I am the new Intl. Liaisons Manager for the ECI and will be working closely with Gerard O'Donovan & the other Heads of Countries helping to ensure the smooth delivery of the ECI service.

I would say I'm relatively new to the world of coaching. I was aware of it from a distance but perhaps a little skeptical about what it had to offer. My heightened coaching curiosity came from three things:

• Completing the 4-day foundation of The Creative Coach™ course with Rivca Rubin in 2006
• Undertaking the Bronze Package "Choices" with Coach in a Box in 2007
• Surviving the challenge of 6 sessions with the most amazing CBT counsellor, Mary Maxwell in 2007

The tipping point for me came when I was coached by Cordelia Grant, an alumni of Noble Manhattan Coaching. I experienced at full throttle, the life changing force that effective & challenging coaching can have on you. I was awoken to the clear fact that coaching really did match my values & could offer the potential to unlock hidden potential not only in myself but others. That was the motivation I needed to begin training with Noble Manhattan Coaching in April this year.

I'm aiming to qualify in April 09 and aspire to coach those in the creative & cultural industries, a sector I am passionate about. I hope to coach musicians in particular who need a helping hand to overcome internal barriers to unleash the potential and music within; a subject very close to my heart.

I'm currently employed as Information Coordinator for Cultural Enterprise Office, an organisation accredited by the Association for Coaching that offers free business support to the creative & cultural industries across Scotland. This includes coaching, mentoring and professional development planning schemes. My role is varied and comprises of many things: advising clients about business start-up; information research; writing articles, fact sheets & web copy for the site; web and systems design and development; marketing; event management and more.

In a previous life, I trained as a classical musician specialising in solo and orchestral performance (violin/viola) as well as orchestral management at Leeds University. I followed that by working at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) prior to my current role. I am also a qualified TEFL teacher having studied with TEFL International in Seville.

Contact details
Skype: mariemilligan
e:marie-milligan@the-eci.org
w: www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk