Driven by an innate desire to help those who are suffering, two Ballito women have started an outreach programme that is not only changing lives, but inspiring hope in a time when so many are feeling hopeless.
“There are so many people suffering out there, and we have all this information that could really help them. What can we do?”
These were the words, spoken to her by one of her newly qualified life coaches, that ignited an innate desire in Mindfit Coaching Academy founder, Sharon Castle, to start an outreach programme offering coaching sessions to anyone battling with trauma or tragedy.
“It was a Sunday evening in October last year when one of my students, Cheryl Sachse, phoned me. Everyone knows I don’t answer work-related calls on Sundays, so I knew it must be important. Something hit me after speaking to her. Having been through Covid, the riots and then two devastating rounds of flooding, there were so many people really struggling. We had to do something,” says Sharon.
Less than 24 hours later, after Sharon managed to get some airtime on a local online television station, the word started to spread and Wings of Hope was born. “We had so much positive feedback and everything just started to fall into place.”
Cheryl is one of Sharon’s qualified life coaching students who now works closely with her and heads up Wings of Hope. “It’s all about helping people find hope and shifting the way they handle adversity. What happens to you is not who you are. It’s so important to get that message out there,” she says.
Having seen significant changes in her personal life after completing Sharon’s Awakenings programme, Cheryl says she has an incredible desire to share the information and knowledge with those who are suffering. “It’s about helping people find their own way and pointing them in the right direction,” she says.
This results-driven life coaching is not about telling people what they are doing right or wrong, Sharon says, but rather about understanding where people’s experience of things is coming from.
“It’s difficult to think clearly if you are suffering from extreme anxiety, fear, worry or grief. If you can settle those feelings, it will become clear that the wisdom you need is already inside you.”
While they initially thought it would be individuals reaching out, there were bigger appeals for help, including local social welfare services. “In two days we worked with social workers, educators, psychologists and policemen and policewomen. It was a real ‘mixed bag’ of people,” says Sharon, who has over 20 years’ experience as a life and wellness coach.
“We had an incredible response and were able to make an enormous impact at a halfway house for addicts in Verulam. Our sessions were incredibly powerful and full of connection, and everyone was crying in the end.”
“People are desperate, sometimes even suicidal. It is amazing what just a 30-minute conversation can do. It can be life-changing.”
Both Sharon and Cheryl are hoping to see Wings of Hope continue to grow so they can help more people. “Our goal isn’t to ‘motivate’ people, but rather to inspire them towards transformation from the inside out and help them understand that what they need is already inside of them. Every one of us has the capacity to live a peaceful life. If you understand why you react in certain ways, you will understand yourself,” says Sharon. “People are desperate, sometimes even suicidal. It is amazing what just a 30-minute conversation can do. It can be life-changing.”
As trained and accredited life coaches, Sharon and her team know how to correctly impart the information they have – with love and always without judgement.
Wings of Hope is a registered NPC (non-profit company) and while they are currently funding it on their own, Sharon and Cheryl are hoping to obtain funding through fundraising and corporate sponsors, to be able to help more people.
“Anyone who needs to see us, can come in for a session. We do screenings for one-on-one sessions to ensure we are able to help the person and to match them up with the right coach. We also have a ‘friendship bench’ outside my rooms at Burnedale,” says Sharon.
“Our coaches will sit there intermittently, and anyone can sit down and chat to them. I would also like to have a permanent community drop-in office where there is always someone to talk to, or something to read. I want to make Wings of Hope as accessible as possible to this community, which has been so good to me over the years.”
Details: To donate or become a sponsor, or if you or anyone you know needs help from Wings of Hope, contact Cheryl: [email protected], or Sharon: [email protected] or find more information at: www.mindfitlifecoaching.com
