Some of you may be pleased to hear that I’m keeping this post relatively brief.
Why?
Well, partly because I’m in celebratory mood, and partly because Jenni and I are very busy preparing to embark on a new adventure – on the personal front, not the work front – that I’ll share more about in a future post.
Celebration time
Believe it or not, the New Insights life coach training brand was first established some nineteen years ago now. It was the brainchild of British national, Neil Asher, with much added inspiration from his Australian wife, Natasha Hay.
Neil credits life coaching with turning his life around, after living a hard, fast and increasingly wayward life as a budding top chef.
I first met Neil in London in 2006. This was at a time when I was confronting a major career transition away from corporate life and into what felt like unknown territory. But Neil had no idea about that in the lead up to our meeting.
I knew very little about life coaching at the time and needed guidance on how, and whether, life coaching might benefit a struggling family member, back in South Africa.
My online research turned up a link to Neil’s company, New Insights, and I called in for more details, not expecting Neil to answer the call personally.
To my great delight and surprise, Neil offered to meet me for lunch. I jumped at the chance to take a little time out of my stressful corporate environment and soon we were relaxed and chatting like old friends.
The conversation gradually drifted away from my family member and became increasingly focused on me, and the career and personal changes I was soon to be facing.
“You need a life coach,” said Neil with a level of conviction that took me by surprise! “I know the perfect coach for you. Sharon lives in Manchester but she can coach you remotely after hours.”
Despite a great deal of scepticism – in part about the benefits of life coaching, and in part about the effectiveness of being coached remotely – I realised I had little to lose. So, somewhat half heartedly, I accepted his offer.
It took fewer than half of the sessions planned, as part of the New Insights programme of coaching, to rid me of any remaining doubts. I was completely sold on how simple, yet amazingly powerful, life coaching – specifically New Insights life coaching – was.
That realisation, and the passion that consumed me, formed the genesis of my decision to become involved in New Insights.
To cut a long story short, I arrived back in South Africa in March 2007, and in July of that year – 15 years ago – New Insights Africa was born.
In 2012, I was to take over the running of New Insights in the UK and internationally, as Neil and his then UK licensor, Geoff Fairfield, had both decided to move on to new endeavours.
So, today, I guess I feel a bit like a father to two grown up children aged 15 and 10!
The experience has been wonderfully exciting, yet challenging and, in many ways, very humbling.
I have come to know and work with a great many wonderful, honest and selfless people in an industry that is, in general, committed to doing so much authentic good for people. Special mention must go to my wife, Jenni, and the group of amazing and super loyal ‘valued independent partner’ coaches that we rely on for our coaching services. They know who they are!
Despite the recent difficult times, and the coming and going of a plethora of competing institutes, a few of which are notoriously short on substance but high on marketing hype, New Insights remains solidly committed to a narrow focus on life coach training that is flexible, affordable and yet of the very highest quality and integrity.
That’s why I’m celebrating. And I hope you will celebrate with me!
A Boerewors Roll for the Soul
Life coaching, at its best, opens one’s eyes to the fact that each of us has a purpose that if followed, brings great joy and happiness.
When inspired and driven by purpose – and with the help of some simple yet incredibly powerful tools and techniques – one is soon awakened to the fact that anything is possible in life.
As I celebrate the last 15 years, I share my wish that, as loyal readers of this blog, you have arrived, or will soon arrive, at this same empowering realisation.
Twelve years ago I wrote a book that dealt with this subject. It’s called A Boerewors Roll for the Soul – Awaken to the magic of the life you love. I believe its just as relevant now as it was then. Perhaps more so, given the way our world seems to be headed.
In an effort to make it more affordable and accessible to all, I have turned it into a PDF and taken the opportunity to update the introductory text.
If you’d like to get your hands on the PDF version of the book for a very modest fee, please visit your local New Insights website:
SA/Africa (New Insights Africa): https://www.life-coach-training-sa.com
UK/International (New Insights UK): https://www.life-coach-training-uk.com
Navigate the menu bar as follows:
RESOURCES > FOR THE PUBLIC > MORE FREE EBOOKS
Carpe Diem!
What factors should one consider in embarking on business coaching distinct from life coaching
Thanks for commenting. That’s a very broad question and would depend on what the context is. That said, New Insights specialises in life coaching. so we would not be the best people to ask. 🙂
Congratulations Bill and the New Insights Team. 🙂
Thank you Oliver!
Congratulations, Bill. Wishing you and the team the very best for the years to come.
Thanks so much Roger!
Congratulations Bill and the new insights team wishing you all the best.
Thank you Julius!
A wonderful post and congratulations! To this day, I am grateful I took, what was to be a life-changing decision, the huge step of signing up for the New Insights Life Coach training programme. Not only did the programme empower me to make the positive changes I needed to make in my own personal life. But, it continues to empower so many of my clients. I truly believe the New Insights coaching programme is one of the best out there! And, I am proud to be a New Insights certified life coach. Keep up the great work, Bill!
Your comments are deeply appreciated – thank you Jana!
Congratulations Bill. Quite interesting how, in 2009 I was also searching for clarity in terms of my own path ahead and New Insights was the number one result of that search. The rest as they say is history. I completed my training with you and then transitioned into full time coaching, and ‘escaped’ out of corporate life. May your brand continue to grow from strength to strength.
Thank you Ian and great to hear from you again!
What a beautiful story, Bill! Feel proud of this great milestone. May New Insights continue to soar to great heights. I feel proud to be associated with this organization as a New Insights Pro Life Coach who has just celebrated my 9th birthday.
Thanks Karen. We are privileged to count you amongst the ranks of our trained coaches!
Congratulations! We celebrate with you. I completed the New Insights Life Coach Training in 2015. The skills and strategies I learnt during the training have had a significant impact personally. I moved to Norway in 2016 and applied a lot of the principles from the training to my own life – walking the talk! I am grateful for the New Insights Programme. The expat journey is a TOUGH one but 5 and a half years later I have achieved some significant goals and recently obtained Norwegian citizenship too. Thank you New Insights.
How wonderful! That which you can believe you can achieve! Well done Tracy!