Dr Mercia Spare - From 40 yrs in the NHS to Coach With a Mission - Accelerator Member Stories

Hello and welcome to the Business of Executive Coaching Podcast. I'm Ellie Scarf and I'm so fortunate to be here with Dr. Mercia Spare. Welcome, Mercia.

Hey, Helly, how are you?

I am so well and I'm so delighted to have you here because I think that your story is going to resonate with people and I think it is going to be very inspiring for a lot of coaches out there who are thinking about how do they translate this passion that they have into a business? So I'm looking forward to diving into it. But before I introduce you as anything more than a brilliant coach and wonderful human being, I'm wondering if you would be happy to share a little bit about your story, particularly your professional background prior to coaching.

Sure. So I have worked in the NNHS for over 40 years, so I started later in life and then got the bug. Because back in my day, you had to wait. There was a waiting list to get into nursing. Yeah, two years.

Not like today.

Not like today at all. So I started my nurse training, Loved it. Found my niche in life, I thought, and then did several things in nursing. It's opened so many doors for me. So did my basic training, then I specialized in cardiothoracics and I worked at the very famous Harefield Hospital in London doing transplantation. Not me personally out of the team, though, but assisting. Yeah, working as a nurse in a transplant unit and then I did my specialist course and then, boom, I was mashed up, shall we say, on a motorcycle going to work. So that was back in the very early 90s, 1991, and it completely changed my career path because I was off work for about a year or so, recovering from my accident. However, while that was the worst thing that could have happened in my professional career at that time, it's turned out to be an absolute gift because what it enabled me to do, Ellie, was to change my direction. I was able to go to night school and get my GCSES and A levels. So I left school with one CSE in the UK, which is very good, and then ended up with six GCSes and stroke O levels, four A levels. My undergraduate degree, so did those, Went to university, did a degree in Applied and Human Biology and then I did my PhD, hence the Dr. Mercy Aspire, and worked in infection prevention control. That's where my professional door really opened. So I've worked in NHS regulation, I've worked at System national local levels, I've done NHS improvement. So I've been very fortunate in my.

Career and has most of it. I was going to say, has most of it focused on that infection control piece, or have you become more of a generalist?

No, I've done all sorts of hearts and lungs, kidneys, infection prevention and clinical microbiology. That was my basis of my thesis. And then generally governance.

Yes.

And quality practice. Improvement. Quality improvement, yeah. And latterly, my last big job was Executive Chief Nursing officer.

Wow. And so. So, Mercia, one of the things that I observe about you is how universally loved you are by people that cross your path. And I say this based on my little insight into your LinkedIn posts, which is that anytime Mercia posts on LinkedIn, everyone comes out of the woodwork to tell her how fabulous they think she is and what she's doing and how interested they are in what she does. And I think that that is not just the sign of a wonderful person, but I. I get a sense, Mercia, that. That you have probably always been a people person and that the transition into coaching was probably something that was quite natural to you. Is that how it feels?

Yes. I've always been interested in people. Always. I've always called it my. My sort of superpower.

Yeah.

In terms of. I'm actually genuinely interested in people. And I think. I've always been told. I think slightly differently, and I chose to take it as a compliment. And I think it's. I think that's what's. That's what's helped with people, because I have. I have been helped by so many people in my career. You know, there's a phrase that says, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Well, it's true, because some of those giants have helped me along the way. Yeah.

Amazing. Amazing. And so where I interrupted you, I think, was. Was that there's been a recent career. Career switch and that, you know, quite. Quite a big one. So tell us about the, you know, how did you first find out about coaching?

So I'm going to post this on LinkedIn, actually, later today, but please, I think I would have said. If you'd have asked me three years ago, I would have said I've always been a coach. I've always had a coaching attitude until I started my formal training. And then I realized it was just kindness and problem solving.

Yeah.

That I had. They're the skills I had that make me good with people. But once I started my formal training, I was hooked. Absolutely hooked. Learning tools and techniques and thinking more broadly on the neuroscience. You know, I. I loved it. It was like, aha. So I recently retired. Well, a year ago now, I partially retired. And then I fully retired at the end of March this year. I was a bit lost, I was a bit rudderless and I was thinking, well, what do I do now? And I always thought I'd like to coach. I'd done some of my formal training and I did a lot of coaching and thought, well, actually the next thing to being a nurse, which I absolutely love, anyone who's ever met me will tell you I love being a nurse is being a coach.

Yeah.

Because you get to care for people just in a different way. And that, that's my kind of professional, you know, pick me up.

Yeah. And so I feel like there's a little, a little context here. So you retired, but you don't seem like a person who might really retire in honesty. So tell us about the transition to, you know, from this sort of full time, probably very intense workload to this model that you are creating for yourself, which is running a business while being retired. How does that work?

This. They say there's a, there's an old saying that says there's life in the old dog yet. And I knew even though on one plane it was the time to fully retire, you know, you, I think, you know, deep inside when it's time for a change, we don't always listen to that, that sense or that, that gut feeling, but, you know, you're not done.

Yes.

So I still have an awful lot to give and you know, I've got 40 years experience at all different sectors in health and social care in all different sort of ways of doing that. Either be direct care, be it leadership, be it regulation. So it would be a travesty if I didn't try and give some of that back.

Yes, I agree. And knowing you, I'm like, oh my God, if we didn't have your skill set as a coach in the world, I think the world would be a worse place for it. Tell us about, you know, what do you, what does your business look like? So who do you work with? Who do you, you know, what is the actual hands on work that you do?

So I will do, do one to one coaching. So I do some of that, some mentoring. I offer facilitation as well, team coaching. But at the moment I've probably been on the kind of business wagon for a good six months. Seriously, with the help of your wonderful program, the accelerator.

Thank you.

But, but generally I work with leaders in health and social care and sort of aligned professions, so education, so that the people that are training new cohort of NHS professionals coming through, not just Nursing, but any NHS professional with social care. So local authority, the people who are trying to do all of the prevention and deliver some of the really hard jobs outside of the nhs, as in, we think of it as a physical hospital, a physical building. Research.

Yes.

I, I led the research program in my old job for several years, and it's very close to my heart. So people who are working in research, that first year of a PhD is a nightmare.

Yes.

So I think, you know, there's something there I can do. And generally anyone working in NHS regulation, because you have to have a people superpower to do that job well. And I think I've learned a lot over the years of how you can, how you can work with someone in their worst time, they've made an error or there, there are errors within their organization. And how do you walk alongside them and make them still feel good about themselves? Because at the end of the day, they did the best that they could do.

Yeah, yeah.

So those are my people. They're the types of people that I work with.

I love that. And really overlaying that with the fact that I feel like in the areas that you work, it's even more critical that we have that approach. Right. Because we can't afford to lose people. We, you know, these are the people who are looking after our most vulnerable, you know, in our communities. It's so important to have that real human, human touch. And I think people like you are going to, you know, make it a better, a better institution as a whole. Oh, go ahead.

I was just going to say there's, there's loads of evidence in the literature that suggests if what you, your approach is relational and you try and work with people as opposed to teams, you know, the kind of them.

Yeah.

Then actually the results that you get is a lot better because people are invested if they feel valued.

Yes.

Which is hugely important to me professionally.

Absolutely, absolutely. And so as you, as you make this move from a very successful professional career into, into growing a business on your own, what, what have you learned about yourself?

I think ultimately that we can choose how we respond, how we behave in, in all situations, no matter how bad they are. So I, I didn't take very well to semi retirement or retirement because I basically institutionalized, but I could choose how I responded to that. And I responded to that by starting my own business. Didn't have a clue what I was doing, Ellie, as you well know, but collecting the right people around you, you know, trusting people who have walked your path before to help you, then you Know it's the right decision. And I'm beginning to feel like a businesswoman.

Yes, and you are. And I have to say, I think, Mercy, the reason why I have no doubt that your business, you know, is going to be sustainable and thrive in the long term is your capacity to. To do the work right. To really, you know, even when it feels uncomfortable, to just do it. What was your advice to people who, you know, find that very difficult? Because I know that the visibility piece, it's hard for all of us and, you know, taking the action, doing the outreach, like, what has helped you to do it rather than put it off or overthink it.

I think it's remembering how, you know people, on why you worked well together, or whatever it is. It's. It's kind of about not just saying, oh, I'm retired now. Gosh, I have to get money, I have to, you know, get people to buy my services, is much, much deeper than that. It's remembering, for me, anyway. It's remembering connections. And, you know, when you look back over your career, I, I said, you know, I've been helped by many of those giants, but when you look back and think about who they. Those giants are, they're not always the movers and the shakers, they're the quiet heroes that sit there that you connected with, that actually make it all work. So thinking about it in those terms have helped me.

I love that. So. So people, if they're thinking about outreach purely as a. As a transactional thing, like, I'm going to connect with this person, hopefully they give me some work, they're sort of missing a really important piece of the puzzle, which is the reason we do warm outreach is because we have a connection. And that, that needs to come first.

Yeah. And to be fair, you know, I do. There are very few people in my life that if I bumped into them, you know, I wouldn't be pleased to see.

Yes.

And so sometimes it's important to reach out to people just to say, hi, you know, I've started this business and, you know, don't really know what I'm doing, but these are the things I've thought of. Would this work in your sector? Or what, what would you do? What would you look for? If this was on the table, which bits would you pick? You know, that, that, that's a conversation. That's a cup of tea.

Yes.

As we would say.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or. Or a beer, as we Aussies might say.

I like yours better.

Yeah, I don't drink beer, so I'M really faking it here, but you get the truth.

Not even vb.

Especially not baby. Maybe. Maybe, you know, a craft beer, a bit of an ipa, something like that, if it was very hot. Yeah. Not really. I just really drink champagne. That's really my. My poison of choice. So what have the challenges been for you? Like, what have the hard bits been? As you've. As you've made this step?

It's all hard. The hardest bit is making the decision to go for it.

Yes.

Because you have to be all in.

Yeah.

You can't be half in and half. I will, for me, that's my experience. But that I am a bit all in as a person. So, you know, the biggest learning thing is get the right people around you especially. I was never going to be a businesswoman. That's never been on my agenda in any of my future plans. None of it. So everything was new. I knew bits about everything, but I was not a master of anything. Yeah. But, you know, talk to people who you admire. So Jim Balfour was fantastic in terms of, you know, putting me in. Well, she put me in contact with you. Yes. But generally, you know, who can help you, basically. Who do you look at? Think they've got it together. Yeah. I wonder how they did it. Be curious, I suppose.

Yeah.

So get the right people around you.

Yeah. Yeah. And. And I like that, you know, you said everything's hard.

Right.

So every. Everything's hard. And there's a lot of things. I think that's. That's also what I'm hearing, is that there are so many pieces of the puzzle. It's all hard in some ways, but it's eased by getting the right people to help in the right systems. Do you still feel like everything's hard, or does it feel. No, no.

But if I were to look down, I would see a very steep wall that I've climbed.

Yes.

To stand in this position and say no, because the basics, you know, you've got to get the basic things in place. And what I've learned is you've got to do it all up front. So there is. There is a stepwise guide to this, but one bit doesn't necessarily work without the other. And I know I've made that sound enormous, but it isn't. Just be prepared that there is a lot of things to be thinking about all at the same time.

That is exactly true. And I think of it as the foundation. So we need a bunch of foundations in place that will allow us to really lean into the business development part. Parts and to some degree we can do them in parallel. But in to some degree, there are actually some foundations we need in place. Like we actually need to know who do we want to work with and what do we want to do. And, you know, I don't think we need to have a website fully up and running in order to be able to start that conversation, but it needs to be on the way and we need a coaching bio and we need a LinkedIn profile and we need to know who our network is. So, yeah, there is, there is a lot going on all at once.

Yeah. And it doesn't all have to launch at once.

No.

But what you do have to do is spin a lot of plates at once and not necessarily fast. It depends on your own timelines, you know, your own needs. But they do have to spin.

Yeah.

And that's been, that's been it. It's been quite interesting for me. But with, you know, with that, my website is nearly complete.

Yeah.

I should get a look at that in the next few weeks. You know, my finances is now sorted out. Indemnity insurance, that's a really big one. That's all sorted now. That was a bit of a journey.

But what are the. What are the biggest successes you've had or what are you most proud of since you started?

What am I most proud of? This is going to sound a bit odd, but I'm most proud of actually just doing it.

Just taking the leap.

Yeah. Sitting. Sitting at my desk and working things out.

Yeah.

Because it, you know, it's a bit like being in a. Being in a box that's dark. I'm fumbling my way around, but, you know, I've just found a pencil and I've pushed it through the side of the box and now there's light.

Yes. But it's moving and quite a bit. And, you know, without, without, you know, being too. Without annoying you. You know, you've had some big wins as well in terms of client acquisition and, you know, runs on the board and, you know, work that. That is coming through. So the, the light that's coming through the pencil holes is, Is starting to be pretty, pretty consistent.

It is. And you know, we all know in business that's going to peak and it's gonna. Trough.

Yes.

But, yeah, I suppose the beautiful thing about that is when someone says yes, especially if it's someone, you know, that's someone saying, yeah, I believe you can do this.

Yeah.

And you know what? I'm gonna. I'm gonna pay you to do it. Yeah.

That's lovely.

Yeah. It's almost like initially, it's like a validation. It doesn't feel like a business transaction. It feels a bit like a validation. Like all the effort that we put in, in our professional lives and all the relationships that we build and we, we believe in and we put, we really put ourselves into professionally, it kind of measures just how real they were.

Yes.

A sentimental old fool. But, you know, it feels like someone saying, well done, you, you know, I can see you doing this well.

And if I put on my less sentimental hat, I think it's a few things. It's, it's proof of concept. Right. Which is that firstly, people want what you have to. To offer. They believe in the value that you have to offer. Because no one is, is hiring you or giving you money just because they liked you when you work together. Right. No one's. No, no, no. So these, I think it's, the, the relationships that you've built are so valuable and you've overlaid it with, here's what I do and here's how I can make a difference to your, you know, your context. And these are the things I work with and these are the problems that we can solve in this, in this way of working together. So I really hear that, and I do hope that for people listening in that they really do listen to that voice of the power of your network and that power of also leaning into the human connection in the network. Not just, you know, oh, yes, this person is a decision maker or this person is powerful, but actually, you know, this human being that I connected with, whatever their role was when we met, you know, there's power in that.

Yeah. And I coach people at all stages in their career. So, you know, I think often there's a misconception that when you're an executive coach, they think you just coach executives.

Yes. Yep.

But. But, and I learned so much from that, you know, from working with people at different stages in their career. They all come at it slightly differently because of where they are in their experience. And for me, that's so inspiring because it, it means you have chance to help shape something or shape them, help them shape something that will make them stronger, which ultimately will be better for patients.

Yeah, well. And I mean, I think in the work you do, the ripple effect, the positive ripple effect is so, so visible. Right. So you have the ability to impact lots of leaders who in or even individual contributors who then have the ability to impact their environments, who then have this impact on patients, who then have this potential to impact the world. Right. Communities and the world. And I think it's. I think it's extraordinary and I think, I mean, certainly it's why I do what I do, because I can see that so, so tangibly, but I think for you, you know, I really see that purpose shine through so, so strongly and I think it's, it's amazing. At the risk of, of being self serving, can you tell us about your experience in the accelerator? I'd love to, you know, sort of hear in your words what, what that's been like.

So I don't think I'd be where I am without it. Yes. It's my determination, but as I've said to you many times, you poor soul, I really didn't know what I was doing. So having the accelerator and investing, you know, money in that has. Is paid dividends because I'm so much further ahead than I thought I would be.

Yeah, yeah.

Because I think it's a bit like if I'm back in the box and I've got my pencil hole, what's coming in through that light is a framework.

Yeah.

And it's a framework to know which plates you have to keep spinning at the beginning in order to actually have covered the bases of the foundations.

Yeah.

So for me, it's been a godsend and I have worked diligently through it, which I hope you notice.

I have noticed your diligence. Absolutely. If anyone wants to know who's got the A plus, it's Mercier.

The thing is, I mean, I've invested in you and you've invested in me with all your knowledge and skills and not just about business, about coaching and about being thought provoking and actually having a group like we do with the accelerator. So there's a number of new business entrepreneurs, shall we call them, that come together in a safe space that can say, I don't know how to do this and someone will help.

Yeah.

And you've always got 50,000 brilliant ideas. I don't know where you get them from, but they're very good. And even if I'm coming to the, you know, the calls and there's nothing particularly I want to talk about, you can guarantee I make loads of notes from other people's. It's just stuff I've never thought of.

Yeah, yeah.

So there's.

And what I love, and this is, you know, really very, very beneficial for me is I love to be in there and to see everyone learning from each other. And that is always the feedback, isn't it? Like you notice at the end of the calls, everyone's like, oh, well, it's good to get my question answered. But wow. I learned a lot from everyone else and I think that is fabulous. I mean the community is such a wonderful group.

Yes. And this is going to sound a little bit New Agey, but they're so warm.

Yeah.

Everyone is so warm in terms of, and generous in terms of what they, they share with each other. I think just thinking as well about the accelerator going back through the master classes and materials now, but the one thing I really have loved is that each of the videos for each of the modules is relatively short. Yes. So it's easy to do. You don't have to commit loads of time to do it. So if you're still working and trying to start up your business.

Yeah.

Actually you've got bite size.

Yeah, I agree.

Then you've got the materials that go with that.

Yeah, I absolutely built it based on my own attention span as well. Which is, let's, let's, you know, what do we really have capacity to do? We need to do everything, but we don't need to do it all at once. And if we overwhelm ourselves, we going to not do anything. So. Yeah, I do.

Like, yeah, for me it's based on, there's a logic to it. So what's going to give you the biggest impact? It's kind of a chicken and egg thing. You need to do everything. But actually at the beginning, which do you need to do first? Yeah, you know, cook the chicken or eat the egg.

Yeah, agree. And, and the, the interesting thing is that looks different for everyone, which is why we do those, you know, one on one kickoff calls, which is we need to plan of attack and, and that will, you know, evolve with time. But, but yeah, like those first things are so important and it depends, like if you are a, you know, a coach with 15 years experience who wants to shift from being an associate coach to having your own practice, then where you start looks different to someone who is still full time in a role, who wants to build the foundations so that when it's time they're ready to leap. So yeah, you're, you're spot on. So what tips do you have for new coaches starting businesses? If you, if you were to look at what you've learned, what would you suggest?

If you have a fire in your belly or a necessity, do it. Don't expect it to be easy, but surround yourself with the right type of people who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

Yeah.

Because that will be Worth its weight in gold. So build your. You've got your professional network, but build your social network, if for one of a better word. Or your support network.

Yeah. Your business besties. Yeah, I love that. I love that. And I think it's true that a lot of us have. There is this sort of. When we decide, we don't just decide to become a coach. There's something that's been tapping on our shoulder. Right. And if you can ignore that easily, then it's probably not the right time. But if it is something that is, you know, really burning, it feels purpose driven. It feels like you. You know, your next step, then, yeah, you owe it to yourself to have a go.

And I think also it's. It really is worth getting some formal training because it is a skill and. And for some people, it is innate. But to get some formal training, and if you find yourself applying what you're learning to your everyday relationships, you're meant to be a coach.

Yeah.

Without shadow of a doubt.

Yeah. Yeah. If you can't help it, it just becomes who you are, how you interact.

And how you do it better or different because what it enables you to do is often, I think coaches are reflective anyway. We're quite reflective people. But if you can step back, what formal training helps you to do is. Is do that in a very different way. There's, you know, our brain is not the only thing that processes. You know, we've got five senses in a brain, and all of those provide information to us. And what you learn is how to utilize that for the benefit of others. Plus all the theory that you can think. I know that. Oh, that. That would fit with that. Let's try this. You know, it just helps you sore.

Yeah. No, I love it. I love it. And Mercia, you know, I've probably kept you over time, but I wanted to say a huge thank you for. For being who you are, for being such an amazing member of our community inside the accelerator, and also for coming to talk to us on the podcast. I really, I really deeply appreciate it.

You're very welcome and thank you for the opportunity.

Oh, no, no problem. And so if you're listening and you think that the accelerator could be a good fit for you and you're interested in joining before we increase prices at the end of the month, book a call in with me@elliscarf.com bookacall or check out the show notes and we can discuss how and whether the accelerator might help you to build your business. So thank you. And I will talk to you soon.