Ticking boxes

14 years old, expelled from school for repetitive truancy.

6 months later, sent to a school in a different area.

6 months later, expelled for repetitive truancy.

Home schooled, very poorly. Though she did teach me how to knit 🧶

15, sent to a college to study farming 😕

16, left home and threw myself into my chosen field. Equestrian.

18, looked after hunters.

19, looked after horses at a stately home, began competing, got my HGV & trailer license.

23, trained showjumpers in North Carolina USA.

24, ran a hunter stable.

26, set up my own training stable. Qualified as an equine behaviour consultant.

32, ran a hunter stable & trained horses freelance.

33, worked for a very successful racehorse trainer.

34, set up my own training stable in Saskatchewan, Canada.

36, managed a trekking centre in Ireland, trained horses in South Georgia, Virginia & North Georgia USA.

38, managing day to day operations of a hunter stable alongside my trauma coaching business.

No where did I mention A Levels, or even GSCE's....that's because I have NONE!

I hated school and I hated learning.

It's not because I am "thick" as I was told. It was because I was struggling with the whole concept of a school environment. One with bullies and teachers who were not trauma informed.

I now have a long list of certifications to support the work I do now. Do I need them all?

No, my experiential qualifications are more than enough, yet to have a piece of paper to say 'I can' is a comfort to me.

Perhaps it's because I love to prove those teachers wrong and say 'look, I can learn!'

Exam results are not everything and are best used for ticking boxes.

It's not the end, it's only the beginning!