A little while ago my sister came to visit me here on the coast for some rest and relaxation and to escape the pressures of city life.

During her stay, we went for a bush walk through the magnificent Bouddi National Park just behind my house. The trail was a little steep to start with but my sister was very fit so I wasn’t worried.

Now when I say steep, just to clarify…I’m talking ‘take your breath away in the first 5 minutes.. straight up we go’ kinda steep, so it wasn’t too much of a shock when Kylie stopped and said she felt light headed. We took a few minutes to catch our breath and I remember asking as a precaution, if Kylie had checked her blood pressure lately.

‘No.. if anything it’s normally on the low side’ she replied and we continued our walk.

Later in the walk, there was another moment when she wasn’t feeling great (interestingly while we were seated and relaxed) and at the time, we put it down to low blood sugar, perimenopausal symptoms and a variety of other ‘grasping at straws’ answers to make us both feel better.

The beautiful view looking over Booker Bay to Pretty Beach and Wagstaffe

Many months passed and after regularly checking- in with Kylie, she mentioned that the ‘strange combination of lightheadedness, nausea and tightness around her chest’ was becoming more of an issue and starting to interfere with her daily life.

Wanting to help my sister from a place of concern and love, I decided to create a Wellness Plan for her.

The very first point in my plan was to get a referral from her general practitioner to a specialist cardiologist..as I had a feeling all might not be well with Kylie’s heart. It’s important to mention that we have quite an extensive family history of cardiovascular disease. And also important to mention that Kylie is a force to be reckoned with, she lives life at full pace, with very little time for relaxation and recovery. As it turned out she loved my wellness plan and assured me that she was going to try to implement some of the suggestions.

In fact, she took it so seriously that the next phone call came from Kylie whilst being transported by ambulance from her GP to hospital where she was to undergo an array of tests. The tests showed that she had a blocked coronary artery. At present she is able to manage the symptoms with medication and lifestyle changes.

‘I think you saved my life Sancha’ were the next words she spoke to me.

Never underestimate the power of intuitive feelings you have to prompt those you love to take their wellness seriously, even if they look fit.

She added, ‘you know I’ve been loving your wellness plan and think you could do this for other people.’

My spirit resonated with these words and after a quick Google search, I found a wonderful course at a respected college in Sydney to study for a Professional Certificate in Holistic Wellness Coaching.

One year on, I’m now equipped with the knowledge and skills to support clients in making lasting changes to their health and wellbeing.

I’m so glad I studied this course. Not only has it impacted my own life through the positive changes I've made to my nutrition and mindset, but it’s been essential to learn that coaching is not diagnosing or prescribing. Coaching is a co-active relationship that involves listening at a deeper level, using open ended questions. It is completely focussed on each individual’s needs and goals encouraging deeper self-reflection, awareness and accountability.

Whether we’re addressing burnout, stress, anxiety, physical/emotional exhaustion, limiting beliefs or a lack of energy and motivation, I consider it a privilege and honour to walk alongside my clients. After many years of vocal coaching, it’s wonderful to be in a supportive role again.

And quite remarkable that through reaching out to help someone I love dearly, I’ve discovered a new path and passion.