Life choices with Katrina Goodsir and the A1 journey

My story with A1 Coaches? When it all begun?  At the time, I was working part time, morning shift at Sky. My daughter Megan was already a lovely 5 year old girl and my part time job allowed me to spend more time with her. 

Spending time with my family is very important for me of course, but I am also a career centred woman, I like to share with my husband the responsibility of providing for the sustenance of the family and creating the means necessary to have a good life.

In this case, having a good life also meant finding the right balance between work and family time. I was very conscious that any time spent at work should translate into a higher quality time with my family.

During that period my mother was a key player for me to be able to accomplish all my goals: She looked after Megan when I was busy, and when it is your mother who cares about your child, you can actually have enough peace of mind as to continue doing the things that are important to you knowing that your child is in the best of hands.

Almost by coincidence I started doing a part time afternoon shift with A1 Coaches. In those times, Colleen was all by herself at the office, and she welcomed having someone to help her out with the ever increasing workload.  It had been Ian, my father in law, to arrange for me to work with A1 as a part timer. It was very rewarding for me to be working along with my husband, as it was rewarding to be working on the family’s business.

My daughter Megan was quickly growing up, and so was the family business. It soon became clear that I could take on full time hours with A1.  So I left my job with Sky and started full time with A1, somewhere between 8 to 10 hours a day. As a wife I couldn’t be happier: I was spending 24 hours with my husband.  With the company premises being so close to my home, there was no commuting time to worry about. 

The family business was flourishing and you had to put the hours in if you wanted to reap the rewards.  I am very grateful to both my mother and daughter for their understanding; they have greatly contributed to my success.

My mother was my angel, thanks to her I was able to plough on with the work. Having me spend more hours away to work was not something my daughter Megan favoured, although she was a very understanding child and she took on well spending more time with her grandma during the week, like she understood I was working for a greater good. 

And the rewards of these past ten years are there for all to see: My daughter Megan has turned into a woman and is now pursuing her own career; the company has flourished and continues to thrive.

I look forward to the Friday night when I gather with my family, my kids, my grandkids for our Friday Family Dinner.

I have found a way to balance out my personal and professional lives; I have quality time to spend with the family, time to myself too: I devote some time to fitness so I regularly attend the gym and spend more time cooking healthier foods.

It’s been a long journey since I started almost ten years ago with A1 Coaches, but I look forward to watching the company grow even more for the next ten years, and then I will retire early and go travel the world with my husband in our motor home.

I see Pop Goodsir in the mural every morning when I come in the office... he’s smiling...  I smile back at him and start a new day!