Swings and Roundabouts

by Judy Klipin

I have two different (but increasingly complimentary) skill sets.

For many years I was involved crime and violence prevention research, training and policy development. I traveled around the country – and even the sub-continent – doing fascinating work in amazing places with inspiring people.

And then I got burnout. I crashed, exhausted, into an emotional, relational and career wall.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was necessary.

Oh, so necessary.

Because without that crash I would never have allowed myself to pursue my other passion, which is working with people to help them heal and grow, both personally and professionally.

During my burnout recovery I trained as a life coach and set up shop. Over the six years that have since passed I have morphed from being a life coach into being an writer,* a personal development facilitator, and an organizational development practitioner. I am an expert in Adult Children (see *) and I help people to see how some of the characteristics that they developed to survive their unpredictable childhoods may not be serving them so very well anymore.

At home, at work, in our relationships; our childhood survival strategies can make life look and feel more like an episode of ‘Survivor’ than help us to get through life unscathed.

I am passionate about both of these skills. I always knew that they were related – after all, isn’t helping people to heal and make good choices and feel able and hopeful in their world the way to prevent crime and violence? – but for some time it felt like I had to choose between them.

I could work on one or the other.

When I was consulting in the violence prevention arena, I didn’t have time or space for many clients. When I was consumed with my personal and professional development facilitation, I couldn’t commit to consulting projects. It felt like an extended game of swings or roundabouts – a similarly thrilling experience on both but I couldn’t have the two rides simultaneously.

And then, like a great big beautiful present, I began doing both.

At the same time.

For the same recipients.

I offer team professional development to people working in the crime violence prevention sector. I teach personal development skills and the Adult Child tools to students studying Public and Development Management.

I still see my individual clients, and I still do some ‘pure’ crime and violence prevention consulting. But, more and more, the two aspects are coming together.

And I feel like I am on one fantastic ride!

*My first book, Life Lessons for the Adult Child; transforming a challenging childhood, was published by Penguin (SA) in 2010

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