Alex took part in our 8-week women’s empowerment course at eHealth Africa in Northern Nigeria. Originally, Alex is from Atlanta in the United States. For the past one and a half years, she has been working for eHA and supported their mission of bringing healthcare to underserved communities throughout Africa. Alex, it’s a sports prodigy and recently ran a half marathon without any preparations. She’s also a Master Chef and prepares kimchi, tacos, yoghurt and pancakes 100% from scratch.
What got you interested in the programme?
I have never been involved in a peer coaching programme before, so when I first heard about Philia I was intrigued! Meeting with other women at my organization and learning how to empower myself and others around me sounded fantastic!
What experiences around personal development have you had before starting the coaching?
I am a master goal setter, but I have almost zero follow through on all the goals I set. Before starting the Philia programme I could not for the life of me figure out why I could not reach my goals. I did not know if it was because my goals were too lofty if I did not have any accountability for them if I set too many etc. My previous experiences with personal development and coaching were very minimal. Besides sports coaches and the occasional teacher offering life advice outside of lectures, my coaching experiences were non-existent.
How did you like the coaching overall?
I thoroughly enjoyed the coaching process. One of my favourite parts was the accountability of the Philia programme and the fact that it is a sustainable system. Most of my attempts to “get my life together” before were completely unsustainable because I saw my goals as too overwhelming before I even started to take steps towards achieving them. From there I would just let them fade away. With an accountability partner checking to see if I had made progress towards my goals, I was forced to face my fears and make positive steps to reaching what I wanted to reach. What is more, Philia challenged us and made us really think about our goals. I looked forward to our peer coaching group each week!
What was the greatest learning you got from the coaching?
How to make actionable steps towards goals. Breaking down each goal into smaller steps and setting actions to those steps significantly reduces the stress of trying to do everything all at once.
How did coaching influence your personal life?
Everything that was applicable in peer coaching for work was applicable in my personal life as well, so it was nice to take those principals and change the way I set and move towards personal goals.
How did the coaching influence your interactions with others?
I learned how to be a better listener and really engage in what others are saying.
What will you do differently as a result of the coaching?
I will not be afraid to set lofty goals because I feel empowered to achieve them! I will continue to listen to others and offer support and coaching for them!
