Connection is Key
We talk to Lisa Heacock about changing her life after grief.
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Lisa Heacock suffered the loss of 12 loved ones over the course of 22 months. The journey through her grief helped her to reevaluate her life – and discover a way of helping others.
‘Loss changes you,’ says Lisa – and if anyone can say that with certainty, it is her. Between 2018 and 2019, Lisa lost 12 people close to her, including her, niece, son-in-law and both of her parents. To navigate the pain and heaviness of the grief Lisa experienced, she sought help from a bereavement counsellor, and then a life coach. What she gained from these experiences helped her to not only cope with the aftermath of such a devastating time, but also to reevaluate her own life. ‘I began looking at the areas of my life where I was unhappy and unfulfilled, personally and professionally,’ says Lisa. ‘My husband of 28 years and I divorced, amicably, and I started to work on a new career.’ Lisa had been working as a team assistant in engineering and had been in the corporate world since moving to the UK in 2005. However, she now wanted to turn her experience into something she felt passionate about, and to help others who might be experiencing some of what she had also been through. ‘I decided I wanted to train as a life coach. I began to study, and I became certified and accredited. That’s where my career in coaching and mentoring began. I could not wait to leave my old job behind. I knew I wanted to help others.’ Moving from Chester to Market Harborough was the perfect opportunity to make a fresh start. Lisa hired her own business coach to help her make the transition as she knew there would be challenges to face. ‘It is not easy being your own boss for the first time at 51,’ says Lisa. ‘There are a lot of ups and downs, but my ‘why’ is far stronger than it has ever been before. I want to help people navigate life’s challenges and now, not only do I have the education, I also have the life experience.’ In 2023, Lisa discovered she was in the early stages of breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and chose to also have her healthy breast removed. ‘Grief and loss aren’t just about the loss of a loved one,’ Lisa explains. ‘As I discovered as a breast cancer survivor, it can also mean navigating your way through health challenges and adjusting to a new way of life.’ Lisa now offers grief and life coaching both online and in person. ‘With grief coaching, I want to provide a safe, confidential, non-judgemental space for the individual to be able to say how they feel without wearing the ‘I’m fine’ mask. Ultimately, as I work with clients, they begin to feel hope. Hope that they can begin to live a life of passion and purpose around their pain,’ says Lisa. ‘With life coaching, I am helping people who feel stuck, unhappy, unfulfilled (professionally or personally) to kick out the roadblocks so they can live a life they love!’ One thing Lisa wants people to know is that life does not have to be navigated alone. ‘There is help!’ says Lisa. ‘Hopefully, most people have supportive friends and family to help them through a crisis, but from my experience, a third-party professional who can help you by asking the right questions and has the tools to help you navigate life’s challenges is key. I would always suggest: take a deep breath, calm your thoughts, then ask yourself “what do I need right now?”. The next step is to research who can help and make contact. It is difficult and can be scary, but it is so worth it. Connection is key. Have those conversations with professionals and if you find that connection, invest in yourself.’ Watching people’s lives change for the better is something Lisa finds most satisfaction, whether it is in her client’s careers or working through the pain of loss. ‘Clients who do the work, take the action that is required and go do the thing they KNOW they are meant to be doing is so satisfying,’ says Lisa. ‘In the grief space, knowing I am helping their hearts heal just a little bit and giving them some tools to navigate through grief and loss of any kind is wonderful.’ To find out more, head to holisticlifecoaching.org.uk, or email [email protected].
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Issue 25
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