Overcoming Overwhelm and Building Self-Advocacy

Introduction. This case study follows the journey of a mid-career professional in the banking and financial sector who faced challenges with prioritization, workload management, and self-advocacy. Through transpersonal coaching, storytelling, role-playing, and somatic awareness, she developed a clear vision of her career and personal goals, learned to prioritize effectively, and gained the confidence to advocate for herself.

Client Profile. The client, a woman in her mid-40s, worked in the banking and financial industry, developing applications and media to support client financial programs. She was also a co-parent of two children, balancing shared parenting responsibilities alongside a demanding career. Despite her drive to advance and perform well, she struggled with feeling overwhelmed, having difficulty completing tasks, and having hesitation in advocating for her advancement.

Initial Situation. At the start of coaching, the client described feeling constantly stretched thin and unable to “do one more thing.” She felt overwhelmed by the demands of her role and worried about her upcoming performance review, feeling that she wasn’t meeting expectations. She was also unsure how to advocate for herself in a way that would support her career advancement, leaving her concerned about potential promotion opportunities.

Coaching Objectives. The main objectives of the coaching engagement were to:

- Help the client prioritize her work effectively, allowing her to focus on high-impact tasks and manage her workload.

- Develop confidence in her ability to advocate for herself in performance reviews and promotion discussions.

- Tap into her creativity to envision and plan projects aligned with her career aspirations.

- Foster self-awareness and emotional resilience to manage stress and maintain balance.

Coaching Methodology and Tools. To address these goals, I employed a combination of transpersonal coaching techniques and tools:

- Transpersonal Coaching and Deep Listening: Creating a safe, open space where the client could explore her goals and challenges, allowing her to gain insight into her values and aspirations.

- Storytelling and Life Movie Visualization: We created a “life movie” where she envisioned her ideal career and personal life. By imagining a future self who had achieved her goals, she clarified the steps required to reach her desired outcome.

- Role-Playing for Self-Advocacy: Role-playing exercises provided a safe environment to practice advocating for herself, preparing her for promotion discussions and performance reviews.

- Somatic Awareness: She learned to tune into her physical responses to stress and overwhelm through somatic techniques, helping her recognize and manage these feelings proactively.

Processes and Interventions. The following processes and interventions were instrumental in helping the client achieve her goals:

- Life Movie Visualization for Goal Clarity: We created a “life movie” where the client imagined herself successfully managing her workload, confidently advocating for herself, and advancing in her career. This visualization exercise helped her define a clear, inspiring goal and envision the steps she would take to achieve it.

- Role-Playing for Self-Advocacy: Through role-playing, we practiced scenarios where she had to assert her achievements and request advancement. This helped her build confidence, making her feel more prepared for her performance review and future promotion discussions.

- Prioritization and Saying No: The client learned to prioritize tasks based on impact and alignment with her goals by reflecting on her workload. She practiced saying “no” to lower-priority requests, giving her more space to focus on meaningful projects.

- Unlocking Creative Potential: Through storytelling and transpersonal coaching, we unlocked her creativity, helping her reimagine her role and discover new ways to approach projects. This creative thinking enabled her to plan and execute initiatives more effectively, aligning her work with her vision.

Outcomes and Achievements. Through the coaching engagement, the client achieved notable progress in both her work and personal life:

- Improved Prioritization Skills: She learned to distinguish between high-priority and lower-priority tasks, allowing her to focus on impactful work without feeling overwhelmed. This helped her feel more in control of her workload and reduced stress.

- Increased Confidence in Self-Advocacy: Role-playing exercises built her confidence in articulating her achievements and advocating for her goals. She approached her performance review with newfound self-assurance and clarity about her contributions and career aspirations.

- Enhanced Creativity and Project Management: By unlocking her creative potential, she could conceive and execute projects more effectively, bringing fresh ideas to her role and adding value to her team and clients.

- Better Work-Life Balance: With improved prioritization and boundary-setting, she found it easier to balance her responsibilities at work and home, feeling less overwhelmed and more fulfilled.

Client Feedback.  “This coaching process was transformative. For the first time, I felt like I could step back and look at the bigger picture, seeing my career as part of a larger vision instead of just a series of tasks to get through. The ‘life movie’ exercise was incredibly eye-opening; it allowed me to envision a future I hadn’t even dared to imagine. Practicing self-advocacy through role-playing was a game-changer—I went into my performance review with so much more confidence and a clear idea of what I wanted to communicate.”

Conclusion and Lessons Learned. This case study highlights the power of transpersonal coaching techniques, storytelling, and role-playing in helping clients overcome overwhelm, develop prioritization skills, and build confidence in self-advocacy. By visualizing her “life movie,” the client could create a clear, purpose-driven plan for her career, empowering her to take intentional steps toward her goals. She learned to manage stress, balance her responsibilities, and unlock her creative potential through somatic awareness and prioritization.