Barbara Edwards has been self employed for over 15 years and has worked across a broad range of industries. Along with her coaching qualifications, Barbara also holds qualifications in marketing, fitness, and music. These fields have overlapped more than once in her coaching practise Be Coached. Barbara is also a trainer for Rural Enterprise Skillnet where she has designed and delivered training programmes focused on social media marketing.
In 2020 Barbara, like so many had to pivot her business which gave her the opportunity to focus more on the wellbeing elements of coaching. She began a live weekly webcast focusing on mental health and wellness. Such has been the popularity of the webcast, that she also hosted a free Workplace Wellness Summit to help those adjusting to the new ‘work from home’ reality.
Throughout her career Barbara has also delivered team building workshops to youth groups, active age, community groups and the corporate sector. It is in these settings that she draws on her background as a musician and music teacher, using music as a team building tool.
“Music is a great leveller, when you see someone jump for joy because they wrote a verse, or created a rhythm, you also witness a light in their eye. They are not just connecting as a team; they are connecting with themselves too in equal measures.”
Having studied with Kingstown College, Barbara is looking forward to returning to further her studies with the Diploma in Mental Health Coaching in 2021 with the goal of progressing to ACC.