6 minute read
FAST 5 QUESTIONS WITH COACH MARYLYN
GET TO KNOW THE WOMEN IN OUR SOCIETIES; WORK, LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND MORE
This month we got a chance to sit down with Coach Marilynn for our Fast Five Feature, as we navigate Coaching, Counselling, and Mentorship.
1)Who is Coach Marilynn?-
I am an ambassador of God, an Apostle by calling. They call me Pastor M, I am also a mother, encourager, an advocate for women and the girl child, a business consultant, Director of Ceremonies, Procurement specialist the list is endless.
I have 24 years of experience in the Retail industry. Professional Certified Life Coach 2nd runner up Life Purpose Coach 2022(ICMF)Business Coach of the Year 2023 (ICMF) and an all-around go-getter.
I live by this Scripture, which I usually start everything with Psalms 118:23-24 which says, “The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. “
That is my opening scripture whenever I am sharing the word it goes with my identity.
Even as a Coach, I do not live outside the Word, remember even in the Bible, people had mentors, they were coached and counseled.. This is not a new thing; it was there in the foundations of the world.
2)What inspires you to motivate others?
Life inspires me to motivate others. I value and love people, I believe everyone deserves someone to encourage and motivate them. It’s a wrong assumption to believe that everyone has someone to talk to.
My mantra is, “Assigned to bring out the best in you”. I know everyone has a gem in them. When I see people, I see minerals.
I view myself as a miner looking at a mine that is yet to be dug, quite frankly, we do not know what is in it, it could be platinum, silver, or even diamonds, everyone is valuable they just need to be mined.
What inspires me to motivate is that I believe there is something of value in everyone. Come on, after all, we are all made in the likeness of God, it means in everybody there is something to preserve. There is a reason to live life and live it abundantly.
3)Can you break down coaching, Mentoring, and Counselling as the pillars of your work?
These pillars best describe the multiple roles that I have or the titles that I carry. Coaching sits on the fact that I am a Certified Life Coach.
I mentor based on experience I value younger girls and ladies starting up in business because that is in my DNA.
In terms of Coaching this is very personal, life coaching has started to be appreciated more in Zimbabwe due to awareness that people who are renowned, influential, and successful the world over have life coaches, etc.,
When it comes to coaching, I am pushing personal growth, asking questions like what is your capacity, what are you capable of doing, what have you done in the past and how would you like me to guide you to become that which you are supposed to be.
As a Life Coach, I aim to empower you to make positive changes in your life, build self-awareness, and enhance your overall well-being.
I love using the Wheel of Life as a coaching tool. If you are going to start a session with Coach Marylyn you know we are going to start on the Wheel of Life, until you are a balanced human being.
Counseling sits on my pastoral role, and I have a calling and a passion for marriage. The funny thing is, in as much as I haven’t done well in that department I have been called to restore.
CM: lam was encouraged and inspired by Paul the Apostle from the Bible who teaches about marriage and yet he was not married himself. I have realized that your greatest challenge is where your greatest gift is.
For me, marriage has been very challenging, and I do not hide that, because of that, it is the one thing I value and understand it is a covenant with God and it is a place where people need counseling.
I also counsel and coach the youth in different places.
One major thing to note is that I do not separate the roles. If you meet Coach Marilynn you have met Pastor M, you have met the guru in retail, you have met the business consultant. I operate as a full package, which has five dimensions, and you will meet all of them in one sitting.
.4)You are a Director of Ceremonies, tell us more about the business side of it the setbacks you have encountered, and how you have managed to conquer them.?
CM: You asked this question at an important time in my life when I was deciding on that. I remember posting on social media just recently saying I would drop the mic in 2025 and there was an outcry as many were against it.
My brand name in Coaching for the last 24 years has been “Munhu Chaiye Chaiye”,
I started directing ceremonies at church where one of the leaders told me that this was my gift. I will continue to do private functions though, the reason for it is that I believe in sharing the limelight.
Other young up-and-coming MCs are good. It is important to have a succession plan and make way for others.
I will have a Master Class in 2025 that will groom and mentor those who would like to venture into that field.
One thing I will tell you about the business side of Directing Ceremonies is that this is how I have managed to take my children to school.
Over and above formal employment, it was what maintained the lifestyle that we had in our home.
Concerning setbacks, I would say people want free services. In their mind, they think you just go and stand there and talk, (chuckles).
That is a serious profession and people need to start appreciating it, especially in Zimbabwe..
As a director of ceremonies, you set the tone for an event, and you ensure that people are still focused. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a cooperate function or it’s a wedding the whole load falls on the Director of Ceremonies.
It also boils down to perception, because people think that you can just get away with just giving a token for services rendered.
You need to remember who you are, and that you are a brand. I have conquered through speaking up, I would rather not do the function than do it at less than what I am worth.
.5)What are your parting words to our readers?
CM: My parting words to the readers are what I have been saying all year, Be you. In everything be you. The biggest challenge we have in this life is people are living and operating while they are not self-aware.
A lot of people are living lives that are not there because they are worried about the next person. Run your race, write your own story, sing your song. Coach Marilynn signing out!
