The Power of Jennifer MacKay

I never thought that when she made my Time to Shine cohort sing Happy Birthday in different languages that Jennifer MacKay would have such an impact on my life. I know this sounds like the narration at the beginning of a cheesy film but it is honestly true. Leaving Morecambe that day in January 2019 I was convinced she would just be part of a fun memory. However, after numerous conversations with my line manager about developing my communication and effective productive skills, it was decided that coaching would be the perfect way to use the rank bursary.  It was just a matter of finding the right coach and having learned about the difference in mind-sets and loving her energy in Morecambe, I knew that Jen would be the perfect person to guide me. And now months later I can truthfully say she did a cracking job.

Jen and I would both agree while we hit it off perfectly (her energy is so infectious) it took time for me to see and feel the results of our sessions. It is true when they say ‘good things take time’. With each hour-long session, we worked on something new while keeping it relevant to my experiences both within and outwith my working life.  I learned how to communicate with multiple personality types and manage my day to day working life to allow me to be as effective in my role as possible. You could say that with her help I learned to not only be a reliable team player but also a leader.

She even helped me understand more about my personal thoughts and fears. Within one session we discovered that I suffered from Imposter Syndrome. A physiological pattern that I now, thanks to our resilience sessions, have tools and strategies to combat. She helped me gain the power to cry on stage at our showcase and own it instead of thinking I messed it up. Our sessions indirectly also lead me to start going to the gym and rediscover past hobbies of mine that I never thought I’d get back into. What’s more, each session was followed up with homework, which at one point I asked her for.

I cannot recommend Jen enough for her talents. If you had said to me when I got off that first phone call with Jennifer that four sessions were going to change my work life, I probably would have doubted it and how wrong I would have been.