Sam Moinet
Leading the revolution in school well-being | International coach and speaker | Former teacher?
“Sir, are you okay?”
These four words changed my life. I was asked this question, one morning by a 16-year-old student as I was preparing to teach my history class. However, this was not a normal morning. The past months had felt like a dark storm cloud was constantly above me, with thousands of thoughts spinning around like a tornado. Thoughts like “you are not good enough,” “you are a failure,” and “you have let your family down.”
Being asked these four words changed my life. The change was not in the question itself, but in my response back to the student of “yes, I am fine.” This lie, that I might have said to people before, was the catalyst. The acronym of FINE can be described as;
Feelings Inside Not Expressed
In this moment, the storm cloud began to burst out of me like rain during a storm. Tears rolled down my face and in a panic, I grabbed my board pen and spun round to pretend to write on the whiteboard to hide my emotion from the thirty 16-year-olds sitting in front of me. This was the lowest moment of my life. I needed help. However, as a young man who always got told to “man up”, “emotions are for girls”, “men are strong”, I had no one to turn to.
Read the full story here .
Sam's Strategic Steps
Recognition of Personal Struggles. Sam recognizes his personal struggles with mental health, anxiety, and societal expectations regarding masculinity, leading to feelings of inadequacy and reluctance to seek help.
Acceptance of Support. After a student's inquiry about their well-being, Sam acknowledges the need for support and accepts an opportunity for coaching, despite initial scepticism§ and lack of understanding about coaching.
Transformation Through Coaching. Engaging in coaching sessions leads to profound personal transformation, including relief from anxiety, improved sleep, increased energy, and a shift from victimhood to empowerment.
Commitment to Coaching. Inspired by personal experiences, Sam becomes dedicated to coaching and its potential to positively impact students' lives, leading to becoming a qualified coach and launching a coaching business focused on supporting students.
Expansion of Impact. Leaving the classroom to focus on coaching allows for greater impact, with a focus on coaching students from diverse backgrounds, including those facing significant challenges such as self-harm and involvement in gangs.
Teacher Training Initiative. Recognizing the transformative potential of coaching for both students and teachers, Sam starts training educators in coaching techniques, leading to the creation of the Educators Coaching Academy (ECA) to foster a culture of coaching in schools worldwide