Juliette Aukema joined TCI in March 2019 after a phone call made her feel she could change her life ... and it did.
15 months after joining TCI, Juliette Aukema shares her story with the community and tells how when she made her decision, nothing had meant so much in a long time.
Was there one big moment or a gradual realisation TCI was for you?
Matt Lavars rang me and I was knocked out by his personal and gentle approach. I had seen him in photos as a leader at TCI and thought, 'Wow, who is this guy I am talking to, who has actually taken the time to call me?' I felt so privileged. That started a feeling of, 'I want to know more', so I asked Matt to meet at TCI as I had an appointment in Melbourne. I got off the phone and rushed into the kitchen and told him my husband what was going on. I was so excited. Nothing had meant so much to me in a long time. I felt a new beginning.
How did TCI live up to or exceed expectations?
Amazing content and being with people who also lived and breathed the content. Being able to be me on all sorts of levels: the student, the friend, the insightful one, the supporter. Having people around you saying, 'You've got this' with sincerity. Meeting people of all sorts of ages, cultures and gender. Loved chatting and engaging with people I would never have had the opportunity to in East Gippsland in a small country community.
Where are you now with your coaching journey?
I have done 140 hours of coaching and am now ready to take on paying clients. I am learning what type of business I want to start up through coaching and using social media.
Brag time ... what are your biggest milestones?
Being mentored by John Sharkey at my triads was a breakthrough moment. One week I was crying and the next week I had nailed it. He gave me the gift of trusting myself and coaching from the heart. Getting my own pro bono clients from my personal Facebook page and thinking, 'I have got this!' Knowing that I have helped my client. It's like a beautiful release. I just kept feeling, 'This is real synergy.'
“The learning is so rich and on so many levels. When I know I am growing as a person ... that gives me such a high. The fact that I am being supported to start a business to share my learning is wow, wow, wow.”
Can you share your most successful marketing strategy?
So, this has been and is a stretch for me. I have been encouraged by Dan Burgess to follow through on my ideas of using drama strategies in my work and so I have made some videos with masks and characters which reveal serious content in a lighthearted way. I have had very positive feedback and am continuing this strategy.
What has rocked your world most about your journey with TCI?
The friendships I am making and the person I am becoming.
What challenged and surprised you the most?
My fear of having a conversation asking for my client to invest in my coaching.
What do you know about yourself that you didn't before TCI?
How much I have held myself back in the past.
“I have made lasting friendships at TCI. I loved being challenged and cared for at the same time.”
What advice do you have for other fabulous TCI coaches?
Every moment is a choice and it's okay to take risks when you feel uncertain. If you feel uncertain, it's a clue that 'must' take action as if you are the person you want to be.
What would you tell anyone thinking about joining?
It's not a hobby. It's life changing for you and others. It's bloody amazing and I wouldn't have missed the opportunity for the world! As I said, nothing had meant so much for a long time.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Sorted. Living congruently with my values.
Which three things can you not live without?
So immediately I think my family and then I think, 'but I would need to carry on', so what's next? My sense of self worth, self compassion and need to feel I have a purpose in life.
Two things Juliette loves most in life are sharing time with family and friends, and laughing. "Laughter is so liberating. This has been a survival strategy and it is a theme in my life," she says. Juliette loves visual theatre and drama, especially when it is accessible and dives deep into human behaviour. In her days as a performing artist and secondary school teacher, she loved devising plays with students and "seeing them so excited and alive."
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