Lorraine Eivers
Lorraine Eivers is the Founder of Lorraine Eivers Coaching.
Following a successful 30 year career in HR, she now supports HR, and other professionals, find their authentic self and take back control of their career. Through 121 coaching, she helps individuals, who are overwhelmed or disillusioned, gain the clarity and confidence to break free from what holds them back to find their perfect fit job that aligns with their values and strengths. She also coaches and mentors newly promoted leaders and those struggling with influence and credibility, to gain the skills and confidence to thrive and elevate their career.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in Ayr, Scotland in a loving stable family. I have a disabled sister who is now in residential care. I am from a working class background and was the first in my family to graduate and attend university. I was brought up to believe that hard work would give you a stable and successful life. This drove me to be a high achiever and a perfectionist. Traits that in the end did not serve me well and helped lead to burnout. Growing up my Dad was my role model, then in the workplace I was fortunate enough to meet some fantastic mentors and sponsors who believed in me and encouraged me to flourish in my HR career to reach Director level. Outside of work I love to travel, from camping to cruising. I love theatre and live music. I can get lost for hours in my garden and love spending quality time with family and friends
Tell us something about your initiative/business. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
My coaching practice is borne out of my love to support people to see their self worth and banish any fears holding them back from living a life that brings them joy and fulfillment. I qualified as a career coach 5 years ago and initially utilised this in my corporate HR role. Following burnout I left the corporate world and set up my business in 2022. I help HR and other professionals who have lost their way with their career to pause and take back control. The focus may be on finding another career, promotion or business start up. Other times people need help to pause the overwhelm and prevent full blown burnout. I offer coaching and mentoring to help refocus in the role they are in to increase influence and credibility or navigate that tricky first 90 days in a new role. I also volunteer as a mentor for newly qualified HR professionals to give something back to my profession. Although the focus is on career this invariably impacts on the whole life and I see my work transform lives for the better, as the testimonials on my website concur.
While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?
The pandemic years were pivotal to my journey into entrepreneurship. Like many people it gave me an opportunity to assess what was really important in my life and how I wanted the rest of my life to evolve. I was in a very stressful HR Director role at the time, translating policy and working crazy hours with no social interaction. We were also going through a major cultural change within the organisation that no longer met my values. At the same time, I was excluded from my sister in residential care, elderly relatives who required support and my usual social network of friends and family. This on top of the immense work stress led to complete burnout. I had counselling and a period of self healing and self reflection and decided not to return to the corporate world and set up my coaching business at age 57.
What has been the response of the users/consumers towards your venture?
I have been truly humbled by the level of support and encouragement I have received. I have built a following of 5k on LinkedIn in a year and have had a steady flow of 121 clients reaching out for my services, both national and international. I have been invited to speak at in person and online events, deliver webinars on global sites and was invited to be part of a community of HR coaches, who have been a tremendous support.
How has your life changed because of your initiative/venture?
I previously went through burnout in my corporate post of HR Director. I had created a persona that masked who I was and I was living a life filled with stress. I am now able to follow my purpose and live a life in alignment with my core values.
Do you have anyone who is the biggest support system in your life? Please let us know.
I couldn’t do what I do without the unwavering support of my husband and the support community I have built.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity? OR Share a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
I want to see a world where the world works in a psychologically safe environment, where people are valued and respected as individuals and are given the space to thrive.