HI, I'M HANNAH RAY,
A COACH IN AMSTERDAM
I'm happy you found me - you are very welcome here.
ABOUT me
I live in dreamy, windy, watery Amsterdam. Home, for me, is in many places though. With my family + friends back in the UK, friends that have moved to other countries, and places I have loved spending time.
I take this same view in my work and am pleased to have coached over 120 people (and counting!) from all over.
I am happiest when absorbed in the laziest, stretchiest, wriggly type of yoga, following cats, people-watching out of windows, dancing to very loud music, writing, sitting with a good view, and eating.
HOW I GOT HERE
I've always felt in my element listening to people and making them feel seen and heard - giving them space to think, to explore themselves, get confident with their own opinion, and encouraging them to express it.
For example, as a child, I had a friend who found talking about feelings tricky, so instead, we'd sit together and write to each other about what was going on.
It's always felt natural to me to listen, to experiment with different ways of thinking about things, to reflect back to people in a gentle yet firm manner, but I had never considered that it could be a career path for me.
I moved to Amsterdam in 2018 after deciding that calm canals and cycling everywhere outweighed the always-on, do-it-all stimulation of London. I moved for a dream job at a dream advertising agency on a dream client that I'd been working really determinedly to get for 6 months.
Despite achieving this dream, the reality was that I felt this constant frustration and doubt in myself. It was like something was missing; as if there was just something inside me that craved to be used but couldn't find it's way to be best used in this work. I looked around one day and thought: What am I doing? I'm tired of this feeling. I'm not happy. Admitting this to myself was the first step, and involved a lot of acceptance, self-inquiry and reflection to sift through first.
I went on a journey for a few years - being made redundant from that job, being unemployed, freelancing, working in a cheese shop (one of my favourite jobs I've ever had!), doing an advanced therapeutic yoga teacher training, teaching a full yoga schedule, qualifying as an ICF Life + Business Coach, consulting as a brand strategist and coach for small businesses (AND many moments of despair, feeling very lost, very excited, frustrated, not good enough, motivated, determined etc.).
Eventually, I founded my own my coaching practice, TAKE. Coaching, guiding, holding space, running my own business; it feels like a big breath of fresh air and like I've come home.
ABOUT TAKE
TAKE was born from a realisation that the best person to explore + create a life that fulfils, excites & serves you, is yourself. And the best way to do it is to be yourself, to honour yourself, and to ALLOW yourself permission to TAKE what is there, and has always been there, for you.
Many of us deny ourselves what is natural to us or we really want, or force ourselves to mould to the norm we think is expected of us, because... guilt, shame, not feeling deserving, worrying what people will think, worrying we're not good enough or credible enough, thinking we'll inevitably let people or ourselves down, culture telling us it's wrong... the list goes on. This can lead to us losing sight of who we are, what matters to us, and what we're doing with our special lives.
I specifically chose to name my practice TAKE, because I wanted to redefine what it meant to take. Many of us can be scared of coming across pushy or inconsiderate. But knowing who you are, knowing what you want, and going out and taking it is a special thing to do for yourself, and a motivating thing to see other people do. You don't need to force fit yourself in to performing or behaving a particular or 'expected' way to do this; you can connect with your own resources, personality, and style and do it in a way that feels YOU.
Having learnt how to do this myself (and continuing to do so), is why it is also the thing I can support others in doing for themselves too.
Change is not about getting a quick or final fix. Our relationship with ourselves and our relationship with our work will change and develop over time, chapters and contexts. Coaching is a way to help you keep adapting, growing and directing it.
Creating and holding space that feels safe enough for a person to start speaking from the heart, say what they really want, think, feel and be themselves is, really, a very special thing to get to do for a living.
I find it an honour to work with everyone I work with, and hope that, perhaps, I will have the honour of working with you too.