Tania Willis hit a wall in 2019. Her son had left home and she was experiencing the classic empty nest syndrome. Her career of 30 years, which had previously been fulfilling and enjoyable, just didn’t light her up anymore. She was uncomfortable in her body and just feeling dissatisfied and disconnected. And she also felt guilty for feeling this way. After all, her life really was good. But then she realised it was time to prioritise herself, to ask herself some serious questions and to let go of the old stories that were telling her what she could or couldn’t do. Today, she is firmly in the midst of creating her next chapter, moving through life and a newly healthy body and mindset, and unfolding a business that she loves, helping others uncover their own purpose, strength, values, and goals. Tania’s story shows us just how possible it is to change your own.
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Show Notes
- When our son left home I became an empty nester and wondered, who am I now? I was feeling disconnected from my life and told myself I had no right to feel that way – after all, I had a great home, son, husband and career
- I began to ask myself the hard questions, starting with “why am I feeling this way?”
- I knew I needed a significant lifestyle change– my background of all or nothing thinking was simply not sustainable
- I replaced mindless social media scrolling with a mindset upgrade and decided to prioritise me
- I needed replace the automatic stories in my head that “I couldn’t change”, and that focusing on my own fitness and health “was self-absorbed”. I also needed to change my relationship with food which was very black and white – there is good food and bad food and very little in between
- I bought an apple watch, a bike, joined a gym, enrolled in a program that focused on mindset and gradually things began to change
- As my positivity and confidence reappeared, I began to question my career too – my identity was so tied to my 30-year employment, but perhaps there was something different for me now
- I sat and reflected on who I was, my skills, my strengths, what engaged me and I realised I wanted to be more purposeful, I wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives. That’s where my new business came from, this desire.
- I’ve always had self-doubt, but I don’t fight it, I go with it, one step at a time
About the speaker
In 2020, Tania worked on changing her life through getting her health and fitness on track. Through this process, she was able to rebuild her confidence, motivation and ask herself THE important questions about who she really wanted to be during the next chapter of her life.
After a 30-year career in higher education, Tania left the sector and has spent 2021 reinventing her professional life by adding coaching certifications to her leadership qualifications and 10+ years as a senior leader.
Tania has real passion for people and her greatest satisfaction comes from helping others clarify their purpose, values and goals so they can unlock their full potential.
Through her business, Advantage Coaching and Consulting, she works with leaders to help them discover their strengths and provide the tools, skills and strategies to embed sustained change so they can confidently manage challenges and lead themselves and their team their way. The result is a more confident, approachable and influential leader who creates real change.
For more information about her work and to schedule a discovery call, head on over to
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