Wild Geese: Marie Quigley, life coach, Dubai

The term "life coach" often induces a raised eyebrow or the occasional eye roll when mentioned among Irish people. But a sceptical or dismissive attitude towards her chosen profession is something Marie Quigley has learned to shrug off.

It took the 47-year-old from Co Down more than two decades to realise that helping other people live up to their potential was the path for her. She began her career in the early Nineties working as a graphic designer.

“I liked it, but it still didn’t seem like the perfect fit for me. I enjoyed the creative side, but much preferred the communicative aspect of helping people get their message out,” she says.

“I was then asked to lecture and realised that I loved teaching people and encouraging them to work in a profession that they were passionate about.”

That taste of the classroom encouraged her to take a job in east Germany in 1993 teaching English which, in turn, led her to Singapore, where she was involved in setting up schools and mentoring staff.

The gypsy lifestyle took a backseat in 1998, when Marie had her first daughter and she and her husband Michael decided to move to Dublin – where they had two more children.

Career opportunity
An opportunity for Michael to continue his career as an architect abroad led the Quigleys to Dubai in 2006.

Even the extremely affluent Middle East wasn’t immune to the global recession.

“Many people became unemployed in Dubai and my husband’s job was one of the casualties. Going home was not an option as there was no work there either, so we decided to ride out the storm here in the Middle East,” she says.

"Luckily for us my husband was able to move around the region on short-term contracts, so he could provide for the family."

Next move
With her children now settled into life in the desert, Marie took the time to decide where she wanted her own career to go and settled on life coaching.

Another move in September 2012 led the family to Doha in Qatar, where she operates the two prongs of her business today.

Golden Leap deals with individuals, while Empower World coaches companies.

So what does a life coach actually do? “The simplest way I explain it is that a psychologist is trained in healing the pain of the past, whereas a life coach is focused on a person’s dreams and passions for the future, empowering them to take action and get the life they want,” she says. “I believe it is our present thoughts, emotions and actions that create our future. If you are unhappy with your life or if you are feeling stuck, discontented or frustrated, a coach can give you emotional tools and techniques to reframe your thinking.

“People I partner with often have a sense that something is missing in their lives. Many of my clients want to make a difference to the world around them and leave a legacy behind. By the time they come to me, they have already figured out that they are not living up to their full potential.

Better relationships
"Others work with me because they want better relationships with those who are important to them, or they want to create better work-life balance.

“I believe in the saying, ‘If you keep doing what you’ve always done you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten’.”

So does she believe Ireland is ready for some life coaching now that the Government says the State is over the worst of the recession?

“The general population has been through some really tough times over the past few years – my family and I experienced it ourselves,” she says. “When a person is going through a bad time, we often keep our emotions to ourselves, which can put huge stress on our mental health. Sharing our struggles with someone else can be hugely beneficial in creating a positive, ‘present life’ and for creating fulfilling future experiences.

“Times are still challenging for many in Ireland but, whether we like it or not, change will come. When we are open and adaptable to change and look forward in a positive, action-oriented way, I believe we can overcome any challenge. As a nation the Irish people are great at swallowing the medicine and simply getting on with things.

“We know we have made mistakes and made choices that were not particularly smart, but as long as we learn from these mistakes we will get stronger.”