Discovering True Self: A Conversation with Pat
Introducing Pat—a mix of city hustle and island calm. Originally from Manila, Pat’s life journey has been a whirlwind of experiences, now settled in the UK but soon to be returning to Australia. Advocating for authenticity, Pat inspires others to embrace their true selves, breaking free from societal norms along the way. Dive in with us to find out about her passions and her passion as a Life Coach.
1. Welcome Pat! Can you give our community a quick introduction to get a little feel of who you are and where you’re from?
I’m Pat – think born-and-raised in the city-climb-the-corporate-ladder-type who turned into a sun-loving, island girl, slow life convert who now advocates designing and living a life most authentic to your soul – letting go of cultural and societal pressures!
I’m a Filipina and I’ve lived most of my life in Manila (who also moved around here and there) but I’m now based in the UK (and soon – back to Australia!)
Fun fact – friends have told me that if I were a dog I’d be a golden retriever! And my husband and I are obsessed with them.
2. Can you tell us about the type of work you do as a Quarter Life Design Coach? What services do you offer? What do your days look like? What type of clients do you work with? What would you say are the successes and hardships that you face with your work?
Having been in multiple existential crises myself before, my work right now revolves exactly around getting quarter-lifers (millennials!) get unstuck through a journey of deep self-discovery, inner work, and mindset work.
Right now I offer two types of 1-1 coaching programs —
- Burnout and Lifestyle Reset for those who want to get out of deeply-ingrained patterns, habits and beliefs that have led to burnout — and start healing from it, while at the same time, build new empowering habits.
- Life Design Reset is my program is for empowered souls who are ready to get to know the deepest part of themselves in order to re-build and transition to an ideal external set-up and a thriving headspace.
Both programs really focus on changing your identity through life design tools, practical planning, and most importantly — inner work — reframing of subconscious limiting beliefs to break-free from patterns that keep us stuck.
I’ve noticed that the clients that come to me are very similar to myself – typical go-getters, very driven, can be hard on themselves, but are now wanting to change this mindset – I call them the frustrated Free Spirits!
I genuinely love coaching but I’ve also operated and am used to very stable, less-entrepreneurial paths where I just have to clock in and out, and call it a day.
Being a coach and running my business myself, I found myself initially struggling with the structure (what times do I work?! How long? Have I worked enough?) and I’m usually always on — thinking about Plan The Move pretty much 24/7 – but of course trying to set boundaries as well on this better! Another bit is the stability piece. I’m used to getting guaranteed paychecks monthly, and with entrepreneurship, you deal with a lot more uncertainty.
My set-up right now is to have both. A stable paycheck and a hand in entrepreneurship – with the goal of fully transitioning when the time comes!
3. What about your background story? How did your story lead to where you are now? Was there anything that sparked your decision to commit this type of work?
You may call me the queen of existential crisis prior to being a coach! I used to have such unsettled energy -because I was so confused on why I couldn’t just be a normal person being happy in stable, well-paying jobs, enjoying a very comfortable lifestyle in my hometown — get married, have kids, get old.
That just never appealed to me, even if growing up, I was surrounded by my family who were in great traditional careers (I was on track to be a lawyer at some point!)
My pivotal moment was really hiring my first coach — coaching to me was transformational. I got UNSTUCK in a way I’ve never have before (and trust me, I read a ton of books, listen to podcasts, I’ve tried my fair share of trying therapists)
So I can say with integrity how coaching changed my life. And that’s why I do what I do now.
4. A part of The Melanin Kollective’s mission is to empower minorities to shift from a scarcity mindset into an abundant and fulfilling one. Can you share how personally growing up as a Filipina has impacted your mindset, and what shifts you had to make? How do you navigate cultural barriers that may impact a client’s mindset and self-growth journey? What are some suggestions for our readers’ that may be feeling stuck or stagnant in their life, and how can they take steps into making some of those necessary shifts?
Growing up in a traditional Asian family — especially with parents who have built themselves up from establishing successful traditional careers (my parents are lawyers) — I grew up already with the bias around “prestigious careers”, so this is the biggest one for me I had to unlearn!
Truth is, times have greatly changed and this is no longer true! We are gifted today with opportunities to create stability and achieve financial freedom through different, more creative means — the challenge though most of the time is just making the elders understand this.
If you’re feeling stagnant in life — what I’d really start with is to spend time with yourself. Get outside of the noise around you. Stop asking friends and family for advice.
Now’s the best time to sit with yourself- reflect and be honest. Do you really not know what to do or you’re limiting yourself to what you think is realistic?
Think about someone you admire and who inspires you -someone who has similar values and who lives in a way you aspire to. What are they doing differently? Ask for a conversation, and just be open!
I know sometimes how isolating it is to feel like nobody understands you, and what you want out of life.
If you have the resources, get a coach who you resonate with, who you feel safe with, and most of all, someone who walks their talk. I promise it’s an investment you won’t regret!
5. Bonus Question Can you share a golden gem with our audience that you’ve carried with you in times of need – whether it be a quote, a song, a interview clip, a movie, etc and share what it means for you personally?
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
We are not meant to be stagnant beings. Life is so beautiful, and there’s so much life to live! Get out of your bubble, learn from others, hear different perspectives. You’ll be surprised at how liberating it is to know how much you don’t know.
