ITP - 146: Educators Going Global, Life Coaching, and Finding Your Next Step

Hannah:
Welcome to the International Teacher Podcast. I’m your host, Hannah Loney, and with me I’ve got JP from JP Mint Consulting.
JP:
Hello. That was awesome. First intro.
Hannah:
And today we have special guest Audrey Forgeron from the Educators Going Global podcast. Thank you for joining us today, Audrey.
Audrey:
Nailed it.
Thank you so much for having me on, Hannah and JP. It’s good to see you ladies. The ladies!
JP:
Yay!
Hannah:
Good to see you here.
JP:
So Audrey is coming back for, I believe, her second episode with ITP. The first one was with David as an Educators Going Global podcast host. But today, I think Audrey has some news for us. She’s got other projects on the go.
But first, Audrey, where are you calling in from?
Audrey:
I’m in Kathmandu, Nepal, and it’s beautiful out right now, other than the smog, unfortunately.
JP:
I can see the sun reflecting in your glasses, whereas right now we’re getting close to 11 p.m. here in Mexico time. But it’s really good to see you and good to have you on the show.
For listeners who haven’t moved over to checking out Educators Going Global, can you give us a quick rundown of what that podcast is like? Then we’ll also talk about your international journey and all that good stuff.
Audrey:
Thank you for the question and for highlighting our podcast.
We tend to go by subject area. We look for guests who can speak to that subject. Sometimes we do something similar to what you do, where we think, “This would be an amazing guest. What subject could they talk about?” So we’ve done both sides of it.
We’ve really enjoyed what we’re doing. I love that we meet so many people. Sometimes it’s reconnecting, and sometimes it’s connecting for the first time. We cover the whole gamut of topics around international education.
If we were going to compare the two podcasts, yours is more of a relaxed conversation, exploring with open questions and maybe a little less targeted. Ours tends to be more focused on a set of questions we’ve gone over ahead of time. So it’s more scripted. We want to make sure we stay on topic and provide value for people.
It’s a very different approach, and I love both of them. I listen to your podcast too, of course.
And before I shut up for a second, let me mention that we have had JP Mint on our podcast four times. So if anybody wants to get to know her services a little better, that might be a venue for you to go and listen.
JP:
Whoa. I thought three. I could remember three for sure, but I guess I snuck a fourth one in there somewhere.
Audrey:
I believe we did the cover letter, the resume, and then we did the “I’m about to go into my first interview or job fair” episode. Later, we did a “How’s it going a year later?” episode about the state of recruiting and things like that.
Lots of valuable information from Ms. JP Mint. So please head on over.
JP:
What I appreciate about your podcast, Audrey, is that for anyone thinking about jumping in, if they listen to one of our episodes, we’re often already in the thick of things and talking about how amazing this is. But for someone who wants to know a bit more about how to get into international teaching, I think you have a lot of those types of episodes.
As you said, they’re scaffolded or have a framework created for them.
Hannah, you also listen to EGG?
Hannah:
Yeah, I do. It’s a great way to know what’s going on in the world of education from an international perspective. Sometimes I feel like I live in a bubble and don’t really know what’s going on in other places or what other educators may be doing. Getting that different perspective is great.
Audrey:
Thank you. The way we’ve organized our website is around different pages. We’ve got a blog page, a resource library with all kinds of resources for international educators or people thinking about it, and a podcast page where all our podcasts are hosted. It’s searchable by topic, and you can filter. You can also search someone’s name if you’re interested.
We also have something I wish was a little more popular. It hasn’t really gained traction yet, but it’s people telling their stories. JP kindly gave a couple of really fun stories.
JP:
The little YouTube shorts.
Audrey:
Yes. You were in China and trying with your dad or stepfather to figure out lockers at the bus station, for example. Or playing chess with Turkish men in a little garden in Istanbul.
Those fun stories, or the “Oh my goodness” moments. Greg told one about meeting a former or current student in Australia. These are the stories that make the experience so rich.
We have a page of those and a YouTube channel for those. So maybe, Hannah, we’ll get you to tell a story or two.
Hannah:
Maybe.
Audrey:
Anybody who is interested, please reach out to us at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com and send us a story. That would be awesome.
JP:
We’ll definitely put all your information, Audrey, in our show notes. Well, I say “we,” but I mean Greg, because Greg is really good at all that.
Speaking of which, Greg is currently without power. He sent me a message, and that’s why he won’t be joining us today. Kent is likely sleeping at this point because it’s a little late for him in Seattle. And Darian is probably busy with his family. So that’s all the other co-hosts.
What I’d like to talk about a little bit is the journey that has taken you to Kathmandu. I know you have a rich history of countries and schools, picking up and moving and transitioning. You have far more experience than both of us. I’d love to hear that.
Audrey:
All right. I originally went to the Queen’s University job fair after I finished teaching for a couple of years in Canada. I wanted to get my feet wet, and the most exciting challenge for me was Ethiopia.
I thought, “Wow, that sounds so exotic and far away.” The head of school portrayed it as such a fun, interesting, cool place, and the school seemed really special. That’s how I ended up there.
I met my husband, Mark, there. Together, we went to Saudi Arabia because we wanted to start a family. I wasn’t quite 100% confident in the medical structure in Ethiopia, so we moved to Saudi, and it was amazing. We had a great time there.
We lived in a little compound with other families, and it felt really safe and comfortable. Our kids grew up with other teacher kids, which I really liked.
From there, we moved to Singapore. That was very cool. It’s such a hub in Southeast Asia. I loved it there.
Then we moved to Chile because our son had graduated and we said to our daughter, “What do you want to do? Do you want to stay here and finish, or try a new adventure?”
She said, “Let’s try a new adventure.” She had met a South American guy she had a crush on, so she said, “I think South America would be great.”
We got lucky and got jobs in Chile.
From there, Mark was frustrated with the cold because the houses are not heated. If you’ve ever lived in a place with concrete houses, they don’t stay that warm inside. You’re constantly wearing your winter jacket. So he said, “I’d like to try something different.”
That’s how we ended up going to Senegal. That was nice because we both speak French, and it was a nice little school in Dakar.
JP:
That’s one of my dream schools.
Audrey:
Very cool.
From there, we went to Italy. At that stage, I had decided I was ready to move on from teaching. I said to Mark, “You recruit, and I’ll follow along. We’ll see what happens.”
We ended up in Italy. I did teach as a sub a fair bit there.
Then from there, we moved to Jamaica, which was good. It was not the beach town we thought it would be. Kingston is actually a big city with not great beaches, but you can drive a couple of hours up to Ocho Rios, which is nice to do on a weekend.
Finally, we ended up here in Kathmandu. We knew the director, and that’s something that often happens. If you know somebody, your resume jumps up the pile a little.
Hannah:
Okay. Audrey, what I really want to know is: how did you become a life coach? Were there courses involved? Do life coaches have to get a certain certification? How does that work?
Audrey:
Great question.
There’s something called the International Coaching Federation that kind of governs this. I took the foundations course, which was a 40-hour course through the International Life Coach Training Center.
After that, you have to take a certain number of courses every year to maintain your certification. Then I did the board-certified coach exam. So I’m certified and everything.
But I’ll say that part of this explosion of coaches is because you can put out a shingle and call yourself a coach. You can call yourself a life coach. You can even have a niche with no training at all.
I think that’s part of what’s going on. Maybe people think, “Okay, I’m good at giving advice. I could be a life coach.” But it’s not easy. It’s not something you just pick up and do. You could do it, but you may not be doing it in the way that the International Coaching Federation expects.
Hannah:
So the certification you got, is that just for the US or Canada, or is that international?
Audrey:
It’s international, and I’ve been doing coaching here and online. I’ve offered workshops here in schools and in the community, and I’ve worked with clients from far away. My furthest client was in Alaska, which is a long way from Kathmandu.
It has been a mishmash of all things, but a great journey for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself as well, so all good.
Hannah:
Did you start out with your own life coach? Is that how you were introduced to the whole life coaching area?
Audrey:
Yes. I worked with a life coach for a couple of months just to get myself figured out. We did some values clarification and career imagining.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of life design, but it’s based on the design cycle. You take a goal, create a prototype, iterate on that prototype, and keep moving forward with it in a non-judgmental way. That non-judgmental piece is always really important.
You try things out and see what happens. That’s when I started doing courses and things like that. And here I am.
Hannah:
Is this something you see yourself doing for the rest of your life? Or just for a few more years? What’s your thought process? Do you want to get back into education, or are you happy with what you’re doing now?
Audrey:
Thank you for that question. I would really love to keep growing the business. I love what I’m doing. I really enjoy collaborating with people. I enjoy hearing about their successes and being the guide on the side.
In teaching, we talk about opening up ideas for people, and I’ve had some great success stories that thrill me.
I had one person who shared with me early on that he was feeling a little depressed. I had asked him if he would volunteer to let me coach him, and when he shared that, I said, “What do you think? Maybe therapy would be the way to go here.”
He ended up having a therapist and continued with life coaching as well. He is an awesome success story because he’s now super happy with his life and is really making time for himself. He is moving forward in a wonderfully satisfying way. He’s really thriving, and that’s the goal.
Hannah:
Wow, that’s awesome.
I think we’re probably going to wrap this episode up fairly shortly. We do have a couple questions. I don’t know if you know what questions we’re talking about, Audrey.
Audrey:
Of course. I’m a listener, and I’ve prepared, so hit me.
Hannah:
In all your travels and all your time abroad, do you have a police story for us or a customs story?
Audrey:
Last time I was on the show, I told two police stories. I was a bit of a microphone hog, I guess. So I don’t have a police story, but is a border crossing story okay?
I was living in the Middle East, and I went off to play softball with my team. We had a great time. When we came back from the weekend, I got to the border guard and handed over my passport, which can be a scary thing because your life is sort of in your hands.
The person asked me, “How are you getting home?”
Without thinking, I said, “I’m just going to hail a cab.”
Well, that was the wrong answer because as a woman coming in on her own, you didn’t do that in this location. In the end, they required me to call my husband and have him come pick me up.
I thought, “That means me waiting another hour and him having to get out of bed and get in the car.” It was frustrating. But at the same time, you have to understand that different cultural norms are in effect, and you have to go with their norms. You’re not in your own country.
Hannah:
Yeah. I get that sometimes too as a wife in the Middle East. A husband has to do a lot more than I want him to do because I want to do it myself. Strong independent woman, right? We’re talking about taking care of ourselves.
Thank you for sharing that story with us.
JP:
The other question we have is: in all your moves, are there three things you need to make your place feel like home?
Audrey:
I’m going to cheat a little bit because one thing I need is my tech. I’m going to include my microphone for recording podcasts, headphones, laptop, and phone. I need all those things or I just don’t feel settled.
Another thing is my pillow. I have a lot of neck and upper back problems, so having my wonderful feather pillow is important. I take it with me anytime we travel.
The third thing is my travel mug. It makes me feel grounded. I always take my own tea with me, and I use stevia, so I bring that too. Anywhere I am, if I’ve got my travel mug, I feel at home.
Those are my three things.
Hannah:
Thank you for sharing today, and thank you for being on the podcast with us.
JP:
For final thoughts, Audrey, if someone was thinking of taking the next step, what would that look like? Going to your website? Do you have discovery calls or something like that?
Audrey:
Yes. Folks can go to my website, forgeyourbestlife.com. There are multiple places where you’ll find a button that says “Book a Call.”
I don’t have an automatic calendaring system because I want to make sure people are aware that the call is just to get to know each other. It’s not necessarily, “We’re going to work together.” It’s to see if we’re a good fit.
I want to have a little conversation before booking so I can test the waters and see what they’re looking for. I have an application for coaching that people can fill out, and it gives me an idea of what’s going on. From there, we would book a call.
I also have a lot of information on my website about the different kinds of coaching I do. I’m working on posting some Instagram help videos, and I have a Facebook business page called Forge Your Best Life. There are a couple of different ways people can reach out to me or get to know me better.
JP:
Final thoughts, Hannah?
Hannah:
It sounds amazing, what you do. I think having a life coach, having someone to be accountable to, would be a phenomenal opportunity. I hope maybe one day I can have my own life coach.
Maybe more international schools having life coaches on staff for leaders, and not just leaders but teachers, would be a phenomenal thing too.
JP:
Part of the PD stipend could be used for that. Absolutely.
Well, folks, I would like to thank Audrey Forgeron for coming on to our show today to talk about her website, Forge Your Best Life. We’ll put these in the show notes so you can click away and discover all the different services she has and the different options.
I want to thank my co-host, Hannah, for coming on and being the glue for some of our technical difficulties today.
Thank you, everyone. I’m Jaclyn from JP Mint Consulting, and you can find me at jpmintconsulting.com. You can find our other guys out there with their families and friends and hopefully with some Wi-Fi for next time.
Thanks, everybody. Signing out.
Audrey:
Thank you so much.
Hannah:
Thank you.
Audrey:
Take care.