Susan McGarry
Coach
In 2019, I started to cut down from being a daily wine drinker, I white knuckled Sober October and managed to 'moderate' drinking by saving it all up for the weekends with very flexible rules on mid week drinking. When the menopause and lockdown hit, my anxiety rocketed and sleep plummeted and, having given up everything else to try to alleviate the menopause symptoms, I knew I couldn't carry on as I was.
Having bought my first quit lit book in 2005, I finally read it and had a few stalled attempts at stopping in 2020 but finally stopped drinking in January 2021 aged 54 (and a half!) Having initially declared a month off alcohol for Dry January, I extended my stint after a blip and then just carried on extending until I felt brave and confident enough to declare myself done with the booze some months later.
Since then, I have put in place other significant life changes and, after a career in management in the corporate world, I decided to retrain as a coach and have now set up my own coaching and training business using my experience and skills to help others. You can also learn more about me and my alcohol free journey on the OTI podcasts No. 46 and 101.
Specialisms : In addition to alcohol free coaching, I also do coaching around values and beliefs and I enjoy using my previous experience to help people who feel their career is stagnating, need a push to get out of a rut or are negotiating difficult issues in the workplace.
Background and qualifications: Diploma in Coaching & Positive Psychology (from the Arete Coach Course with Andy Ramage, accredited by the International Coaching Federation & The Association for Coaching), Post Graduate level Certificate in Management. 35 year career starting in banking and IT and then subsequently the last 20+ of it in traffic management managing a large, diverse team.
Angela, Newcastle Upon Tyne
I couldn't be happier with my experience of working with Susan. From our first session, she created a safe and supportive space for me to explore my thoughts and feelings. She listened attentively, asked insightful questions and helped me to develop a clear understanding of my goals and aspirations. Susan was incredibly skilled at helping me to identify and overcome the obstacles that were holding me back. She provided me with valuable tools and strategies that I could apply to my everyday life, and I have seen huge progress in my personal development, and in particular, in my confidence. What I appreciated most about Susan was her genuine care and compassion. She genuinely wanted to see me succeed and went above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. I would highly recommend Susan to anyone looking to improve their life. I am so grateful for the positive impact she has had on mine.