Curtin graduate and Business, Executive & Personal Coach at Coaching Business Success Mary Argese.
For the past 20 years, Mary Argese has navigated the challenges of building and running a high-performing coaching business as a devoted single mother.
While raising her four young daughters following a divorce, Mary embarked on the path of entrepreneurship with determination, pursuing a Graduate Diploma in Coaching at Curtin in 2005.
Through sheer grit and determination, she founded and nurtured her business, Coaching Business Success, while studying at Curtin.
Since launching in 2006, Mary has grown her business from the ground up. Now, she is lending her wealth of leadership knowledge and experience to a diverse range of clients, including Rio Tinto, Shadforth Financial Group, East Maddington Primary School and Metro Steel Services, to name a few.
Passionate about bringing out the best in people, Mary has dedicated her life to empowering leaders and business owners to take charge of their lives, make decisions, and effectively lead while balancing work and personal life.
Can you share a bit more about your journey as a single mum and why you decided to go back to university?
In 2004, my life shattered when I separated from my ex-husband.
I was living on less than $30,000 for many years and supporting my four daughters, who were all attending private schooling. This was one of the most challenging moments of my life.
During this time, I was relying on Centrelink to get by with my family, but I wanted to be an independent woman contributing to society and lead by example for my daughters.
This calling led me to pursue a Graduate Diploma in Coaching at Curtin in 2005.
I decided to pursue this career path as I wanted to ultimately run a business where I could still be a full-time mum who could drop the kids off at school each day and pick them up.
So, I researched all there was about coaching and had to figure out if I could afford to pursue further education while keeping a roof over my head, paying for private school fees and uniforms, and all the other necessities.
Making this dream a reality meant that I had to be resourceful to survive with my family, which meant using food vouchers at every opportunity, looking for specials every week at the supermarket, and buying second-hand school uniforms.
While I was studying at Curtin, I launched my business, Life Coaching Success – now Coaching Business Success.
When I first started my coaching business, I didn’t have any clients, and it has taken years to build my business to where it is today.
This would not have been possible without the support of my incredible daughters, who have been right by my side from day one.
They all had their chores, made their lunches, and we did a lot of home cooking – we even made bread from scratch!
Ultimately, this allowed me to extend my time in the office and grow my business, which in turn, has allowed me to support my family in ways that I never thought possible when I first started.
Q. What advice do you have for single mothers who want to achieve their dreams but may feel like it’s not possible given the demands of life and parenthood?
For single mums, I would say be yourself and communicate with your kids.
Whether you’re working full-time, part-time, or studying for a degree – time is precious, make sure that you are present with your children when you’re with them.
I never intended for my marriage to end, but sometimes you must let go of what is no longer serving you, even if you’re trying so hard to keep everything together.
At the end of the day, you must do what is best for you in that situation, for your family and mental health.
When you do move on, make sure to look after yourself and when confronted with a challenging situation, taking the time to stop and have a coffee for ten minutes before immediately reacting to a situation can be incredibly helpful.
When I got my first five clients in my business, the first thing I purchased was a coffee machine.
Now, 20 years later, every time I have a cup of coffee, I remember that moment when I learned to look after myself. As single mothers, we must look after ourselves.
Alleviating some of the financial burden single mothers face, the Allison Taylor Single Mum Scholarship empowers single mothers with financial support and resources as they pursue their higher education. Learn more about Allison’s legacy here.
Mary Argese, Business, Executive & Personal Coach at Coaching Business Success
Since graduating from Curtin with a Postgraduate Diploma in Business (Human Resource Management, 1994), followed by a Graduate Diploma in Coaching (2007), Mary is passionate about helping people become the best versions of themselves as a Business, Executive & Personal Coach. Since launching in 2006, Coaching Business Success has become a pillar for support, guidance, and growth for businesses, teams, and individuals nationally and internationally.
