Iāve Been Where You Are.
After 20 years working onboard cruise ships in guest facing, sales, marketing and leadership roles, I didn't just change jobs I changed my entire life. Leaving ships wasn't just a career move.Ā It was a personal transition that touched every part of who I was.
But before I became a career change coach, I was crew, just like you.
I had the same doubts, the same fears about leaving, and the same uncertainty about whether I was making the right choice. I spent many nights in my cabin thinking about how I would leave ships, and days going through the motions while dreaming about a different life. I had the same mixed feelings - loving parts of ship life but feeling ready for something new, yet terrified to take the leap.
I know what it's like to ask yourself:
"What am I even good at?"
"How do I explain my ship work to employers on land?"
"Will I miss the excitement and adventure of ship life too much?"
"What if I leave and realize I made a huge mistake?"
"How do I even start when I have no idea what I want to do on land?"
I now work as a certified Career and Life Transition Coach, blending psychology, coaching, and my deep knowledge of the cruise ship lifestyle to help crew like you confidently move from ship to shore and thrive once you're here.
This isn't generic career coaching. This is guidance from someone who's walked your exact path and built a roadmap for others to follow.Ā Ā
Here's how my own ship-to-shore journey beganā¦
How Did I Get Here?
Ā
I didnāt have it all figured out when I left ships.Ā I just had a deep knowing that ship life no longer fit the person I was becoming.Ā I went from structured routines, constant movement, comfort, familiarity, and a built-in social circleā¦to quiet, still land life, where I was alone, confused, and wondering:
"Is this really it?"
I tried to piece it together.Ā I questioned everything; my identity, my direction, my confidence a nd even my decision making.
I learned how to rebuild.Ā I found the right support, the right tools, and I started shaping a new chapter that actually fit me.Ā Now, I help crew like you do the same with a roadmap that didnāt exist back then, but does now.
After years of working onboard, I took everything I had learned and asked myself: āWhat do I really want to create now?āĀ Not what do I want to do, but what do i want to create.Ā You see its easy to think i will just do the same type of work I did onboard on land, but when I saw the opportunities around meĀ I saw that I am currently secure with my ship job and work, I choose to reframe my thinking....I could do the same, but why?Ā Why not take this opportunity to really see what do you want to do on land, how do you want this next chapter to be.
I am a Chef turned Ship Crew turned Career Coach who loves getting as much out of life as possible.
I fell into Career Coaching during my ship career.Ā
Living and working with other crew members and guests onboard in what at many times can be a challenging environment produced a strong desire to understand what drives people to do what they do, or not do, and on the flip side understand people who want to live better and get more out of life. A new passion was born to discover and dive into Human Behavior.
As one who has a fear of the mundane not change, I then took this newfound passion and learnings and applied it to āchangeā.Ā How can I help others become friends with the fear of change as well making the change process that much easier and more comfortable.
Yet like you I have new chapters in life I want to be exploring; goals, desires and dreams I want to create and achieve, so I needed to take all my life learnings, education, and certifications and apply it to my own life. I want to live a life that I love and donāt need a vacation from but choose to take a vacation to experience and enrich my life more.
In the beginning I experienced confusion and uncertainty with ship to shore transitionā¦perhaps you are too?
Moving from āship to shoreā you can literally compare it to moving to a new city in a foreign country and setting up a life.
It is where I discovered what is needed to succeed in this transition was assistance with adjusting to a new land life ā a new career, home, finances, relationships, friendships, identity, environment, hobbies, community, and more in all these different areas of life.
The discovering period, the adjusting period, the accepting period, and the living it period.
BUT firstly, what needed to be addressed and answered for me was that million dollar question āWhat do I want my next job, career to be and how do I settle on land?"
As you know I did figure this out, but in the process I found it difficult to find the right assistance.Ā I was able to find someone who could assist with career change, but not career change and life change from ship to shore.
As let's keep it real, we all know that living and working at sea, going "home" for vacation and then choosing to leave that lifestyle is not as straight forward as many folks think, even consultants and coaches. At sea we live a very unique lifestyle.
Finding a career and life change coach consultant who has experienced ship life was exactly what was needed.Ā Yet I could not find anyone who fit that, so......Ā
It was through my first-hand experience, and then later my knowledge (certified coaching and positive psychology) that career change coaching andĀ life transition were founded.
The transformation and results that this combination brings to others is the catalyst for doing what I do now.
Helping maritime crewĀ discover their next chapter to live their land land is extremely satisfying and rewarding for me.
What I Believe
I believe leaving ships isnāt just about getting a new job,Ā itās about building a new life.
I believe your experience at sea is more valuable than you think.
I believe you already have what it takes you just need the tools to translate it.
I believe that once you move from uncertainty to certainty, the resistance fades and all you need next is theĀ how.
I believe fear is normalĀ but it doesnāt need to make your decisions for you.
I believe land life can feel just as fulfilling as ship life;Ā maybeĀ even more.
And its possible for you
To me, theĀ wordĀ impossibleĀ just needs a grammar fix, so it then reads:Ā Iām possible.
If youāve ever wondered whether a new life off ship is doableā¦It is.Ā Ā
If youāve even thought,Ā āMaybe thatās possible for others, but not for meā¦ā
It is with the right steps and the right support.Ā Ā
Whether you're dreaming of that new future, craving stability, or simply not sure whatās next, I've mapped out a clear path for you.
Look at my Services page and choose what fits you best for your situation.
When I am...
not working in my business you can find me enjoying a few of my favourite things.Ā
After working at sea for close to 20 years and travelling the globe, my culinary palette is pretty diverse, is yours too? Itās common to find me in the kitchen creating, cooking, and experimenting with flavours.
Thanks to growing up in beautiful New Zealand (and doing many ship contracts in Alaska), Iām still a big lover of the outdoors. Walks, hikes, bike rides, lakes, rivers, mountains, beaches, if itās outside, Iām in.
Two of my newest passions are Ancient History and Healing Modalities, and Iāve also got two big creative projects on the go.Ā Ā Trying my hand at stand-up comedy (yep, really).Ā Ā Writing books that blend transformation with storytelling, part insight, part soul.
The dream? Take it all on stage and travel the world sharing stories that make people both laugh and grow.
Most days, youāll find me in a great cafĆ© with an espresso or enjoying a glass of vino, I swear I mustāve been Italian in a past life. Ciao bella! š
And when all else fails, Iām under a palm tree, on a quiet beach, sipping a coconut and dreaming up whatās next.
Real crew stories. Real talk. From ship to shore.
Thereās no handbook for leaving ships but this comes close.
Hear from crew whoāve made the jump: the wins, the shocks, and theĀ āno one tells you thisāĀ moments of going from ship to shore.
Itās honest, relatable, and full of the truths about what it really takes to settle on land.
Subscribe now and be part of the only podcast madeĀ for crew, by crew.
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