Grown-ups Coach, Children’s Author, Business Woman and self styled Luxe Hippie, Heather Barrett is all these things and more!
Heather’s story …
Heather started her professional life 22 years ago in a very different direction than the one she is on now.
She was a sales trainee for a multinational technology company having graduated from Bristol University in the UK, with a degree in Philosophy, Psychology and Art History, (she says Business Administration sounded ‘way too dull’!).
She was instinctively wary of being a sales person, but she saw it as an opportunity to earn well because she knew she wanted to be able to buy great clothes, a convertible Mercedes and her very own house.
She achieved her desires very early on in what turned out to be a 15-year sales career. But right from the start, Heather was aware of a tension within her about whether she was being her true self on this particular career path.
It manifested in a reluctance to become more and more senior and an ever-present feeling of ‘dis-ease’, stress, insecurity and what she now realises were sporadic episodes of depression.
Ironically, but as she now knows, not uncommonly for high achievers, she managed to give the appearance of having it all together, being super confident and totally in control. But in reality she was the perfect swan - graceful above the water, madly paddling below!
Heather took a sabbatical year out in 2007 to recharge her batteries and had a great time, including getting married to the love of her life Daniel. But it wasn’t until she discovered the world of coaching and personal development in 2009 that her life started to gather momentum in a new direction
Heather began to understand and value just how much of a natural talent she had for helping others towards the best version of themselves. She realised that it was her innate ability to ‘tune-in’ to what others were really thinking and feeling, when often they were saying the exact opposites, that had made her successful in sales and able to navigate the often choppy politics of complex business organisations.
So, in 2010, not knowing if she had a parachute on, never mind how to work it, she jumped into the great unknown and followed her heart to find out what she was really supposed to be doing.
The new path was far from smooth. Many mistakes were made, not a lot of money was earned and a lot of money was spent. There was also heart breaking personal challenges to overcome. Because whilst building her new career, Heather was also struggling to start her own family; a journey that lasted for 7 years and took an enormous toll on her physical, emotional and and mental health.
But Heather kept going knowing in her heart that this was the right direction and she never once regretting her decision to leave ‘normal’. She discovered that choosing the life less ordinary required her to find new depths to her character and a way to be open to the opportunities these challenges also brought.
She reflects, ‘Being open to finding out who you really are, getting clear about what you want, allowing it to come to you whilst also getting your sleeves rolled up and actually doing the work of making it happen, is what I have learned to be the secret of a happy and fulfilled life.’
Heather, now very much established, happy and fulfilled, is devoted to her heart-led businesses HB Coaching and The Adventures of Frankie Doodles, where she is a coach and author as well as the creative force behind the brands’ vision and mission. 2017 will see her introduce her latest ‘baby’ Project SUNDAY to the world and launch her All Things Heather Barrett social media presence where her followers will be able to stay up to date with her projects, regular doses of inspiration and glamorous travels through life.
