Emma Nottage is a highly-rated coach, tutor, writer and motivational speaker.
She tells us that, “I was a primary school teacher for twenty years and a private music tutor alongside that. In 2020 I reinvented myself as a global online music tutor and in 2021 certified as an NLP Practitioner/Timelines/ Life Coach Also in 2021 I became a best-selling author after contributing a chapter about resilience in life and business and have just contributed a chapter especially for life coaches. I am now writing a book about music and wellbeing. I am passionate about how music can support mental health and build confidence.”
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 a very supportive family with an older brother and sister so I was always able to have deeper conversations with people older than myself.. I have always loved helping people and listening to them, in primary school I used to listen to my friends’ problems and give them advice. I was known from that young age as ‘Agony Aunt Emma‘. Music has always been a part of my life and my family are all quite musical. I learnt to play several instruments and sing properly. Drama and dance have also been a big part of my life and it was through the Performing Arts that I ‘found‘ myself and developed my confidence. I did a music degree and then trained as a primary school teacher. After a while I became a private music tutor alongside that. Then in the pandemic, as an asthmatic, I came out of the classroom and away from face-to-face teaching and had to reinvent myself as a global online music tutor and this introduced me to the online world.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
My recent work with adult music students led me down the coaching route as I was coming across so many who had limiting beliefs that were holding them back. So often these came from negative words that had been spoken over them by others in their youth, things like, “You are not good enough“, “You can’t sing in tune so you can’t be in the choir“. I loved helping them to change those beliefs and find a new love and joy in music. This led me to realise that the issue of limiting beliefs are not just confined to the musical world and I knew that I wanted to help more people. So I decided to train and certify as am NLP Practitioner, Timelines coach and Life coach.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I now particularly specialise in helping midlife women develop their confidence to revinvent themselves – just like I did. I use a combination of deep questionning, discovering core values, goal setting and visualisation techniques to help my clients create a toolkit and strategy for long-lasting change. I want to help people reach their unresolved dreams and stop living with regret.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
Becoming an accredited coach with the Association for Professional Coaching (The APC) is something that I am very proud of. Also, I am a best-selling author after contributing a chapter all about resilience in life and business to a collaborative book by successful women in the online space and this year I will also have a chapter in a collaborative book for life coaches. Also being recognised as an expert in my field and being a guest on podcasts and at virtual summits is something that I feel privileged to have accomplished.
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?
I do believe that I am on this earth to be an ‘encourager‘.To be an advocate for those who have no voice, to help people discover and see their true worth and value.I believe that everybody has a right to go after their dreams and that none should pass away with their unresolved dreams inside of them. I believe that collectively we can make the world a better place. I believe that everyone has value and want to help them see and find that in themselves.
Women are a growing force in the workplace worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
I am glad that women are starting to find equality in the workplace but there is still a lot of work to do in this area as many of the top companies and small companies still do not have many women represented as CEOs or other senior positions. I know that businesses do have plans and policies to try and create this positive change for the future. I want young women to raise their aspirations and to believe that there are lots of opportunities available to them I have recently seen the ‘Barbie’ movie and was very moved by the powerful messages in it..
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
I want you to know that you are stronger than you think. If there is something that you have always wanted to do but have let limiting beliefs stop you I want to encourage you to bravely ‘step out of the boat’. Also, remember that you don’t have to strive for unachievable perfection and instead remember that ‘Practice makes progress’. Your time is now so go for it!
