FlexCareers is passionate about supporting our employer partners and our community to be the best that they can be. We offer a range of training and coaching services in areas such as career transition and outplacement, parental leave, return to work, managing flexibly, interview skills, leadership and management, positive psychology, and diversity & inclusion – to name a few.
In this series, we introduce you to our panel of FlexCoaches, each who offer a complimentary 30 minute chemistry session to our community.
1. Rebecca, tell us about your career history
Following around the world trip after closing my first website business following the dotcom bust in 2000, I moved into recruitment for a global firm initially in the UK and then emigrated with them to Australia. After several years in the largest global specialist agency, I joined a small boutique to step into a more consultive and mentoring role for nearly 5 years until I, unfortunately, experienced pregnancy discrimination which prompted me to resign at 4.5 months pregnant and set up a career coaching business. First of all, I worked with Executive women and then once into my maternity leave I realised how life-changing motherhood was and how much turmoil I experienced having been defined by my career pre-motherhood and then needing to redefine my identity as a mother and career woman. So out of this Mama Hub was born to support women transition from corporate to motherhood and beyond with two key programs called SoulMama, where we do the inner work so women can thrive as mothers, and CareerMama, so women can flourish in their careers.
2. What was your motivation to become a coach?
It was a combination of how I had been treated plus my experience, that I knew I could support other women in similar situations to continue to progress in their careers. I had interviewed, mentored, recruited and supported thousands of individual men and women as well as hundreds of hiring and HR Managers for more than a decade that I knew the knowledge I had gained was hugely advantageous to anyone seeking to be a success in their job search. I knew what clients looked for and I could mentor individuals to shine both on paper and at an interview, as well as developing job strategies that went beyond the job boards into the hidden job market. In addition to this I am hugely passionate about gender equality and parity and I believe that through the work I do of empowering women to own their worth and having the courage, confidence and direction to step up, we are taking small steps towards closing the gender pay gap and helping to bring more women through into leadership positions.
3.Do you have any particular areas of coaching expertise?
My depth of experience is career mentoring including all of the practical and strategic work that’s required for successful career progression or pivoting. I’m also a qualified Organisational Coach so I work with companies and their employees, mostly high potentials, Executive women and those returning to work. But honestly, my secret weapon for my private clients is I’m a Reiki Master, so for those who are spiritually open, I’m able to support them energetically as they make changes in their life or career, which is a powerful way to faster, transformational change.
4.What do you love most about coaching?
I love empowering women, to gain clarity on how to move from where they are to where they want to be.
5.How do you define success?
Success for me is waking up and wanting to go to ‘work’ whilst also being able to meet the demands of parenting. It’s a feeling of happiness and contentment of doing something with intention and on purpose, which I’d do whether I was paid or not. I’ve had this at times whilst being employed, and I’m there now with my business. I also think the definition of success has changed throughout my career, in the beginning, it was defined more by position, progression and pay, but now I’m more focused on feeling valued and being of value by doing something I enjoy. Because I enjoy it, for me it removes any guilt I might otherwise feel about being a working mother, in fact, I’d argue I’m happier because of my work and therefore I’m a better mother for it. Which is success right there!
6.What is your vision for women in the workplace?
My vision is that women hold between 30-60% of leadership and management positions, we achieve parity in pay, there are far more affordable childcare plus greater maternity and paternity leave entitlements, that men and women take equal responsibility for parenting and in doing so the stigma associated with working mothers is removed, that workplaces become family friendly initiated by a culture change from the top down, that women stay in their feminine power and not succumb to the masculine way of working because it is gender diversity and these differences that create successful businesses and teams, that women continue and do more to support each other to rise, and finally, that gender equality and parity in pay exists in our lifetime.
7. How do you define ‘flexibility’?
Flexibility is the ability of a company to modify their working practices both in terms of hours and location to accommodate a greater workforce, which is actively encouraged to be taken up by everyone within the business. With technology, there is no reason why many (if not most office-based) jobs cannot be flexible in terms of the location of the employee. Additionally, with the well-documented economic benefits of a diverse workforce, it is staggering that all companies are not implementing flexible workplace solutions, such as job-sharing, part-time or flexible hours outside of the traditional 9-5, working from home (or regional hubs), or employment contracts with school holidays off. Flexible workplaces would also enable companies to hire and retain the best staff irrespective of their location, thus enabling people to move out of high-cost cities and still retain their jobs and careers.
About Rebecca
Rebecca Grainger is a well-respected career mentor, known for her integrity, positive attitude and straight-talking approach. Combining 12 years of international recruitment experience with formal coaching methodologies, mindset principles and strategic career consulting, Rebecca is passionate about empowering women to transition careers and change jobs, with confidence, clarity and ease.
FlexCareers offers a free 30-minute introductory meeting with our FlexCoaches, to help you establish if coaching is right for you. You can contact Rebecca through FlexCoach here.
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