Moving from business school COO to business coach, and from Oxford to Bangkok.

What do people do post-Mastered? In our Tales from Beyond series, graduates of our business coaching programme share their many (and varied) stories, from career changes and professional transformations to breakthroughs in their coaching practice. These stories offer a glimpse into what’s possible when leaders invest in themselves.

Sara Beck, who is approaching the final ‘Mastered’ tutorial, tells us how she has made the move from business school COO to business coach, and from Oxford to Bangkok.

12 months ago, I was handing over the reins of my COO role at Saïd Business School and adjusting my LinkedIn profile to ‘based in Bangkok’. My partner was settling into the job he couldn’t refuse, and our two daughters were switching to an international school, complete with Thai language lessons and kick-boxing club.

A year later, I’m approaching the final tutorial of ‘Mastered’ and realising how quickly new routines emerge. My days start early with the sunrise school run and finish late, as the rest of the apartment sleeps. I’ve become a nocturnal creature, fitting coaching sessions around European working hours and carving out the middle of the day as my time for reflection and battery recharge.

The energy and drive of South-East Asia is infectious. I walk the streets of this sprawling city to soak up as much as I can (coaching podcasts in one ear and tuk-tuk beeps in the other). I’ve started to rebuild my Asia network and made a new friend who is, conveniently, both a coach and my neighbour. We talk about systems inspired leadership in our local coffeeshop.

At times, I miss working in a team and water-cooler chatter, but I haven’t felt the distance as an obstacle. This is thanks to the superb supervision of Kirstan Marnane, the support of syndicate members, Amanda and Arndt, and Meyler Campbell alumni in Singapore. It’s also down to the international mix of my coachees – leaders from media, creative arts and NGOs – who are endlessly absorbing and energising. In the coming months, I hope to create a local client base and begin in-person coaching here. If there are other Meyler Campbell connections in the city, I’d love to hear from you.

Sara Beck, Business Coach and Mastered Alumnus