The Journey

Welcome everyone to my very first official blog!

This venture of launching Winter & Associates has been a long time coming. 14 years to be exact. The first seed was sown in April 2008 when it was suggested to me that I should think about mentoring for Carers Victoria for disadvantaged and underprivileged youth.  I thought I had something to offer, so I signed up and did my first official training. I was teamed with a young girl who was trying to get through school while caring for her sick mum. Being able to help her navigate the challenges she faced inspired me to seek out more opportunities.

I then moved on to mentoring and coaching fellow university undergraduates. It was a natural progression for me, as I myself was studying at the time, at the ripe old age of 34.    

I think, because I was older, younger female classmates would occasionally approach me and ask for advice. At the time, I didn’t see it as official coaching or mentoring, I saw it as helping a fellow student out who hadn’t acquired the life experience I had. Afterall I was a good 10-15 years older than most students.

However, it wasn’t until I graduated and started my engineering career as a Lieutenant in the Navy that I noticed subordinates would come to me for advice and career guidance. Back then I just thought I was doing my job. However, it wasn’t until I was leaving my first posting that it clicked that I was offering more than just supervision. I was offering hope.

Many years of coaching, mentoring and formal study later, 10 years to be exact, here I am officially launching my own brand (and company) to reach as many people as can, to help them become the best they can be.

Why wait 10 years you may ask? Well again, I was just doing what I loved whilst working as an engineer. It was a few of my recent mentees that suggested I should be doing this sort of thing full time. I toyed with the idea but didn’t really know where to start – launching a company that is. I didn’t want to do it as a hobby, and I wanted to create a legacy for future generations that surpasses me. Hence the company and not a single coach.

WINTER stood out as a name as I was a Woman in a Non-Traditional Employment Role, who just so happens to be helping other women in non-traditional employment roles to navigate their industry, the joys of motherhood and dealing with a mixture of toxic and machoistic work cultures. And the associates? Well, that is me preparing myself for taking on new coaches who share the same passion and drive as me to make the world a better place, one client at a time!

So, who are my prospective clients? Well, it is acknowledged that many of my previous clients are recent graduates, keen to venture into work placements after studying hard for 4-5 years. And then bam…. Reality hits and they don’t know where to start, what jobs are suitable for them and how much they should get paid. Negotiating your first salary and knowing your worth is quite a daunting task. And I didn’t want to see any of them in a job they hated on a less than ideal wage with their mental health suffering.

However, some of my other clients have been people that I have met through work, or networking events. Women who are trying to progress up their career ladder or men that are contemplating leaving the military but don’t know how to take that first step. And I’ve done all that, and then some more, so who better person to help than someone who has gone through it. None of this wishy washy, I’ve done a course and will now tell you how to live your life, without having any real-life experience of their own. I come with a good 30 years of hard learnings, being a single parent, damaging my mental health, making mistakes (and I made lots of them) without the luxury of a backup plan of support network to lean on, to being able to take ownership of my life and the direction I want to head, and most importantly, be happy, healthy and successful.

Basically, my client base is anyone who wants to achieve professionally, WITHOUT it negatively impacting their personal lives.

Here on my blog (and through the other social media platforms I am on), each week I aim to share my wisdom, my ideas and learnings with anyone who cares to read (or listen). I welcome questions and comments so I can tailor my articles to my audience. My motivation…… is to teach, inspire and guide the next generation.

I believe everyone has the power within themselves to find their strength to be the best they can be. Whether you are 18, 38 or 88, there is no time like the present to start a new chapter. Sometimes you just need a helping hand and someone else to shine the torch on your inner beauty.

So, without anymore ramblings from me, let’s get this venture started!

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