A BALLAUGH woman who gave up a career in the finance industry to dedicate her time to helping others with their emotional torments has spoken out about the last year.
Pam Ashcroft spent 27 years working in IT before packing it in last December to become a practitioner of hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and emotional freedom technique (EFT).
Pam, who was first featured in Business News last January, said: ‘A year ago I walked away from 27 years in IT to set up as a full time self employed Hypnotherapist and Advanced Practitioner of Emotional Freedom Techniques helping people to have more peace and comfort in their lives.
‘Working my own business part time alongside 30 hours a week in the finance industry simply wasn’t working. Not for me, not for my business and certainly not for my employer.
‘The fears of leaving behind a salary which appeared as regular as clockwork on the 25th of each month seemed to be outweighed by the desire for freedom from a job I had grown to dislike intensely, of 9-5 and travelling to Douglas every day.
‘It took a long time however to get into my psyche that it wasn’t ‘payday’ on the 25th any more, and at first this was hard.
‘I’ve had to learn a lot, very quickly, I am the PR team, the marketer, the bookkeeper, the admin department, the social media manager, the cleaner and sometimes I get to do the things I love – helping people to heal their past traumas for a happier future.
‘Don’t get me wrong. Some of this, especially all the learning I have done relating to PR, marketing and social media has been really enjoyable and challenging. It has been a year of learning, and boy have I done a lot of that.
‘From on-line courses, to books, to working with business coaches, and coaching webinars (seminars on the web), some which have taken place at ridiculous o’clock in the morning; I have joined groups, approached various organisations and tried networking events in order to try to get my message and my name ‘out there’, and it is happening. It’s the consistent, persistent effort, doing something every single day that keeps you motivated, but I do admit there have been times when I’ve considered giving up and going to work at Tesco!’
She said: ‘Due to the intensely personal nature of the work I do it’s not easy for people to make recommendations and it is an on-going challenge to get and keep myself visible.
‘Some of the traumas I have come across are things that people would generally not want to talk to their friends (or even their families) about, so I am extremely privileged to have been able to help them.
‘I have helped with relationships, divorce and separation, grief issues, anxiety, sleep disorders, anorexia, bulimia, abuse cases, and even serious illnesses to help people deal with.
‘My weight loss clients now need to be prepared to work with me longer term as they need to eliminate the real problems that make them overeat.
‘The latter part of this year has been so amazing, and I feel this year has been good groundwork for the future.
‘I have learned how to plan properly, how to set and actually achieve goals, how to price my time properly for my clients and for myself.
‘I have recently shared what I have learned over the year with a small group of self employed ladies on a business success day, where we looked at any beliefs they had about why they could not have the life they wanted with their business, erasing those beliefs, sharing marketing ideas, brainstorming how they can expand, and how to set and achieve their goals.
‘The feedback from this was worth the 2am webinars!’
Pam said: ‘So there we go, a bit of an up and down year, some less busy times when I’ve had to delve deep to find the courage to continue, but I have used these to my advantage to network and to do further study. Am I financially better off than when I was working? Not yet.
‘Am I happier and more fulfilled? Definitely. If I could go back one year knowing what was coming for 2012 would I change my mind and stay in my 9-5?
‘Absolutely no way, personally and professionally I have come a long, long way in 2012 and really looking forward to 2013.’
Pam, 51, lives with partner Ceri, their 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, and border collies Muffin and Snoopy.
One to one sessions normally take place in her home but she can visit people when necessary.
For more information contact Pam on 467706 . Or visit www.pamashcroft.com