Jemma Blythe is a qualified Life Coach. After grief and trauma through her childhood had left her with Mental Health Illnesses, Jemma created strategies to overcome the Mental Health challenges she was left with. She has since worked hard to empower women to reconnect with themselves after experiencing trauma so that they can uncover their true, authentic, independent selves. She is the CEO of Living Imperfectly Perfect Coaching.
Jemma Blythe, Life Coach
Introduce yourself, can you tell us about your journey into the world of coaching and consulting?
Yes, absolutely!
So, I am from the United Kingdom, not too far from Peterborough. In my downtime, I love to curl up with a good cup of coffee and a good book, although I have also been known to head to the theatre to catch a stage show too. I learned from a young age that I love to act, as I find it easy to step into other people’s shoes and have occasionally been called highly empathetic.
I grew up in a loving traditional household which I feel encouraged me to love hard and always put my family first. Right from an early age, I loved learning about new things, which led my Dad to decide to go to night school to learn about computers, as he insisted they were going to be the next big thing so that he could teach me how to get ahead with them.
However, where education was concerned, I put myself under my high standards and beat myself up when I didn’t get the grades my peers were getting; I was independent, never taking help from others if I could help it. There was one thing I loved, though, and that was revising for the exams in Year 9. However, I learned very quickly to limit the revision, as the more revisions I did, the worse I seemed to do during the exams. Nevertheless, I left with seven GCSEs and ended up leaving college with a HND in computer science.
It was during my later years at college, around seven years after my father passed away of a terminal brain tumour and I had been sexually abused by a close family friend, that I decided to qualify in Life Coaching, to enable me to help others gain strength in their lives again.
What inspired you to start your own coaching business?
I became inspired to start my own Life Coaching Business late in 2023, as I had just left a job and had had a chance to reflect on my healing journey after the Sexual Abuse Trauma that I had been through when I was just 13.
I looked back at the ups and downs, from not being allowed counselling during the court case, to having flashbacks and then reliving the trauma through therapy sessions which changed my life. However, after the therapy I had received the treatment for my CPTSD and Generalised Anxiety Disorder stopped and I felt like I was completely alone.
This led me to believe that if I had gone through this and felt like I had been left at a crossroads, then it would have happened to other people, too.
It was the reflection I had done that led me to believe that my healing journey was anything but perfect, but I was comparing my healing journey to everyone else’s, which seemed to go so much smoother than my own. This led me to the conclusion that no matter how imperfect my healing journey might seem, it’s my version of perfect because it’s my journey.
In a flash, ‘Living Imperfectly Perfect Coaching’ was born, and I started creating content and writing a newsletter to help inspire others to take on their own healing journey.
How do you define success for your clients?
So, when I first talk to a trauma survivor, and they describe what they want out of the sessions I provide and I see how they carry themselves, I see the struggles they’ve had and the trust they have in me to be able to guide and motivate them to change the way they talk to themselves to help erase the shame that can follow a lot of trauma survivors.
All of the above forms a starting point for a really powerful journey to take place. The success a client has is defined by the attitude they have towards their self-changing, as well as their behavioural patterns and how much stronger their relationships are with the people around them.
Recovery from trauma is a really beautiful journey. It’s the process of people allowing themselves to blossom.
How do you approach creating personalized coaching plans for individuals?
First of all, everything is personalised right from the start at the discovery call, as we work together to grasp what the client wants from the sessions, and most importantly why they want these things and what has been getting in the way of them achieving those things. After the first consultation, they leave the call with a rough plan emailed to them about what to expect in the coming sessions. I say a rough plan because we all know that life happens and things happen which may change the course of the sessions.
How do you balance the need for professional growth with maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
Good question!
I set realistic working times for myself, as otherwise, I would be working all the time on something for my business. Doing this makes sure that I allow myself plenty of time to spend with friends and family as well. In addition to this, I make sure that I stick to a regimented morning routine, full of habits like journaling, meditation, breathwork and cold therapy to make sure that my mind and body stay healthy.
Doing all these things helps me to maintain healthy relationships with the people surrounding me and the wonderful clients I work with.
What are some key qualities you believe every successful coach should have?
Ok, so here are some of the key qualities I would look for and encourage others to look for in a life coach.
Patience
The ability to hold a conversation without judgement
Warm and Trustworthy
It’s also crucial that you’re able to get on with your life coach, which is why discovery calls are so important as you both need to feel as though you’re on the same page throughout your course together.
Can you share any upcoming projects or initiatives you're excited about?
Yes, I can!
I am currently working on my book ‘Perfectionist Rebel: From Grief & Trauma to Surviving Imperfectly’ which contains both funny stories from my childhood and also has a deep dive into my life and the different emotions and coping mechanisms I used throughout the trauma and grief I experienced which got me to where I am today.
You can join the waitlist today for updates and to be among the first to find out when the book is going to be published.
“Embrace imperfections. Become empowered to be unique” - Jemma Blythe
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