I believe I began my coaching journey way back in my early 20’s when I picked up my first ‘self-help’ book looking for answers to life’s questions of ‘how do I succeed’ and ‘why does it hurt so much’, or simply  ‘why is life so hard?’

Despite many years of searching I never found answers that satisfied me – meaning, I never found anything that worked. I was low on self-esteem and as a consequence I spent many years working in a factory doing menial tasks because it felt ‘safe’. This period was interspersed with a number of well-intended attempts at businesses that I always managed to sabotage – and I didn’t know why.

I continued to search for answers, sought the help of professional therapists during the worst times (which was expensive but didn’t really help me) and continued to live a life of frustration and sadness.

One day events conspired and my life fell apart. I truly hit rock bottom. I struggled to get up in the morning, My head felt like it was in a pressure cooker. I couldn’t sleep at night. But somehow, in this anguished state, I remember saying ‘I’m going to figure this out and then help other people who are experiencing the same pain.’ (I didn’t actually believe it would happen, and I didn’t know how that could even be possible, but it was heartfelt nonetheless.)

When I first heard about life coaching I must admit I thought it sounded pretty lame – like, how can one person even pretend to know enough about ‘life’ to show someone else. When I dug deeper however and discovered the concepts it’s based on and the results being achieved, I quickly signed up.

Fast-forward to the present day and my story is quite a bit different. Now I spend my days helping people with their struggles and challenges, which feels hugely rewarding and satisfying. My benchmark for growth and success is when people do things they have never done before, without trying – and not because they’ve been pushed to doing it (that’s not how I work), but because they have dealt with their resistance to it and just don’t feel it anymore. We are all capable of achieving amazing things if we can only learn how to get out of the way of ourselves. That’s my philosophy of coaching.

I particularly enjoy when I see eyes light up at yet another unlocking-of-a-door, or the ‘aha’ moment of a personal discovery leading to even more freedom. My clients find choice and with it the realisation that they actually can control their lives, simply by deciding to get behind the wheel.

The fact is that for most of us, we unconsciously learnt beliefs and behaviours at a young age that are stopping us now. Our younger selves learnt how to be ‘safe’, which was completely true and valid in that child’s world but has been carried with us, tripping us up as adults, even with our far greater resources.

My coaching addresses this unconscious but powerful control over our mind and actions, and my clients learn to unlearn. Nothing is more powerful than discovering and releasing the power that lies within us already.

Coaching, as opposed to working with a therapist, is about acknowledging what happened in the past but not dwelling on it. It’s about unburdening ourselves from the lessons of the past so that we may move forward into a fulfilled and happy life.

Martin Lang

Personal Coaching

Based in Melbourne, Australia, I do one-to-one and group coaching specialising in self-esteem and confidence issues.

Self Defence and Empowerment.

I have 30 years experience in martial arts and I hold black belts in Taekwondo (4th Dan) and Hapkido (2nd Dan). With this expertise and along with my coaching skills I present workshops in Self Defence and Empowerment for women.