listen but don't judge. That way they will always open up to you. Love from Michelle xx
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Bikini's and packing for Sri Lanka plus a discount code for holiday accessories at Sweet Bea5/7/2018
The bikini came into being on 5th July 1946 and today is #NationalBikiniDay and in this post I am sharing more preparation for our trip to Sri Lanka.
Our trip isn't really a lazing by the pool holiday as there is so much to see and do in Sri Lanka but I will be spending some time on a beach or relaxing by a pool, if I don't I will be exhausted! I will need lots of loose, cotton dresses, shorts and easy tops. I will wear bikini's under dresses for days when we are sightseeing in the morning and relaxing on a beach in the afternoon. Here is a selection of what I have chosen.
This beautiful crinkle cotton beach cover-up is from Sister Design, it is called Passos and costs £85, I love the pom pom detail and relaxed shape. My hat is old from John Lewis and my bracelet and earrings are from Two for Joy in Marlow.
This new bikini is from Boux Avenue, a brand that I have not tried before. I love the blue tassels and I will style it with a sarong from Sweet-Bea, my round rafia bag is from Pull & Bear and I searched around as I didn't want to spend big money on it, this one is £19.99..
This bikini is from Swimwear365 and the bag and necklace/bracelet/anklet are from Sweet-Bea. My hat I bought last year and it is a man's trilby from Marks & Spencer, I find it is a better fit and a bit more substantial.
The bag and necklace combination again with the pretty tie-bandz which can be worn in your hair or as bracelets and another lovely sarong - all from Sweet-Bea.
The bag is from Sweet-Bea and is lined so ideal if you need to pack away a wet bikini, I will keep it in my beach bag with my daily make-up essentials! And I can use it as a clutch bag in the evenings too.
Change of colour! This is a sunseeker bikini from Swimwear365.
And here it is again styled with my flip flops from Vionic, now in the sale at £21.00.
This cotton sarong is from Sweet-Bea (similar here) and I love the sequins and pom pom detail and it matches my new bikini so well!
I've also bought some lose, light trousers, cotton and linen tops from Uniqlo especially for our trip. Having read up on the climate and the requirements to cover knees and shoulders at religious sites, I felt I needed a few more basics. I have been very impressed with the items from Uniqlo - take these drape trousers - only £12.90 - absolute bargain and perfect for my holiday!
I can't wait to pack and get there now. I will be sharing lots of photos on Instagram but won't be blogging while I am away. And Sweet-Bea have given me an exclusive discount for my readers, please use code FIFTYANDFAB20 at checkout to get 20% off your order. They have lots of scarves / sarongs, great beach bags and accessories, hair ties and some lovely bits for younger girls. Love from Michelle xx
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, however Sweet-Bea did gift me some of the items featured, Some of my links are affiliate links which means that the brand knows you have come to their website from here and I may get a small commission if you buy something and keep it. This small income goes towards the running costs of my blog so I am very thankful for every click.
Welcome to my regular #beingfiftyandfab post and it's all about what I have been up to in June to be fabulous! There won't be a July post as I will be on holiday in Sri Lanka but there will be lots ot tell you when I get home. Do join in with my hashtag on Instagram - post something that makes you feel fab and tag me and I will share my favourites on my stories! Exercising - oh dear oh dear, I'm really not feeling it at the moment, which is very real and proves we can't all be on it all of the time. Life does happen. And I have been so ridiculously busy. But I am not beating myself up about it. I set a June goal to just walk a bit more and although it isn't happening daily, it is encouraging me to more mindful and fit in a head clearing walk when I can. I still see my PT every week so I am getting my strength training in and at least keeping up that routine. As my friend reminds me Progress Not Perfection and I am maintaining and plodding on! Reading - fiction wise I read a lovely book by Milly Johnson called The Queen of Wishful Thinking, I picked this one up in my local Oxfam bookshop and it was a delightful story and very easy to read. I also read How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life, now this is really interesting as it explains how smartphones are designed to pull us in and keep us there, some really fascinating facts. Then the second part is how to reduce screen time without giving it up completely, for the low down on this I am going to send you over to the brilliant blog Inside Out & Beyond, Suzanne has written an excellent post with some really good suggestions. It's still a work in progress for me but reading the book has certainly made me more aware. And of course this month I am in the final stages of planning Sri Lanka so I needed my travel guide - The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka. Doing - because it has been such a busy month there is a lot I have been doing and a lot to share with you! I will try not to bore you though! You may recall I popped down to London recently to attend the book launch of No One But You by Tessa Levy and for a photo shoot with Fabulous magazine for The Sun Online, well the article appeared so do take a look at it here. It was about guessing a woman's age from behind! I wore a Karen Millen dress (reduced in the John Lewis sale) and my Moda in Pelle black strappy sandals. I had a really fun day out and loved doing the photos! I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Vicki from Honest Mum, she is a successful blogger, vlogger and author and I met her and she is really friendly, chatty and interesting. She signed my copy of her book Mumboss and I can definitely recommend it if you are looking for a change of career after having children or want to set up your own online business or blog. Lots and lots of common sense advice and real life examples of how she manages. The first part is more aimed at mothers with younger children but still a lot of great advice throughout. I wore a new dress from Sosandar, more about this brand later on! I was gifted a really pretty necklace from a brand I met at BlogConLDN my first blogger event! Johnny Loves Rosie is a British brand inspired by true love, individuality and feminine style. I loved their jewellery and pretty clutch bags, do take a look. I chose the 'forever silver necklace' at just £18, it is so simple and looks fabulous with my summer outfits. My husband spent a few days away visiting his twin brother in Cornwall and as much as I love going too, this time I needed to be at home with my daughter as she is still studying but it did give me a chance to have some quiet time at home catching up! And I got to have a girls day with my daughter, we popped into Marlow and visited my friend who is working in a new shop that has opened in Marlow (they already have a branch in Wendover - Brookes) and then we had lunch sat in a pub garden. All very civilised. The 'happy' cushion is from another new shop in Marlow, Two for Joy, do pop in if you are in the area. My navy dress is from Hush last summer and is one of my favourites. My drink (orange juice and prosecco) matches the cushion! Wearing - finally a very quick photo summary of some of my outifts as I have probably gone on too long! Sosandar shirt dress for lunch out with my girlfriends. I was a bit uncertain about Sosandar and to be honest I still am - I had to size down considerably to get a good fit so they are not true to size and come up very big. My first two deliveries just hung off me and the quality wasn't great. I spoke to them and agreed to try again. They do have some lovely styles and it is good to see something a bit different, they are a sensible price point but the quality isn't high end. Worth trying though. I did feel great in this shirt dress and it did get lots of compliments! My statement trousers and navy blouse were from Hobbs last year, then a pink top from Zara with white jeans. My favourite white jeans are from French Connection this year (rebound denim) and this top was a quick purchase in Zara. Then my red jeans - read my post here, styled with a Zara blouse, past season, but lots of similar styles available in Zara. This off the shoulder dress was another successful Hush purchase last summer! I wore it out for dinner at The Ivy Marlow Garden. The Boden sale has started but I picked up these fun sandals and this simple stripe dress at 30% off before the sale started.
I've just got back from an super weekend away in Kent - revisiting the village where I grew up but it deserves a post of it's own so I will try and fit that in before I go away. Hasn't the weather been amazing! I love summer, I love summer clothes! Long may it continue. Have a wonderful summer everyone and watch my Instagram for Sri Lanka photos. Love from Michelle xx Disclaimer: Some of my links are affiliate links which means that the brand knows you have come to their website from here and I may get a small commission if you buy something and keep it. This small income goes towards the running costs of my blog so I am very thankful for every click. |
Michelle ...Welcome to Fifty & Fab, a lifestyle blog to inspire you. I am a blogger with a passion for writing about health, menopause, fitness, beauty and style with a focus on the over 50's. Categories
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Hi, I’m Michelle and my blog Fifty & Fab is all about my journey into and through my 50s. I started this blog in 2016 with the purpose of helping other women at this stage of life. I’m delighted that my blog has grown to over 13k visitors per month. Visit my Work with Me page and request my Media Kit for details of product reviews, blogging services and social media content creation.
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