Let’s talk about Audrey. Like so many of the women we help, she wanted badly to start building sustainable freedom for herself. But it wasn’t as easy as just making that decision.
She was ready to move forwards, to go to college, and to finally get the education that had been denied to her. (She shared with us once that her father told her he’d rather cut off her head than see her educated.) She’d already tried to apply to college, but they denied her application, saying her English wasn’t good enough. Even now – when she was reaching out as hard as she could to build her new future – the obstacles simply kept appearing.
But she wasn’t giving up that easily.
When she started coaching sessions with the Sophie Hayes Foundation, her coach began by focusing on one particular hurdle. Audrey wasn’t used to computers and had never had her own email address – something that was essential for college applications. It wasn’t easy for her, but she gradually gained confidence and skill with a computer.
A big moment of choice arrived. A spark moment. Audrey proactively chose to email her coach between sessions instead of sending a text – a huge step for someone who had been too nervous to use a computer alone when she first found her way to the Foundation.
Since that moment, with the help of her coach she’s found and applied for a certificate in Hair and Beauty with ESOL. The Foundation covered the costs of the kit she needed to be able to take part, and Audrey has got her education underway. She’s signed up to an IT course at her college too, and her coach was thrilled when Audrey told her she’s learned to print and use her student account.
Sparks aren’t always huge, life-altering moments. Sometimes, they’re a whole series of small things adding up to something bigger. Sometimes they’re finding the right help at the right time. And sometimes they’re making a decision to tackle something you would have found impossible not too long ago.