Participants' Stories
A story by Ellie Roberts, Fresh Steps participant and licensed trainer.
"I thought you might like to know that following my Fresh Steps training (both as a participant and then a licensed trainer) the timeline exercise made me realise that it was probably better to go for one of our goals sooner rather than later.
The goal being to climb Kilimanjaro. We did it - on August bank holiday Monday I was at the top watching the sun rise over Africa." Read her full story...
An email from a Springboard participant to Tiffany Macedo-Dine, licensed Springboard trainer
Dear Tiff
I wish to say a huge thank you to you for giving me the opportunity to come on the Springboard course.
"Springboard is for women who know there is more to life and are seeking how to go about achieving it. Springboard is for women who want to learn more about themselves, set goals for themselves and who want to develop their practical skills and self-confidence."
I read the above paragraph in the original email and thought…..it describes me 100%! I had hit a time in my career and life when I wanted more. I felt very 'trapped' and had no confidence to do anything about it. My assertive skills were non-existent and I had no direction left in life. I'm the type of person who gets bored easily and constantly needs new challenges in life but I had become very 'stale' giving up everything I loved to do and just living a life of working in a job I no longer enjoyed and being a 'mum'.
Springboard opened my eyes! I realised…I have lots of strengths and qualities, and life is too short to be wasted. I now understand myself more, I know who I am! I still need to work on being assertive but I now have the 'ingredients' to do something about it, if and when I need to.
Springboard 'goals' made me try new things which I'd never considered before, like having a massage. It also helped me to return to playing my cornet with my love of music. But most importantly it gave me the confidence to grasp life to the full, put in for a 3 year career break, sell my house, up-root my children and move to France!
I met some amazing people on the course, heard some heart wrenching stories, shared incredible stories and tried new things. It was truly a life changing experience course which has given me much more than I'd ever imagined.
Thanks Tiff!
This story is by a Springboard participant, Carol O'Byrne.
This story has yet to happen! Carol is looking back from an imaginary future...
As I got to 50, one of my big regrets was that I had always been fascinated by Russia and had even started off learning Russian at school and university but had never pursued this interest. Instead I had made a succession of really stupid choices in my 20's and then drifted along in various jobs.
In recent years, I had heard about an MA at London University in Russian Studies. It was a year long course and had so many interesting options my only problem would be choosing which ones! However, it was expensive at a time when I wanted to prioritise my daughters' education; it would not lead to a job; it was basically "just a hobby". I felt that I was being too self indulgent and that I should buckle down and train as something sensible – such as a social worker. The more I enquired about social work training the lower my heart sank. It was not really me somehow. I pushed the thought of the MA away. But guess what? Every time I had one of those "if I win the lottery" conversations out would pop the dream of the MA. In my heart of hearts I knew that on my deathbed I would not be saying "I wish I'd been a social worker" or "I'm as proud of my work as a complaints officer ". No, I'd be thinking about the uses of humour in the Soviet Union, the siege of Leningrad or the role of women in 1917 and bitterly regretting that I had not spent more time studying them and discussing them with other Russo-philes.
Springboard made me take a good hard look at myself and why I do the things I do. I didn't like everything I saw. Some of it was a bit scary. But I knew I had to do something.
First of all, I told my husband what was really going on in my head and in my heart. I asked him if he thought it was possible. He said "If we want it to work, we can make it work". So, I threw caution to the winds. I took on extra work and saved really hard for 2 years. I begged and borrowed funds. My line manager agreed that I could take several months unpaid leave and a colleague (oh lucky one!) would stand in as complaints officer.
I applied to the MA course and was accepted. At this point I felt it was going to be a year of spending time on something that I loved and would become a memory to treasure. I secretly hoped that perhaps I would get a little bit of teaching etc as a result of the MA so that my "hobby" would pay for itself.
The course was great. I brushed up on my Russian. Sadly I'll never be totally fluent but I can get by and can read a little. The course, the lecturers, my fellow students were so interesting! It was an outstanding year, it really was.
Two possible endings to this story...
Dream Ending!
My special subjects were "humour and jokes" and "exile and imprisonment". The title of my thesis was "Funny ha ha-ski – uses of humour under Stalin". My tutor mentioned my work to a friend and he asked me to talk about it on radio 4. As a result, a publisher contacted me and offered me a book contract!
I never looked back. I am now a university lecturer in Russian history and political thought. I'm writing a second book and write articles for the papers etc. I've also been offered some work setting up mediation services in one of the republics of the former Soviet Union. It will mean quite a bit of time away from home but with our new state of the art teleporter at least the commutes will be short.
I'm so pleased at the way things have turned out. I try not to dwell on all those years I missed out on doing something that I love so much but to concentrate on the here and now. Because that's where we are.
More practical ending!
My special subjects were "humour and jokes" and "exile and imprisonment". It was a real privilege to have spent that year studying something that I love. I met some interesting people – I'm still in touch with some of them. I went back to my work as complaints officer but recently trained as trained as a mediator and now work for the court service. After starting a blog, I occasionally get some freelance work writing articles about Russia – which have been published! I'm also involved in a voluntary project in Russia and manage to spend several weeks a year over there. It means quite a bit of time away from home but at least with our state of the art teleporter the commutes are short!
I'm so pleased at the way things have turned out. I try not to dwell on all those years I missed out on doing something that I love so much but to concentrate on the here and now. Because that's where we are.
Throughout this course I've learnt loads
Become more assertive and set some goals
Had time to reflect and share my thoughts
Made some friends and learnt all sorts
Confidence has grown and I've learnt to say no
I believe in myself and learnt to let go
I delegated tasks and have developed as a whole
I'm more clear in my heart, head and soul
My attitude has improved, more positive I've become
Learnt to trust and encourage at work and at home
I've enjoyed this course and I thank you Sue
I'll take Springboard's teachings through everything I do
Kate Hall, Leisure Assistant, Newcastle City Council April 2011
I heard about the Women's Springboard Course in early 2001 through my then employer, I felt that it would be good for me to participate as I did struggle with my confidence, but I knew that I would need to work on it to achieve what I wanted to do. So I attended the course which was run by Patricia Cresswell. I found the course very interesting and the book handed out to everyone was really impressive.
Since finishing the course, I have slowly learnt to build up my confidence and will check back to the book for useful tips. I have now started my own business making jewellery and arranging events called Shez Jewellery. I feel that Springboard has helped me to achieve this, I still refer back to the material now and I am now able to speak publicly, network with confidence and feel that the Springboard course really helped and still helps. I recently appeared on Live TV on the Jewellery Maker Channel, I made jewellery and interacted with the presenters and did not feel nervous at all, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
I would really recommend to any Woman wanting to work on their confidence in business and in day to day life to give Springboard a go, it helped give me the energy to overcome my fears and go for what I wanted to achieve. Thanks Springboard and Patricia!!!!
Shelley Brewer - 2011
Spring Forward is a personal development programme aimed at staff in management positions at Loughborough University. It is mixed gender and ages and runs twice a year. Wendy Jones, Occupational Health Adviser decided to do the programme back in November 2009.
Wendy says that she booked herself on the course as she knew she was stuck and thought it might help her to work out a direction. When asked about the programme Wendy replied "it made me realise what I was good at and it was good to recognise that I was good at some of the things I do and have done."
Wendy went on to say, "I have been in the role of supporting others for many years and trying to help people to realise that there is no point in waiting for everyone else to change, if you want things to change you have to make it happen yourself".
Wendy continued thinking about things after the programme and the final trigger was when she was talking to a friend whose opinion she valued. Wendy admitted she was bored and had been thinking about doing a masters or even a PhD, to which her friend said it sounded like a great idea, 'just do it!
Wendy did take time to research other options she could follow, but has now been granted funding to undertake her PhD with Loughborough School of Design. She is not sure what the future holds exactly, but she now knows that she can make that decision as and when she is ready to.
Wendy added, "This programme gave me the nudge that I needed, it won't be the answer for everybody, but it is worth giving it a go because you never know what may come out of it."
Helen Betts-Patel
I was lucky enough to be an August baby. This meant that I never had to go to school on my birthday which fell in the long, hot summer holidays. It also meant that I was still 15 when I left school. Even at that young age, I was absolutely sure about what I wanted to do in life, to become a writer. I loved thinking up new stories, writing stories and telling stories – my two younger sisters heard a newly created tale almost every night, something they still remember fondly all these years later.
When I told the careers teacher at school about my desire to write, he found me a work experience placement in a cake shop (raises eyebrow). Needless to say, the two weeks spent there gave me no useful writing experience at all, but it did help me to recognise that I needed to prepare harder for what I wanted out of life rather than settling for second best.
I decided that I'd go to college to get my A Levels and took Communication Studies, English Literature and Sociology. At 15, I thought that these subjects would be the ones I'd have the best chance of passing!
Once I had finished College, I was fed up of having no money in my pocket and decided that I would find an easy office job before my 'real' career started. I found my first job as a secretary working in the sales office of a paper manufacturing company based in Birmingham. While secretarial work wasn't what I wanted to do, the money was good, the offices were plush and the other women I worked with where some of the nicest and funniest people I'd ever known.
I stayed there for 4 years until the company decided to close the Birmingham branch down and transfer all its business to Basingstoke. I accepted redundancy and quickly found another secretarial job at the University of Birmingham.
12 years later, I was still there, in the same office with the same job title.
It may sound unbelievable, but those 12 years flew by in a hectic flash. I got married, had two beautiful children and went on some fantastic holidays. I took on all kinds of extra responsibilities in my role. I gained a lot of skills, balancing budgets, organising events, interviewing and selecting new personnel. A busy, busy 12 years.
It wasn't until my son, Max, started school and I was almost 40 that I began to wonder where all that time had disappeared to. I suddenly felt trapped in a cycle of children/work/husband/home/sleep.
I began to wonder whether this was my lot.
Then my Manager suggested that I go on the Springboard Course. I must admit, I was doubtful that it would be much help to me. I suspected that it would be another thing for me to think about in an already busy schedule. But, after a bit of nudging on my managers part, I signed up. That was probably one of the most important decisions I've made.
What the Springboard course did was encourage me to take time to think about what I wanted for myself. I listened to the course facilitator and read through my new purple book. I also spoke to the other participants and listened to their experiences. Most importantly, I took some new ideas and important messages onboard.
I started to think more and more about what I wanted to do. I thought back to what I had hoped for when I was a little girl, a teenager and in my early 20s. I recognised that it had never been my life's ambition to process someone's overtime or organise their inbox. That had been just a way to pay the bills. Then, I thought about my childhood ambition to write. I recognised that somehow, instead of becoming a 40 year old writer, I had become a 40 year old Secretary.
There it was, as clear as day, I wanted to be a writer. I thought about what it would be like to have an article or a book in print and it made me feel lifted. I knew then that something needed to change and instead of dreaming about it, I had to take a first step towards reaching that goal.
So, for my 40th Birthday, I asked my (large) family not to buy me separate birthday presents but to put together and buy me a laptop. I was going to write a children's book! No one laughed; everyone thought it was a fantastic thing to try. And so that's what happened, they presented me with a laptop and I started to write.
It's my 42nd Birthday in August and I'm still writing, it's been a struggle at times trying to fit it in between all my other commitments but I am 2 chapters away from finishing my book. Some of you reading this may think that in 2 years a person should be able to finish a book and be starting the next. I have lost count of the amount of times that I've fired up the laptop only to shut it down again an hour or two later without writing a word. Work and family commitments so often get in the way, but the important thing is that between age of 15 and 40 I wanted to be a writer but didn't write a page. From 40 to 42, I have almost finished a book.
I still work as a Secretary and I'm still a housewife and mother with all the commitments that every other woman has. But, I also have a new, exiting direction - instead of wishing to be a writer, I am a writer. There is no doubt in my mind that once my book is finished, it will be in print and that's when my next career starts.
We are all so much more than our current occupations and situations. The Springboard programme is an ideal opportunity to take time out to remember what you hoped for when you were a little girl or a young woman and remember what your dreams were. That little girl is still inside you and is still waiting for the woman to take her by the hand and show her what she can become. Be the woman that she would be proud of and take that first step toward realising your ambitions, whatever they are."
Business of the Month award won by Carol Menzies, a Fresh Steps participant at University of Central Lancashire. Please follow the link below to read Carol's story.
University of Central Lancashire website
Carol says "Thanks to everyone who I met at the Fresh Steps course - it is due to your help support and encouragement on the course that I decided to take the plunge and start my own business. Thank you my wonderful Fresh Steps friends."
October 2010
One group of women wrote this poem to sum up their experiences of the Springboard Programme.
"Confusion is an open mind
Opening doors to other futures
Self belief leaving doubts behind
Shaping possibilities anew
Finding all people are our kind
Breaking bread with strangers
Crossing borders and finding friends."
With thanks to the Pink Posse group!
Inspired by 100th International Women's day and the Springboard Programme!
I just wanted to let you know about something I became involved with since taking part in Springboard. It is something I am very proud of and largely have Springboard to thank for.
Shortly before the course finished, I contacted a women's charity called Women for Women International to see if I could become involved. It's a charity that helps women survivors of war and their families to rebuild their lives. They asked me if I would be interested in spearheading their International Women's Day campaign in Manchester (where I live) and I agreed. So last week on Monday 8th March, with no budget at all but with a lot of hard work, 40 women and men from around Manchester joined me and thousands of women all over the world to make a stand for women and to support the work that Women for Women International does. Please find attached some photos for your information. And here's the link to the campaign that took place around the world - in Nigeria, the USA, Canada, Germany, France and many more places!
I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you - I just wanted to let you know how much Springboard helped me to find this volunteering role and achieve something I'm really proud of."
Springboard was a complete turning point in my life. I entered the program full of confidence that I was in a good spiritual place, and that this would 'fine tune' me for the way ahead into a positive, life-affirming place.
Instead of a fine tune, I got the major overhaul. Total rebuild. I was challenged on every level. I questioned myself and often found I actually had no answers.
I was also recently diagnosed bipolar when I undertook the course and I found working through the process was healing in a very gently kind of way - it made me look at my life and assess what was important and which parts of me were holding me back - not necessarily from traditional 'success' but from living my life with an authenticity that I was craving.
The moment of closure was actually at the last session, where each group gave a presentation in their own way, about their journey. We ticked and tacked, scribbled and dawdled and eventually we hit upon the idea of a maypole dance. Each woman wrote her springboard journey on a long strip of paper, decorated it then we danced around a pole (a broomstick in a bin actually) weaving them in and out as we sang. I waved a paper 'smoke smudge' in honour of my recently-found aboriginality and something incredible opened up inside.
I remember I drew a fish on my paper story - representing a Pisces and its journey, and shortly after that went home and did the first piece of 'art' I have ever done as an adult. I had been aching to do this but lacked the confidence and the will. Now I can't stop and I make my own cards, presents, prints, mosaics and I can't stem the flow.
Springboard is one of the most amazing journey that is so individual - there are no rules, no rights and wrongs and no generic approaches - you get out what you put in and it is an intensely individual journey.
I am changed forever and so much closer to my purpose than ever before.
Thank you.
"It is now over a year since I completed the Navigator Programme and the positive effects of the experience are still with me. Not only in the shape of the changes that I made whilst on the programme (I'm still swimming a kilometre a day), but also in meeting the challenges and achieving the goals of day to day life. Navigator was like nothing I had ever experienced before, unique in its approach and endlessly inspiring, an opportunity to engage with other men in an atmosphere of confidentiality, trust and mutual respect and support. To be able to facilitate further programmes within the Force was an opportunity too good to miss, knowing first hand how far reaching its impact can be." Read the full story...
