Becoming a Beginner Again: From Coaching Sceptic to Student

Four years ago, I was not particularly into coaching. If I’m honest, I probably thought it was a bit… woo woo.

This year, I’ve started a formal coaching training with Barefoot Coaching Ltd, and I’ve decided to document what it feels like to become a beginner again mid-career.

Why I Decided to Study Coaching Now

At the place I work, there used to be coaches. Delivery Lead did not exist yet. Over time, that structure evolved and the coaching role disappeared.

Recently, I reached out to people who had been coaches back then. I asked them what it was really like. What they would recommend. What I should expect.

I finally attended the intro session of my learning journey with Barefoot.

Part of the timing was practical. Coaching training is a financial investment, so it needed some planning. But the more important reason was space.

In a previous role, I was the main point of contact for an event platform that sometimes required weekends, bank holidays and overnight support. I didn’t want to add something meaningful on top of instability and risk burning out.

I wanted to start this journey at a moment where I could actually be present for it.

Starting Coaching Training With Barefoot

We are 12 people in the cohort. The maximum is 15, so it feels small.

Intimate enough that everyone has space to speak.
Large enough to bring very different backgrounds into the room.

There is something slightly strange about that “back to school” feeling as an adult.
But what surprised me most was this: I was not anxious.

The Unexpected Feeling of Becoming a Beginner Again

During the session we did a “blob exercise” to explore how we were feeling walking into the room.

I expected I would place myself somewhere cautious. Maybe slightly overwhelmed. Instead, I realised that I felt happy to be there. Energised, even though it was the weekend. That genuinely surprised me.

If you had told me four years ago that I would willingly sign up for a coaching accreditation, I might have laughed.

And yet here I am.

Is Coaching Really About Listening?

If you simplify coaching to its core, it is about deep listening with intention.

Listening in a way that creates space for reflection, awareness and accountability.

I’ve come to see that listening, when done well, is anything but abstract. It creates the conditions for people to think more clearly.

Maybe this journey is less about becoming something new, and more about deepening a skill I already value.

A Journey Back to Learning

I’ll be sharing reflections as this coaching training unfolds.

Partly to capture what I learn.
Partly because becoming a beginner again is something many of us experience mid-career.

If you’ve ever chosen to learn something completely new later in your career, what did you discover about yourself?