Hi,
I'm mary
And I have been where you are now......
As an ambitious young person and student, I have struggled with overwhelm, self-doubt, anxiety and Dyslexia. I would often literally psyche myself out of my exam, sport or competitions, becoming paralysed by anxiety to the extent of feeling nauseous, headaches, heavy limbs and just not being able to think straight. At the age of 18, when I decided on a career of teaching English, I also suffered my first full on panic attack. It was through my teacher training, I was introduced to the world of psychology which took me on a journey of trying to understand why I was feeling the way I was and helped me to make a connection with my body and brain. It was through my study of cognitive behavioural therapy, NLP, mindfulness, neuroscience, and lots of other healing modalities that I observed the positive effects of these approaches and transformation in my own life personally and professionally! I believe I can help because I have been there and lived and breathed through the struggles you are currently facing. I have found a way to a better place and discovered the real me and am truly enjoying my life and I believe that you can too!
why xcellerate?
After gathering twenty years worth of experience supporting students in their academic achievements and curating life skills programmes for students as well as for schools, parents and guardians and together with all the positive feedback I have received over the years from students, parents and schools, I felt it was time to launch Xcellerate in 2020.
My mission with Xcellerate is to be able to further the good work I have been doing by offering life coaching specifically to teens, young adults, parents, teachers, employees and curating workshops which are grounded in mindfulness, emotional intelligence, Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), neuroscience and positive psychology.
My qualifications
I am a life coach, trainer & facilitator, teacher and an examiner for the English Leaving Certificate Higher Level for the S.E.C. And am also a proud training partner with Aware.
I am qualified with a B.A Degree in English and a Higher Diploma in Education from Maynooth University.
My professional certifications include; Mindfulness Practitioner & Trainer Certificate from the Irish Mindfulness Institute, a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Practitioner Certificate from IICP College and a Neuroscience and Brain Health Certificate from The Neuroscience Academy.
Alas, I am also a Licensed Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistics and have earned my Diploma in Mind Coaching both from the Irish Institute of NLP.
It’s been a privilege to mentor students in writing two National Award winning plays with the theme of physical and mental health, and contributed to published articles relating to children and their wellbeing with business psychologist Dr Deevy entitled ‘The Influence of Language in Recessionary Times – A Resilient Response.’
and ...........
When I am not life coaching or conducting workshops, these are a few of my favourite things;
- I love singing & am a member of the Aware choir!
- Love hiking, hillwalking and travelling.
- Enjoy writing and have run writing clubs and groups!
- Love music and theatre.
- Gardening! It’s therapeutic!