Hi I’m Dr Erica Bowen, pragmatic Hope-Maker, rebellious ambivert and radical empath. I am also the imagineer of Hope-Makers Ltd.
I am a pragmatic hope-maker in that I believe change is
possible for everyone, but you need a goal, a plan and you need to act.
I am a rebellious ambivert in that I love challenging the
status quo (never tell me I can’t do something!), but need down time, an oat
latte and good book to recover.
As a radical empath I connect deeply with my clients because
I have walked the path they are on, and I use my empathy to help them create
change for themselves.
I am a registered forensic and coaching psychologist with
more than 20 years’ experience of supporting people to achieve their potential
and live better lives, and it almost didn’t happen.
I grew up in a working-class dysfunctional family but loved
reading, playing musical instruments and learning. I moved to secondary school
– a girl’s grammar school – a year early and obtained a place at University
much to the pride of my family. I was the archetypal ‘good girl’. And then I
dropped out.
Three years later and married at the age of 20, after a
friend pointed me in the direction of psychology, I started my BSc Psychology,
and graduated with a first-class degree. I moved straight onto a PhD completing
that in just under three years. Ten years later with a 6-year-old son and aging
parents I was a Registered Forensic Psychologist and promoted to Full Professor
at the age of 37, and I found myself on the verge of burn out asking ‘is this
it?’. The more senior I got, the more my role was about management, the less
fulfilled and more adrift I felt.
In 2017 I knew I needed something more. I reflected upon
everything I had loved in my academic roles, the high points, the moments where
I had felt in a state of flow and ease and joy and realised that I needed to
work more directly with individuals to inspire them to create and achieve their
vision of a better life too. A purpose-driven life in which they are playing
big without burning out. Can you relate?
This is now what I do. Every day I work with incredible successful
women just like you, who:
- · once had big ideas about who they are, who they wanted to be and the impact they wanted to achieve in the world, but
- · who have become disconnected from their purpose,
- · are juggling so many balls that they struggle to put their needs first, and
- · are feeling disillusioned and unfulfilled.
My advanced understanding of psychology and neuroscience and
powerful coaching tools are harnessed within my trauma-informed ‘Courage to
Choose’ 1:1 and accelerator group coaching programmes. It is my greatest
privilege to help you identify or reconnect to your purpose, clarify your
values, create a clear vision, and create and implement a new way of working so
that you can prioritise your needs, play big and get back to being who you are,
once and for all!