Get Out of Teaching Podcast Season 3, Episode 4 Sally Dowinton (Kindergarten Teacher and Business Owner)

Sally completed a Bachelor of Science and needed a secure career path, so a natural fit was to complete a Diploma of Education. Her mother, aunt, uncle and great grandparents were all teachers so education as a career pathway was always an option.

Sally is in a transition phase.  She hasn't left teaching but has dropped to part time employment. With her spare time, she redirected her energy and retrained as a Life and Health Coach, Hypnotherapist, Soul Regression Therapist and Forensic Healer.

Her recent achievement is launching the business Heal, Lead and Teach.

Website:  https://bookme.name/Sallydowinton

Facebook: Heal Lead and Teach - https://www.facebook.com/Heal-Lead-and-Teach-102934114834849


Aired on April 14th 2021

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Transcript

Elizabeth Diacos  0:00  
Welcome to Season 3 of the Get Out of Teaching Podcast. I'm your host, Elizabeth Diacos. In each episode of this season, I'll be coaching a teacher around one aspect of their move out of Education, you'll have the privilege of listening in on the powerful coaching conversations that move people closer to a life they love. So come along for the ride as we get out of teaching. 

Episode 4. 

Hi, everyone and welcome to the show. And on today's show, I'm really pleased to be having a coaching conversation with Sally from Western Australia. Welcome to the show, Sally.

Sally Dowinton  0:36  
Oh, thank you, thanks very much for the invite. It's great to be here.

Elizabeth Diacos  0:40  
So Sally has generously offered to be a guinea pig in this little experiment where we do a coaching call on the show. And, and you get to hear the the outcome of that conversation. And, and then, you know, if you want to have one like it yourself, then you can find me on Facebook or wherever on the Internet. I'm pretty easy to find now, and we can have a conversation like this too. So Sally, before we launch in, do you want to just explain to the listeners how we know each other?

Sally Dowinton  1:15  
Yeah. So I, I was in a pretty, I don't know, ordinary workspace at different points. And I saw somebody else write "Check out, you got, you've got to check out Get Out of Teaching." And so I did that. And I did a clarity call. So from there, and then I was doing some study and went to Melbourne and invited Elizabeth there for dinner. So we had a...

Elizabeth Diacos  1:41  
We had a beautiful dinner, didn't we? 

Sally Dowinton  1:43  
Yeah, it was great.

Elizabeth Diacos  1:44  
Lovely. So we haven't actually met in person, which is unusual. I don't often meet people from the Get Out of Teaching Facebook, in face - face-to-face, especially at the moment. So that was a great opportunity. How how little did we know what a rare thing that was at the time?

Sally Dowinton  2:00  
Yeah, cause just right after that we kind of COVID sort of hid us somewhere y'all went back home. So yeah, that's... (laughs)

Elizabeth Diacos  2:08  
Okay, so let's get cracking. What's the issue that you'd like to bring to the conversation today?

Sally Dowinton  2:13  
Okay, so I'm doing some energy sort of working around the show. And I'm been working with a different group. And we did sort of-

Elizabeth Diacos  2:22  
Woah, woah, woah. Just go back, because just explain a little bit about what that is the energy word?

Sally Dowinton  2:27  
Oh, yeah, yeah. So part of my Get Out of Teaching plan is, well, I have, I have, since our initial discussions, I've created a little business. And it's called Heal Lead Teach. And what I do is, I take whatever your issue is, and we, it's a three step process. So, so become a forensic healer. And part of that energy work is that you kind of invest in yourself, really. And, yeah, so my current investment in myself is this new space. Anyway, so somebody did a real reading for me. And the imagery of it was that I was standing at the top of the platform, and there's a slide in front of me, and it goes down.

Elizabeth Diacos  3:16  
Like a slippery slide.

Sally Dowinton  3:18  
Oh, yeah. A kid slide, I bit more, a bit more that type of thing yeah, but it was a, you know, you know, those old metal ones that tried to kill us when we were kids?

Elizabeth Diacos  3:28  
When it, when it was sunny, yeah.

Sally Dowinton  3:29  
Yeah, yeah. So that was then. And a sort of black cloud halfway down, and I have a choice, I can either step onto that slide and go down and up and out. And, you know, do new things, new wonderful things, but I've got to take that step. Or the other thing I can do is I can go back down the ladder, and hop right back to where I'm safe. And my safe place is my teaching job and my current life.

Elizabeth Diacos  3:59  
So tell me that you said there's a black cloud halfway down the slide. Is that right? So you have to kind of go through that?

Sally Dowinton  4:06  
Yeah, I've got to go down through that into this unknown. So I can't see what's on the other side. I can't see what it is. I have no vision of what that amazing opportunity is. But my heart knows it's an amazing opportunity. But I've got to take the step.

Elizabeth Diacos  4:20  
Right. So it's, yeah, it's a slightly okay. And it and it sounds kind of like it's inevitable if you go, once you sit down on that slide. 

Sally Dowinton  4:31  
Yes. 

Elizabeth Diacos  4:31  
There's no going back. 

Sally Dowinton  4:32  
No.

Elizabeth Diacos  4:33  
You can't really turn around and scramble back up to the top?

Sally Dowinton  4:36  
Yeah. And there's a feeling of apprehension, but it's not a feeling of fear.

Elizabeth Diacos  4:42  
Okay. Hmm. Interesting. And, and would you, if I said to you, that slide is not that slippery, that you could, you know, go down slowly. Would that make it an easier to decision?

Sally Dowinton  5:01  
I don't think you can go on those slides slowly. Can you? 

Elizabeth Diacos  5:05  
We can do anything you want, it's our slide. I mean, I guess it's you know, it's your choice, isn't it? Because you're creating this in you're creating this visual of what that like she didn't give you a picture did she, you imagined it? Is that right?

Sally Dowinton  5:23  
She described it. And this is my take on her just her description.

Elizabeth Diacos  5:26  
Yeah, okay so if I said to you, "Actually, there's some little", you know, those little stair tread things that you put on the top of the edge of a step, so that they're not as slippery. What if I said, "there's a few of those along that, along that slide so that they'll slow you down a little bit? So won't be so kinda crazy fast? "

Sally Dowinton  5:47  
Oh... 

Elizabeth Diacos  5:48  
Would that make it easier to consider?

Sally Dowinton  5:51  
Yeah, it's sort of, I think part of it was that momentum, though of, you know, now you're on the ride, go with it, and just take off and soar sort of stuff. So you put some blocks in there, you won't be able to go as high.

Elizabeth Diacos  6:08  
Yeah, okay. I like that. Alright. So actually, slowing down the momentum of that process is not something that appeals to you. 

Sally Dowinton  6:18  
Not really, no. 

Elizabeth Diacos  6:19  
You want to go at breakneck speed?

Sally Dowinton  6:22  
Oh, I want the best.

Elizabeth Diacos  6:24  
Yeah.

Sally Dowinton  6:24  
I always want the best opportunities and that I want the best outcome. So if that means going down that slide really fast. And that's if that's going to give me the best thing. That's what I want to do.

Elizabeth Diacos  6:34  
Okay. And so if you were to, you're at the top of the slide, and you decide you're going to go back down the ladder, go back the way you've just come? How would you compare that in terms of best outcome, I've got, say, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is an amazing outcome. And one is, you know, it'll be okay. But it's not really great.

Sally Dowinton  6:58  
Yeah, so, so my life on that scale is about a five in my, my teaching life is about five, I have a really lovely job. And I have really, I have a, I have an amazing opportunity in terms of my job. And in my daily, you know, day to day. But it's, it isn't in the amazing anymore. So yeah, so it's about halfway down. So if I go down, I can go back to safe and easy and you know, regular money. And all that sort of thing.

Elizabeth Diacos  7:27  
Yeah, so so tell me what the appeal of going back down the ladder, maybe we can look at that (a little).

Sally Dowinton  7:33  
So the appeal of that is I know I can operate on my own, I do three and a half days a week. So I'm don't work full time. That's an appealing thing. I have some space for myself. I can still do my little business on the side, I can still do, you know, my husband work shifts so when he has time we can spend time together. I can schedule, I have a long weekend, every weekend. There's lots of those sorts of things that are pretty cool. 

Elizabeth Diacos  8:00  
Right. 

Sally Dowinton  8:01  
I'm in a community. So in a, in the small community that I teach in everyone knows me, I know them. Yeah, I have a great relationship with kids. So - and their families, which is which is good for me. I like it.

Elizabeth Diacos  8:13  
So it sounds like where you are right now at the say on the ladder somewhere or at the bottom of the ladder. 

Sally Dowinton  8:19  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  8:20  
Is is safe...

Sally Dowinton  8:21  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  8:21  
It's comfortable. You're actually, sounds like you're liked and respected in that in that environment in that community.

Sally Dowinton  8:29  
Absolutely.

Elizabeth Diacos  8:30  
By the families at least, you know, and it's pretty cruisy.

Sally Dowinton  8:36  
It is cruisy. It is, it is and it's a good cruisy, you know, it's not... my teacher, my teaching role is a really good cruisy. It's, it's great. I know what I'm doing, kids know what we're doing, good and great routine. All those things are lovely, you know, and I have a job that other people would aspire to have and I have a situation that other people would love to be in and I recognize that too. And I'm not, I'm grateful for that.

Elizabeth Diacos  9:00  
Okay, but, but but there's a big there's a big fat but coming from there. 

Sally Dowinton  9:05  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  9:06  
So tell me about the but ,what's not what's not like making your heart sing?

Sally Dowinton  9:12  
Um, oh, well. I like opportunity. I like a little bit of discomfort. And I like, I like new. I like new and exciting. 

Elizabeth Diacos  9:25  
How long have you been in your current role for, Sally? 

Sally Dowinton  9:29  
11 years, but I had a two year break where I did other roles.

Elizabeth Diacos  9:32  
Right.

Sally Dowinton  9:33  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  9:34  
So new and exciting. It's not, It's not like you haven't given this a good go, like you've been there quite a while.

Sally Dowinton  9:41  
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  9:43  
And so it's not like, you know, that sort of shiny object syndrome, where you're going "Oh, oh, look at that pretty thing over there." You're actually, you've used the stayed there quite a long time. You've given you a good shot. But now you've got a sense that there's something else that could be better.

Sally Dowinton  10:00  
Yeah, I think so. Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  10:02  
And so apart from the money, what else is holding you back?

Sally Dowinton  10:09  
Well, I went and did some level III, so deputy role and a coordinator role, and it was quite violent. Like the situation was quite violent. And I had to live away from home. And there are some things,, systemic things that I, I kind of, my heart struggled with a little. So I'm not sure that that's where I want to be anymore. Where before I had a go at it I thought "No, this is me, this is what I want to do next." But when, once I experienced it, it wasn't quite... it wasn't quite as fulfilling as I thought it would be.

Elizabeth Diacos  10:48  
Yeah, so yeah. So...

Sally Dowinton  10:50  
Yes, I'm not sure in terms of Education, if I want to go down that road.

Elizabeth Diacos  10:55  
So that, this is kind of like the corporate side of Education? Like at..

Sally Dowinton  10:58  
Sort've an administrator.

Elizabeth Diacos  11:01  
Yeah. Okay. And so, now that you've had a taste of that, and it wasn't to your liking, there's still a sense that there must be something else. Is that right? 

Sally Dowinton  11:14  
Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And because I've had this before, so when I when, when this happened for me before I was in high school. So I went from high schools into libraries into early childhood. So I don't really want to do another area of teaching. I think I've done it. 

Elizabeth Diacos  11:34  
Yeah.

Sally Dowinton  11:34  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  11:35  
So you've actually had this feeling before of "I know, there's something else out there." Tell me about that. What did you do back then? When you were in high school?

Sally Dowinton  11:45  
Oh, so I am one of those people that really enjoy studying. So I had 5 degrees around Education. So yeah, so, so I just go back and study. So the last lot that I did was a business, business leadership, oh, School Business Leadership, something like that come into the wording of it now. So yes, I've done a Degree in Business Leadership. And it's my last stop. So yeah, but all very different to the practice.

Elizabeth Diacos  12:24  
Yeah, can I mention, but it's all Education in their Education sector. Hmm. Okay. And so this energy work, this sounds to me like this is kind of your, your, your adventure? 

Sally Dowinton  12:38  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  12:39  
But that you're not giving it everything you've got?

Sally Dowinton  12:43  
Well, yeah, so I, so I've launched, I've launched my little business, which is great. And I have a web presence. You know, I have a booking page and and all that sort of thing. And that is beautifully done by me.

Elizabeth Diacos  12:55  
You have any clients? 

Sally Dowinton  12:57  
No. I've got clients that, I haven't got clients off that I've got lots of clients in terms of friends and family and their extended network, but I haven't got anything off, off that side of it.

Elizabeth Diacos  13:10  
Right? Well, that doesn't really matter does it. As long as you've got some clients.

Sally Dowinton  13:13  
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. But you know, part of the part of having your own business is that you don't want to rely on friends and family.

Elizabeth Diacos  13:20  
Oh, yeah, sure. Yeah. But if they're, if you want to get out into the extended networks, then do the different to your network. So eventually, that isn't really, that's a really nice way to start that organic growth.

Sally Dowinton  13:31  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  13:33  
And I mean, for me, I know, my website is really just to validate that I say, I am who I say I am.

Sally Dowinton  13:40  
Right. 

Elizabeth Diacos  13:40  
That's kind of that's what I see the role. I mean, it'd be great if someone became a client via the website, but that's not the main purpose. From my perspective, it's really about kind of validating, you know, who I am. Okay, so, let's say, let's imagine that you, you did get on that slide. There were no barriers and you had to go through that black cloud into the unknown. 

Sally Dowinton  14:04  
Yep. 

Elizabeth Diacos  14:06  
What what would be the cost of that for you personally, and maybe financially as well?

Sally Dowinton  14:16  
Cost? Um, well, the, I don't know there would be a great cost. You know, I suppose there's that unknown income but you know, short term we can survive on one wage if we needed to, but that would be...

Elizabeth Diacos  14:37  
How long is short term? 

Sally Dowinton  14:40  
Well, I don't know. 

Elizabeth Diacos  14:42  
3 months, 6 months? A year?

Sally Dowinton  14:44  
Probably 6 months. 

Elizabeth Diacos  14:46  
Okay. Time to get, enough to get started?

Sally Dowinton  14:50  
Yeah, yeah, perhaps possibly. Yeah. And cost. Well, if you, you know, I would I wouldn't be severing ties as you know, you're, you know, embezzling money or anything like that, and causing people not to, like, you know what I've done. So, in terms of emotional cost, there wouldn't be. You know? Yeah, there probably wouldn't be many costs.

Elizabeth Diacos  15:14  
And so that what's the cost of staying then? Staying put?

Sally Dowinton  15:19  
Oh, the excitement cross? The excitement of something new.

Elizabeth Diacos  15:24  
Okay, so this is now it sounds sounding like this is now about more like about personal fulfillment than anything else. Yeah. Okay. So what do you get when I say that to you? That this is about personal fulfillment. 

Sally Dowinton  15:41  
That would be nice. 

Elizabeth Diacos  15:43  
So, along the way, have you felt that, that personal fulfillment in your career today, have you felt that?

Sally Dowinton  15:51  
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  15:55  
But now you've kind of exhausted those possibilities. And now it's time to look for something else? 

Sally Dowinton  16:00  
I think. Yeah, yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  16:02  
Progression.

Sally Dowinton  16:04  
Well, yeah. And I think you've got to look for opportunity. Don't you? Like, opportunity, if you don't, if you're not open to it doesn't come. So, yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  16:15  
I would agree with that.

Sally Dowinton  16:18  
Yeah, yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  16:20  
Okay. So imagine, imagine that you're lying in your bed. Right? You're lying in your bed, you're comfy and snuggled up, and it's early morning, and well it is there for you anyway. And you wake up and it's tomorrow. And you've, you've given your notice at your current job and you're about to embark on your new venture? You're at the top of the slide. How does that feel?

Sally Dowinton  16:51  
Uh, so I've already, so I've quit. I've quit?

Elizabeth Diacos  16:55  
Yeah. Yeah. Might not have left yet, but you've definitely quit.

Sally Dowinton  17:02  
Yeah, I'm not gonna lie in bed for too long. Won't I? I'm gonna get up and get into it.

Elizabeth Diacos  17:07  
Okay, so you're excited?

Sally Dowinton  17:09  
Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  17:10  
Okay, so then rewind, go back. You're back in bed. It's tomorrow, but you decided to stay at the bottom of the ladder?

Sally Dowinton  17:21  
Oh, well, just take a deep breath. And start the day.

Elizabeth Diacos  17:28  
But you're not jumping out of bed? 

Sally Dowinton  17:29  
I'm going. Nah, not jumping. 

Elizabeth Diacos  17:32  
Yeah, okay. So...

Sally Dowinton  17:35  
Might have another coffee. (laughs)

Elizabeth Diacos  17:37  
Yeah. So you're going to bring in some, an external disrupter to help you get through the day. Something...

Sally Dowinton  17:44  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  17:44  
...from outside because there's nothing, nothing bubbling up from inside.

Sally Dowinton  17:50  
Yeah, no, not really. No, there isn't. No, there's not. There's not that. I mean, I'd still go and do my job and do the best of my ability, obviously, because that's who I am. But it's not making me, you know. So, so as far as an example is, the other way we did the letter "I" so that "i" sound and so in the past, I would have gone and frozen different colored ice and I would have, you know, shaved ice and I would have done this with ice and that with ice. This time, I'd call past a [service station] on a way and bought a bag of ice. 

Elizabeth Diacos  18:24  
Right? 

Sally Dowinton  18:25  
The same activity.

Elizabeth Diacos  18:26  
Yes.

Sally Dowinton  18:27  
The same outcome for the kids. But less prep time for me unless, you know, that sort of thing. So...

Elizabeth Diacos  18:32  
Yeah, yeah. 

Sally Dowinton  18:33  
It's just how it is now, you know, you know, it's not, it's not that I don't want the kids to have a great experience, and I did have a great day. But yeah, but my heart singing wasn't as you know, as once then.

Elizabeth Diacos  18:47  
And it sounds like you knew that actually, you hadn't given it everything?

Sally Dowinton  18:51  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  18:55  
And you just strike me as the kind of person who might want to give it everything. 

Sally Dowinton  19:01  
Every time. Yeah. Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  19:04  
So a question I should have asked you at the beginning of this conversation. Naughty coach, was, is what would make this a great conversation, what would be a great outcome from this conversation?

Sally Dowinton  19:20  
Oh, you've told me to get on that slot and go. (laughs)

Elizabeth Diacos  19:25  
And I would have said to that, I'm not going to tell you to do anything. 

Sally Dowinton  19:28  
I know. 

Elizabeth Diacos  19:29  
Hopefully, I'm going to lead you to discover what what a good decision would be. So so let's assume that we did have that core part of the conversation. And we're now at the end of the conversation and I'm looking back at my notes and I'm saying. "Okay, so at the start of the conversation, you said you wanted to know which way to go either go back down the stairs or down the slide." So what's your take on that now? Where are you at in your thinking?

Sally Dowinton  19:59  
Well, I like the idea in terms of like the our hustle thing. I really like the idea that you that I that, that I'm not giving it my all in my current thing. And I probably haven't recognized that, you know, I know, but I haven't recognized it. So that was that's great. I suppose what's, what's got me, I'm sitting on the slide now I'm not standing there waiting to go down. So I'm sitting on the slide we haven't, you know, taking that that leap, I suppose my thing is, because I've really only ever done Education. And this, and I, and I know, in previous lives, that it would be Education base that I will have my permanency I have my you know, and so it's just better have the slides still in the same playground, the slides on a different playground, so I've got to kind of work out another playground, you know, could be full of teenagers smoking dope, you know, instead of my now safe school. 

Elizabeth Diacos  21:02  
Yup. Could be. And then find out. 

Sally Dowinton  21:09  
Yeah, well, how do you find out? You got to join them? Or you've got to? Yes, I don't know. I've got to find out.

Elizabeth Diacos  21:17  
I read something the other day, or maybe it was a podcast. And it basically said, if you're going to fail, fail fast. And then you can, you know, go, go and try something else. So I like that idea of like trying something and then recognizing straightaway. "Uh, oh, big mistake, but.." 

Sally Dowinton  21:34  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  21:35  
And it was it was the idea that it's not bad to quit. You know that it's not bad to. Being a quitter is actually a good way to move forward quickly, rather than get stuck in a in a place where you don't want to be. Now I'm actually not talking about your Education job right now. I'm talking about what happens if you go down the slide. 

Sally Dowinton  21:54  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  21:55  
So if you go down the slide and you're in a playground full of teenagers smoking dope, then maybe you can just quit.

Sally Dowinton  22:03  
Yeah, that's not for me. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But the unfortunately for that, though, is that I work in a system that is very hard to break back into. 

Elizabeth Diacos  22:14  
Yeah.

Sally Dowinton  22:14  
So I have I, I'm one of the few, you know, my generation is one of, it's sort of the last that has a permanency with the department rather than the permanency to the school and all that sort of thing. You know, I have a lot of security where I am.

Elizabeth Diacos  22:27  
Right. So could - go on.

Sally Dowinton  22:31  
Sorry, no, I'm not young. So. And I'm, and in terms of teachers, as many people who would be watching this would understand is the older you get in Education. It's not it's not a it's not, it's not easy to break into. It's not easy to change. When you are over 50 and female. There's a bit of a cycle thing going on in there.

Elizabeth Diacos  22:55  
Yeah. Okay.

Sally Dowinton  22:56  
Whether it's right or wrong, that's my perception.

Elizabeth Diacos  22:58  
Yeah. Okay. So tell me. If, if you were to... so you're over 50? 

Sally Dowinton  23:06  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  23:07  
There's a lot of fear around that. Could you take a year of leave without pay? Would that be something that's possible?

Sally Dowinton  23:14  
Ah, well, I would apply for it, whether I would get it or not. I'm not sure. I'm not sure what the department stance is on. So I have permission to run my business. Like I've already got got filled that paperwork in so I can run my business in conjunction. But I'm not sure if you're allowed to take a year leave without pay if you're doing another paid job. I don't know.

Elizabeth Diacos  23:36  
Right. Okay.

Sally Dowinton  23:38  
So I'd have to figure that out. But that's a good first step.

Elizabeth Diacos  23:41  
I mean, that's, so that's a, that's a, you know, one of those stair tread things?.

Sally Dowinton  23:46  
Yeah, yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  23:47  
It'll slow down your, your... your plunge, you know. 

Sally Dowinton  23:51  
Yes. 

Elizabeth Diacos  23:52  
But I mean, part of me wants to say "Oh, just go for it," you know, but I totally get all the reasons why that might not be a great idea. Especially in the middle of a pandemic, when, you know, there's a lot of uncertainty around for everybody, I think. 

Sally Dowinton  24:06  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  24:07  
I guess one thing that really has helped me along the way I had a conversation really early on, when I just started, I just finished my coaching qualification. I was about to see what being a coaching business looked like. Didn't really know very much, that course did not address that at all. Most unhelpfully. They just expected us to automatically know how to go off and run a coaching business. And so I was in this situation, where I'm like "Okay, here I am. I'm about to do this. But I might just go and do a certificate III - a certifcate IIII in Workplace Training and Assessment in case I want to ever teach this course that I've just done. 

And I was talking to another coach, we had a three way coaching arrangement, so we didn't pay each other but we all coached each other. Really cool, but good practice too. And and he said to me, "So what's, tell me more about that? Why do you want to do that?" And I'm like, "Oh, well, because it's Plan B in case I don't make it as a coach, I could go back and teach coaching, right?" He said, "Elizabeth, why are you working on Plan B?" 

Sally Dowinton  25:18  
(Laughs)

Elizabeth Diacos  25:20  
And "Oh man." I'm just thinking about that conversation. 

Sally Dowinton  25:24  
Yeah, yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  25:24  
It was so pivotal for me. 

Sally Dowinton  25:26  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  25:27  
Why am I working on Plan B? That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I should be working in putting all my energy into Plan A, and making that work. And then I won't need Plan B. So I guess I, what do you get from that, Sally?

Sally Dowinton  25:43  
Oh, well, I um, so I've got a I've got a coaching qualification, and the and the training one, so. I've got many, many plans. So I don't know. You know, it's what great advice, though, you know, how cool is that to be focused in on, on what you want? And to have that clear direction? I think that's brilliant, brilliant advice. What a great coach.

Elizabeth Diacos  26:10  
Yeah, he was a great coach. I'd like to share his wisdom with you.

Sally Dowinton  26:14  
Great coach, great coach.

Elizabeth Diacos  26:16  
And I'm asking, why are you, why are you sitting there? At the top of the opportunity? 

Sally Dowinton  26:22  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  26:23  
When in your heart, you obviously want to take it. But you, but you, you're still thinking about Plan B, which is basically to say.

Sally Dowinton  26:33  
Yeah, yeah. I suppose my logical, you know, the logical brain, part of me is going... "Well, you know, you, you knew that you want to be a coach, you did the qualification to be a coach, blah, blah, blah." And you said, and you could do that where my top of the slide is, I can't even see. I don't even know where that playground I don't know which area even that playground might even be in. You know, I don't have an idea of what that is. I like to think it's with my energetic work. Like, I like to think that could be it but it might not be.

Elizabeth Diacos  27:06  
You've created a business for that. Like surely, that's where you want to put your energy at least to start with.

Sally Dowinton  27:11  
Oh, well, that would be lovely. Yeah. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  27:15  
Like you're doing energetic work. What's the, what do you tell your clients when they say, "Oh, I'm not sure which way to go?" Like, I've heard this idea of, you know, where energy... what is it? Where energy... where attention goes energy flows. That's it.

Sally Dowinton  27:30  
Yep.

Elizabeth Diacos  27:33  
So if you give your attention to your energy work, won't energy flow there?

Sally Dowinton  27:39  
Well, it has been. It has done. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  27:42  
But you're not giving it everything you've got. 

Sally Dowinton  27:46  
Oh...

Elizabeth Diacos  27:48  
It's part time. 

Sally Dowinton  27:50  
Yeah, it is part time. Yeah.

Elizabeth Diacos  27:52  
So, so what I see and we're gonna wrap this up in a minute, but what I see is that your, you've got your part time work where you're not giving it everything you've got, and you've got your part time business where you're not giving it everything you've got.

Sally Dowinton  28:09  
Okay. Okay, so there's a real need to focus. Redirect and focus.

Elizabeth Diacos  28:17  
Is there?

Sally Dowinton  28:17  
Is there? (Laughs) C'mon coach, is there? Yes, there is.

Elizabeth Diacos  28:23  
Okay. Absolutely. So I'm sure you come across the idea, oh, well, actually, I've got an even better analogy. There's an idea of chase two rabbits, you'll catch neither. But I think there's a better one, if you've got a magnifying glass and you're directing and on a pile of gum leaves and kindling and you want to light a fire and it just starts to smolder. If you take your attention away from that, and go to light another fire somewhere else, that fire is going to go out. 

Sally Dowinton  28:54  
Yep. 

Elizabeth Diacos  28:55  
Because you need to give it the the focus of the magnifying glass and the sunlight to make it catch a light and stay alive. And then you can start feeding it bigger pieces and you know, logs. And then when that's established, then you could go and search for the next thing. The next fire to light. 

Sally Dowinton  29:14  
Yeah. 

Elizabeth Diacos  29:15  
It seems like your your Education career has really established and going well, and it's all happened. And now you're kind of a bit over it. I've lost your video, Sally.

Sally Dowinton  29:27  
Yeah. No, I'm still here though. I can see you. 

Elizabeth Diacos  29:29  
Okay. Oh, well, that's okay. We know you're there.

Sally Dowinton  29:32  
My camera's not working. So I'm sorry.

Elizabeth Diacos  29:34  
Oh, that's all right. So imagine then if you decided you were going to give your attention and light this new fire. How would that be for you?

Sally Dowinton  29:46  
Well, it's like a deep breath thing. It's really light. It's got a really light feeling to it. I love it. 

Elizabeth Diacos  29:51  
Thank you so much for coming on the show today, Sally. It's been amazing having you.

Sally Dowinton  29:55  
Oh, thank you. I really appreciate it too. Like it's been a really good experience. You know, all I can say is if you if you if people want to investigate a coaching option and they need to get your clarity call and go that way, it's, you know, if you want to do something new, I think Elizabeth, you've got it, you've got it covered. So thank you.

Elizabeth Diacos  30:16  
Thank you. 

If this is the kind of conversation you'd like to have, here's some ways we can make that happen. You can connect with me via my website larksong.com.au or join the Get Out of Teaching Facebook group, or send me a message. You don't need to stay stuck in a job that makes you miserable. I offer a free 10 minute triage call to people who are ready to explore possibilities for the future. So let's have a chat. 

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