Anthony Joel

A qualified carpenter who built a successful career, burnt out, and barely recognised the man in the mirror. This is how he laid the first brick — and kept stacking.

Anthony JoelCourse Coordinator & Student Mentor, The Life Coaching College

There was a point in my life when I realised I was capable of more than the life I was living.

I’d started my working life as a qualified carpenter and eventually built a successful career, including a senior relationship management role with Melbourne Sports Centres.

On paper, things were going well.

But I was coasting. I didn’t really know where I was going anymore and eventually, I became pretty lost in it all.

I was burnt out and, if I’m being truthful, I barely recognised the man looking back at me in the mirror.

Something needed to change.

Chapter oneLaying the first brick

So, I decided to take ownership of what came next.

I call it laying the first brick.

You don’t need to have the whole thing figured out. You decide who you want to become, lay the first brick and then keep stacking.

As I started doing the work on myself, something became increasingly clear.

Throughout every chapter of my life, I’d naturally been the person others turned to for support, perspective and encouragement.

That was the thread I’d been missing.

I realised I found purpose in helping other people move forward.

Coaching gave me the opportunity to turn that into something meaningful, and that search eventually led me to The Life Coaching College.

Chapter twoStacking bricks

So, I started stacking bricks.

First as a student. Then as a coach. Then a mentor.

Today, I’m part of the faculty at The Life Coaching College and one of the first people prospective students meet when they begin exploring their own pathway into coaching.

I’ve now coached, mentored and supported hundreds of people, many standing in a position remarkably similar to the one I once found myself in.

That’s become one of the most meaningful parts of what I do.

Sometimes I’m speaking with someone at the very beginning, when they know something needs to change but they haven’t completely figured out what their next chapter looks like.

I know that feeling. I was that person.

Chapter threeThe ripple effect

And that’s where I’ve come to understand the potential impact of what we do here.

If I can play even a small part in helping someone step into coaching, and they go on to positively impact hundreds of people throughout their career, where does that impact end?

Now multiply that by the hundreds of students who come through our College.

I don’t think you can measure the ripple effect of that.

Chapter fourThe man in the mirror

But this journey also changed the person I was bringing home every night.

The work I was doing through coaching made me look just as closely at my own life. At the husband and father I wanted to be. At what I was capable of. At whether I was actually living the things I was encouraging other people to pursue.

So, I kept stacking bricks.

Some were professional. Some were personal. Some were physical.

Eventually, the man I barely recognised in the mirror became someone I was proud to recognise again.

Along the way, I became an Ironman and endurance athlete. But the finish lines were never really the point.

For me, they represent what can happen when you stop waiting to become someone different and start doing the work, one decision at a time.

I’m a better husband. A better father. A better coach. And I’m capable of supporting people at a level I couldn’t have imagined when I first walked through the doors of TLCC.

Chapter fiveStill building

And the best part?

I’m still building.

I came to TLCC looking for my own next step.

Today, I get to help others take theirs. One brick at a time.