The Positive Change Coach

I am Janet and I am your resident Positive Change Coach bringing you techniques and insights to help you navigate the changes in your life positively. I have 15 years experience and now work globally from Costa Rica to New Zealand and everywhere in-between.

Are you still in the industry and career you planned? What would your younger self think of you now? Mine would be in complete shock and very, very puzzled!

Ibegan my career in Hotel Management and then began a teaching career – in hotel management, I then had my own catering business and returned to teaching for a while, so the first 10 years whilst not quite as I predicted were at least in the same career. I then moved into Education Management, so hotels were behind me and I had a new career trajectory.

However I suffered with what I now know to be stress, from 17 I had regular migraines and was sent for various hospital tests. I had always had low confidence and selfesteem, I did force myself to undertake challenges that had me shaking inside, and this had some effect, so that I would come cross as confident but inside I was curling up and wanted to run away.

At 40 I was inspired to join a yoga class, this is 1998 when there were few classes and even less understanding. From that night my life began to change. The wonderful yoga teacher, Linda, introduced me to my first personal development book – Louise L. Hay – You Can Heal Your Life. One of the exercises was to look at yourself in the mirror and say “I love you”. I had some months previous looked in the mirror and screamed “I hate you”. So this was a huge challenge and the tears streamed down my face, yet, I did it, a massive step forward.

I then came across a 1 day course “Confidence for Women Managers”, and bought a series of follow up audio tapes, and spent a weekend listening to them. I then felt I needed to discuss my thoughts and saw an evening course called “You are who you think you are” at the local college. I was amazed how what I needed came along. I now know this to be the Law of Attraction. And so it continued, more books and courses. Some of them challenging whilst at the same time enlightening.

By 2003 I had moved house and job and yoga was now a major part of my life, and my holidays were Yoga Retreats, that year I went to Italy and a wonderful week and on the last evening decided to take up the offer of going horse riding for only the 3rd time in my life, unfortunately we received poor guidance and were taken straight out on a mountain trek, my horse stumbled and I was thrown and broke my back. Too long a story about being in a hospital not speaking the language and arriving home in a steel corset and metal collar. My neighbour told me 12 months later that when she first saw me she thought I was finished and would never work again.

However one thing I have always been is determined and one of the first things I said to the medics was “Tell me what to do and I will get better”. So I did it all, physio, acupuncture, hydro pool etc. However 14 months later I still walked with a stoop and was in constant pain with the remaining muscle damage. The hospital consultant told me they had done all they could so I would be in pain for life and never walk straight again. I accepted they had done all they could but not the prognosis. So I set the intention that I would fully recover and find a way to do it.

A week later I met a Practitioner of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/Tapping) and after 4 hours I was able to walk and was pain free!!! My work colleagues were astounded not only did I walk straight my body and face had relaxed. Having removed the emotional stress I was holding onto my body had released the tension and pain.

Having this life changing experience, I had to find out more and became a Practitioner, Advanced Practitioner and then being a teacher, I qualified as a Master Trainer, I wanted to spread the word as far and wide as I could.

I then gained the opportunities to train in Reiki Healing, Life Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Colour Psychology. As each opportunity came I embraced it.

Throughout yoga had been my place of sanctuary, my weekly class was the constant in my life. The following day I would tell my friend at work what we had learnt the night before and she would say “Teach it”, I was a teacher so it made sense to teach the thing I loved. But some of my low confidence remained, I could not visualize myself as a yoga teacher, I did not feel good enough both physically and emotionally, that I did not have enough of the inner serenity I found in my teachers.

However I was unhappy in my job, one Friday morning I had a particularly upsetting encounter with my boss and I sat at my desk and promised myself that in 6 months when I reached my 50th birthday I was out of there I didn’t know how but I was open to the possibilities. I even drew up a calendar of holidays, bank holidays, time off in lieu and the day a week we were allowed to work from home so that I could be in the office as little as possible. A couple of weeks earlier my yoga teacher at the time had given me a leaflet about a half day introduction to DRU Yoga, I’d booked on, it was just what I needed. I’d never heard of DRU Yoga but as ever was open to the experience.

“Tell me what to do and I will get better”

Since moving away from my original yoga teacher I had never had the same depth of experience and often said I would never find another Linda. The day before my Dru Yoga session I pulled myself up when yet again I had, had that thought, “I will never find another Linda”., I changed it to “If I think that I will never find another Linda I never will, so I believe I will find another Linda”.

Linda had been small blonde and bubbly. I walked into that DRU Yoga class and the teacher was small, blonde and bubbly and I thought “There she is”, this was Annie, one of the founders of DRU Yoga. In the middle of the session Annie said they were starting their first teacher training programme in Manchester, in November. Manchester is my home town and my 50th birthday was November. This was 6 months off and my employers had just introduced a 6 month sabbatical scheme and you had to give 6 months notice – the timing was ideal. I registered and paid there and then, and on the Monday arranged the sabbatical. 3 days before my 50th birthday I began my DRU Yoga Teacher Training course.

Then along came the Covid pandemic and my world was again turned upside down, overnight I lost all sources of income. Within hours my wonderful teachers at DRU Yoga got in touch to say they were delivering a masterclass 2 nights later on how to get our classes online – something I would never have contemplated.

I put myself on more courses and developed a fully online business teaching yoga, working 1-1 with clients and teaching EFT. I have found a whole new world, so far I have worked with people in the US, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia and New Zealand and of course all over the UK.

When I qualified as a DRU Yoga teacher 2 years later it was the realisation of a dream. However there was another dream – to run a yoga retreat abroad, I had both the hospitality skills and experience as well and now I was the yoga teacher and therapist. However as an only child, unmarried and with no children I knew whilst I still had my Mum it was not possible as she depended on me. Then a few weeks after I qualified she was diagnosed with terminal caner and died 6 weeks later. Even my cat who I had been reluctant to move abroad died, there was no reason not to live my dream and every reason to live it.

I sold my parents house and my house, put everything in storage and packed 2 suitcases and flew out to my dream in a Mediterranean country. I loved the life, the culture, the sun and made many wonderful friends. However having bought a house in the perfect location that needed significant renovation I was defrauded by the British builder I employed and ended up on the wrong side of a corrupt council. After 2 years fighting for justice which never came, I decided to return home to the UK. I was penniless, jobless, homeless and heavily in debt and in my mid 50’s. Not a great place to be, I also now recognise that I had a breakdown. However with the help of my dear friends and my own determination I started to rebuild my life, so that 5 years later I was able to buy my own home again, and the celebration for my 60th was a holiday in Rome.

Many people on hearing my story say “Many people would have given up”, yet where would that have left me? For me there was no other option other than to re-build my life. It is true that you can’t fight city hall – although that had been what I had originally tried to do – I knew if I was to come out the winner then I had to re-build my life. It wasn’t easy and there have been some desperate moments, but my friends were always there to help me out. My inner strength and

positive can do attitude got me through and I bring that belief and strength to my clients, nothing is insurmountable with the right support and mindset. There are no limits and something I “the most important had been nervous of and felt antipathy towards – that of working with IT – has change is the now become my window on the world. one inside you” Adjusting to time differences takes some juggling yet it is manageable, I admire my students and clients who join me early morning, I have a client who attends at 4am her time, or others late at night, and they humble me that they go to such lengths to work with me. As I begin my role as Columnist for the Lancashire and North West Magazine, I will introduce you each month to the different techniques I use with my clients to empower them to create and manage positive change. I have claimed the title of The Positive Change Coach as I have faced so many challenging changes in my life be they ones I have chosen or ones I have had thrust upon me yet each time I have come out more knowledgeable of myself and others, gained new skills and explored new worlds – figuratively and literally. All this has been because of my positive mindset and having the tools to overcome any negativity and change it into a positive. As has been my passion since I started on this path I want as many people as possible to benefit from these wonderful techniques so they can live their Best Life. My younger self, over 40 years ago could never have imagined the twists and turns life would take and the career that is my true calling. Back then people had rarely heard of yoga (my Mum asked me if I joined a cult!), coaching or energy healing. I am looking forward to introducing you to my world either for the first time or more in depth to discover how you can create and manage change – remember the most important change is the one inside you – how you choose to react to a situation dictates how it turns out, this is your power and choice.

Head to my website for more information D https://thepositivechangecoach.com For a complimentary 30 min., 1-1 Personal Change Assessment contact me E janetbroughton@thepositivechangecoach.com DRU Yoga classes available live online or via YouTube Y Janet Teaches DRU Yoga