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Name: Kerry Davey
Business: Kerry Davey
Location: Reading, United Kingdom
Industry: Personal Services
Reason for starting? I worked in corporate to earn money, taking care of my family but a piece of my soul was missing. I filled it by becoming a counsellor in the voluntary sector but still missed genuine human connection and had a desire to connect with more people. I had my daughter and always thought when she got older I’d do something with my life. Then at age 38, my son arrived and I realized that, if I waited until he got older, I’d be almost at retirement age, so my brain started ticking with ideas. At first I ran an online shop, but after almost losing my life to a chronic illness I decided life was too short to continue to be scared of exposing my history of addiction. So I got to work on my inner self and set myself on a path of enlightenment through personal development. This was where the idea of retraining and creating my own business came from. I retrained as a coach and have followed my passion to help people find their happiness through self-awareness and confidence ever since.
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How do you define success? I believe to be successful you must be totally grounded with a solid knowledge of who you are as a person and how you work in the world. Confidence comes from deep within yourself. It is who you are, not what you do, that projects confidence. Having a firm foundation of self allows a person to create success in a way that suits them whether that’s financial, material or spiritual. Success is having a purpose in life and pursuing that purpose with love and compassion, accepting the uniqueness of every person you meet along the way. It is being able to inspire others to go for their dreams and set their own goals by living yours. Success is knowing who you are, what you want and then being able to create a strategy to make it happen.
Biggest success: My biggest personal success is surviving. In my younger years, I didn’t treat my body well and fell into addiction. Overcoming this and going on to lead the life I have is something I am enormously proud of. After years of carrying around shame, I no longer feel a tie to the old energy. I am free from guilt and able to use my experience to inspire others. My biggest professional success lies in having the courage to pursue my dream of being able to reach others and assist them as they navigate their own journey through life. By retraining and setting up my business as a personal development coach, I’m able to further my reach beyond my social circle, empowering others to step up and take ownership of the direction of their life.
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What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? The top challenge I have is business and technology know-how. I studied hard, got my certifications and set up my business naively believing clients would flock to me. I then had to learn to be a business woman, which is something that doesn’t come naturally. I have addressed this challenge by creating a plan to learn step by step the processes needed to run and maintain a successful business, taking courses and investing in the necessary assistance to build my business from the bottom up.
Who is your most important role model? My most important role model is my daughter. Through her, I learn strength and courage to face the things that scare me. She has an amazing and natural ability to understand people without judgement and view life through another person’s eyes, whilst maintaining her own boundaries, living her life according to her own values. She has compassion and understanding for all, yet will not compromise herself or her beliefs to suit another person. She is the epitome of strength and possesses qualities I admire and aspire to.
[box_light]Website www.kerrydavey.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/kerrydaveycoaching
Instagram @kerryjdavey[/box_light]
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Edited by The Story Exchange