TESTIMONIALS
Damini
“The stress and anxiety of postgraduate studying was not only an intense, but close to debilitating, experience for me. Prior to seeking help, my box of coping strategies consisted only of anti-anxiety medication and a stream of tears bordering emotional breakdown.
With Way Forward Coaching, and qualified life coach, Michele Frew, I was able to add to my box of coping strategies, more positive techniques to manage the pressure and stress of postgraduate studying. Learning skills such as Heart-Focused Breathing™ (through use of HeartMath®) and Quick Coherence® Techniques, enabled me to achieve a sense of calmness and tranquility when feelings of dread arose. HeartMath® has allowed me to tap into an inner strength and pool of positive energy I never knew existed.
Suddenly, achieving my academic goals seemed doable and I welcomed anxiety knowing I possessed the tools to conquer it.
I am proud to say that I was able to, not only complete my honours degree, but have done so with distinction. It is hard to deny the benefits of life coaching, it is definitely the Way Forward.”
Kerry-Lee Mays
“I approached Michele Frew as I found, as a teacher of fourth graders, that there was a lack of study skills and good learning practice incorporated into the curriculum. Whilst some teachers would incorporate these skills as “par for the course” many had not had further training in the specifics of the process.
I chose her because of her excellent track record and her dedication to making a difference in children’s learning.
Her work ethic, manner and thirst for new ideas, while not throwing away winning practices is a recipe for success!
She solved the problem by offering a unique approach going the extra mile, knowing what the expectations were for the grade and incorporating varied tools such as emotional awareness, thinking styles, thinking strategies and study strategies; using content appropriate to the subject and age group.
I love her approach, especially as she always has the children’s best interest at heart thus using all the tools at her disposal to achieve successful results –which she does. The result is – enthusiastic, excited children who are excited about learning. They feel success on numerous levels. Her mild firm manner and a sense of competence adds to the positive mix.
The experience was so successful that some children went on to request private tuition and more importantly children went away with life skills and a sense of confidence in their own well-being and competence. Teachers went away with the skills to impart in their own classes for the future.
I would highly recommend Michele Frew to parents and teachers who would want children to have an advantage to learning that is not available in the curriculum, but that has a huge impact on the learning for school purposes further study and life!
Caitlin
“I approached Michele because I was getting very bad anxiety due to exam stress and being a victim of crime.
Michele helped me by teaching me how to control the stress and anxiety I felt in any state. I no longer get panic attacks, and when I feel one coming on, I remember what Michele has taught me. She made HeartMath® easy to learn and maintain in day to day life.
I feel happier and healthier being in control of how I react to situations.One thing I like about what Michele does is that she teaches you to adapt to any environment. You feel in control of your own body and Michele gives you the confidence to do anything you set your mind to.
I would recommend Michele to anyone who wants to be more in control of their reactions and need help dealing with stress.”
Bronwyn
“Even though my daughter was preparing for her exams, she was performing poorly at school. After explaining my child’s situation to the Head of Department at her school he referred me to Michele Frew- Life Coach. Michele quickly ascertained that my daughter was experiencing a “fight or flight” physiological response during an exam.
In a calm and unobtrusive manner Michele taught her Heart Focused Breathing™ tools and also worked on study skills with her.
My daughter’s marks dramatically improved and more importantly she regained her confidence.
I have since had no hesitation in recommending Michele to friends who are experiencing problems.”
Tahlita
“Today I am a qualified Occupational Therapist. A few years ago I was a final year Occupational Therapy student who was barely keeping my head above water. As a part of my degree I had to present on patients I had seen, and after this answer questions on the work I had done with them. For me, this was a gruelling 30 minutes that more and more frequently left me in tears and unable to answer to the best of my ability. During these presentations, my body would show the anxiety that I was feeling inside; I would shiver as if it was freezing cold, I would start to sweat almost as soon as I began presenting, my heart would beat very fast, my shoulders would droop into a slouch, and I would avoid eye contact with my supervisors, and often I would start to cry.
At this point, my sister was already seeing Michele for other reasons, and my parents suggested I should go see her to see how she could help me.
During my first one or two sessions, Michele and I spoke a lot about things that were making me feel anxious over my whole life area, and she sent me home with some coping mechanisms for these, one of which I recall to be “tapping”.
Soon afterwards we got to “Heart Math”. This used breathing to bring my body away from my stress reactions and back to a place where I could cope with stressors around me. I enjoyed this as, naturally, it calmed me down, but also, Michele used methods that I could see when I was achieving good heart breathing so that I could be more aware of it. She even gave me a programme that I could take home and practice heart breathing with, as we had in our sessions.
Michele also looked at body posture when people are stressed, and we looked at how when you open your shoulders up and look up and outwards, instead of the slouched head down position I liked to assume when I began to stress, I naturally bettered my breathing and allowed myself to calm down a little.
What I liked about working with Michele was that she gave me many methods to cope with my anxiety, and this allowed me many resources to use when I was in a stress situation. She also seemed to really understand that some things will always be stress situations, and what we were working towards was ways of coping with this, rather than eliminating the stress completely.
Many students seem to think stress is a normal part of studying, both at school and university, and yes, to a degree it is, but it shouldn’t be ruining your life or making you feel like a failure before you have even tried to achieve. Anyone who is feeling somewhere along these lines should probably look at seeking guidance from Michele.
These days I don’t practice HeartMath® breathing everyday like I used to when I was at university, however, I am much more aware of the way in which my body is reacting to situations, and can easily implement HeartMath® breathing when I begin to notice that I am not coping with something happening around me.
Today I am a qualified Occupational Therapist. I managed to finish the last few presentations of my degree calmly and with a feeling of pride in the hard work I had done instead of dread for the results. I have been to interviews (some of which did not go well), and managed to keep my calm throughout. A few weeks ago, at a job where I had only been working for 2 months, I got asked to step in and do an hour presentation for a colleague who was sick…
I didn’t receive the information till an hour before I was due to present… Aced it!”