A former social studies teacher has started a life coaching business to help people pause, reflect and break out of unhelpful patterns in their lives.

Shannon Davis launched The Growth Mirror in December 2024, offering one‑to‑one coaching sessions, small group workshops and corporate programmes, both in person and virtually.

She developed a taste for coaching while working in the school system.

“Young people would find themselves in my space outside of social studies,” she said. “They would come in frustrated, full of self‑doubt and overwhelm. They always left feeling like they knew what they needed to do. They had clarity and confidence.”

Her fellow teachers also started popping by for coffee and advice. Realising that she had a gift, she completed an accredited coaching certification in wellbeing and resilience.

Although what she does sometimes feels therapeutic, she makes clear that she is not a licensed therapist.

Last August she left the classroom to focus more on The Growth Mirror. However, she is still doing workshops in schools, including a recent retreat at Mount Saint Agnes. She is also working as programme co-ordinator for the Centennial Bermuda Foundation, running its scholarship programme.

In a typical workshop she posts several different questions and lets participants choose the ones they want to answer. Sessions often get very deep, and sometimes there are tears. Suddenly, total strangers become friends, comforting each other.

“I also have private clients,” Ms Davis said. “Those are more intentional, with one‑on‑one exploration.”

She has done workshops in schools for students and educators. She also did one just for men. Now she is looking at doing one for mothers.

One of the challenges for a business like this is the amount of trust it requires. People to accept that they need to make changes. She said Bermuda’s small population means it is sometimes difficult to break free of behaviour patterns.

Ms Davis is a recent graduate of the Ignite business accelerator programme.

“The Growth Mirror really took off under Ignite, because the programme helped me take accountability for certain things that I was not trusting myself to be able to do that had more to do with just running the business, such as monetising my gifts,” she said.

At first she felt a little guilty for charging people. She has since gotten over that feeling. “My work has real value,” she said. “It takes time and effort to prepare for these workshops.”

She believes her product speaks for itself.

“When I pull the data and look at the reports, people say they feel much clearer on what they need to do next,” Ms Davis said. “For the first time ever, they have said these things out loud, and they feel like a weight has lifted from their shoulders.”

Ignite also helped her broaden her focus. When she first came up with The Growth Mirror she thought it would only be for young people. During her time at Ignite she held multiple workshops for adults, and found it worthwhile.

• For more information see thegrowthmirror.com