Behind Grey Matters Coaching & Marketing is me… Meryl Da Costa Rohland. I am a wife to an incredibly lucky man, and a mom of three kids (two teenagers, and one little dinosaur).
To help keep me centered and grounded I turn to nature. Tending to my plants and taking walks through my garden is one of my favourite mindfulness exercises I try to practice daily.
I am a Mindfulness and ππ¨π¬π’ππ’π―π ππ¬π²ππ‘π¨π₯π¨π π² Specialist Wellness Counsellor & Communications and Marketing Specialist. Having over 17 years of experience in counselling, marketing and communications, media relations, and training within the mental health, physical health, and well-being industry.
Why coaching
I have experienced challenges in my life, and I had to deal and overcome them on my own- without the support or mentorship from others. Through trial and error, and many obstacles, I managed to figure out what my strengths were, how to utilise skills that I already possessed (but not yet realised) such as resilience, authenticity, perseverance, optimism, and positivity. Doing this alone was not easy. This is one of the reasons I want to help others. I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to navigate through their life journey alone. Over the years, my experiences and skills have enabled me to support others in their personal journeys and to create positive behavioural change.
Through the coaching business, I help individuals grow by helping them live their lives authentically by applying positive psychology principles in our coaching sessions.
Why marketing
I stumbled on marketing and communications accidently. I was asked to take over this responsibility at a previous organisation with no experience, other than my knowledge of mental health and my drive for creativity. Within a few months, I turned the department and organisation on its head- generating over R100 000 000.00 (I double checked, this is not a typo) worth of advertising over a period of one year.
I understand that marketing and communications is a specialised field that takes years of practice and knowledge. I also know that healthcare professionals’ main priority is taking care of their patients, and therefore often don’t have the time to “figure” out how to get started. However, marketing is an essential part of running a business or private practice.
Through the marketing business, it is my priority to help healthcare professionals grow their business through brand development & awareness using various marketing strategies.
Experience is important, but to back it up, I also have:
- Hons. Degree in Psychology, University of South Africa (UNISA),
- BA Degree in Psychology University of Johannesburg (UJ),
- Positive Psychology Masterclass (PositivePsychology.com),
- Life Coaching (Centre of Excellence),
- Neuroscience Coaching University of Pretoria (UP),
- Neurolinguistic Programming (Centre of Excellence),
- Mindfulness (PositivePsychology.com),
- Relationship Psychology (Centre Excellence),
- Marketing for Therapists and Coaches (Centre Excellence),
- Copywriting training (Marion Scher),
- Media relations training (Marion Scher)