There are times in many women’s lives when confidence can take a knock. A relationship ends, children grow up, work changes, we experience illness or burnout, or we simply reach a point where we wonder: “What do I want next?”

For Newton Abbot-based coach Marsha Cox, founder of Potential Life, helping women answer that question has become a passion.

“I believe every woman has potential, but sometimes life experiences, fear or a lack of confidence can make us lose sight of it,” says Marsha. “Coaching gives you the space to stop, reflect and start believing in yourself again.”

Marsha knows from personal experience what it feels like to lose confidence and find it again.

“I’ve been through many different chapters in my life. In my late twenties, I experienced burnout after leaving the catering industry, and in my early thirties I faced recurring anxiety, which I worked hard to understand and overcome. At 37, I became a single parent to my four-year-old daughter and, during that same period of change, took the leap and set up my own business.

Each of those experiences taught me something about resilience, confidence and fear. I’ve learned that fear doesn’t have to disappear before we move forward – we can understand it, manage it and choose not to let it hold us back.”

It was during her thirties that Marsha discovered the work of Susan Jeffers and her bestselling book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway®, which was to have a lasting influence on both her own life and, later, her coaching work.

“The ideas were incredibly simple, but they changed the way I thought about fear, decisions and change. One of my biggest lightbulb moments was realising that I didn’t have to wait until I stopped feeling afraid before moving forward.”

Today, Marsha is a qualified coach, successful businesswoman and Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway practitioner. Through Potential Life, she now wants to use both her professional coaching experience and what she has learnt through her own life to support other women.

Her approach is warm, down-to-earth and practical. Coaching can support women facing a particular change or challenge, but it can equally be for someone who simply feels stuck, has lost confidence or knows there is more she would like from life.

This September, Marsha will be working with local not for project organisation What’s Your Problem CIC in Torquay, delivering a one-off free confidence workshop for women based on Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway®. The session will introduce practical tools for understanding fear, moving beyond comfort zones and developing greater confidence. The workshop will also be supported by Suze Howell, a local Counsellor who is donating her time to support the group.

“I love seeing that moment when someone starts to see themselves differently,” says Marsha. “Confidence isn’t about becoming a different person. Often, it’s about recognising the strengths that were already there and giving yourself permission to use them.”

In addition to confidence workshops, Potential Life offers one to one coaching for women who would like to develop a more positive mindset, grow their confidence and feel better equipped to make changes in their personal or professional lives.

To find out more about Marsha and Potential Life, visit:

Contact Marsha Cox

Contact Suze Howell