About me

“When I accept myself just as I am, then I can change. People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be.”

– Carl Rogers

I am a qualified, insured and DBS checked Adolescent and Adult Coach, regulated by the IAPC&M. In April this year I finished a four-year training in Adolescent Coaching with Noble Manhattan, which included 400 hours of training and 90 clinical hours, 45 of which were within schools. Just a little trumpet blow: I received distinction in my diploma.

I work within a school environment and in private practice, which is face to face in the Four Shires area or over Zoom and Teams across the UK. I work with adolescent and young adults, in parenting partnerships and with schools. I not only provide coaching in one-to-one sessions, but can also deliver workshops, lessons, talks and programmes to pupils, staff and parents.

This is my ‘second’ career… After nearly 20 years as a writer and editor, I took a long look at the world my two young daughters were to inherit, and it looked… tricky. Even trickier than I remembered. The pressure to do more, have more and be more has never been more intense, and nor has the competition. Even before Covid came along we were in a period of extreme distruption: politically, environmentally and socially. It looks scary out there, so no wonder our children – and let’s face it, most adults – are anxious. But it is the same big, wide, beautiful world it has always been: we just need the tools and skills to navigate a more complex environment. 

As much as I loved working in journalism, I also wanted to make a positive change around me. I found my teens and 20s deeply confusing and stressful, and having someone I could talk to, work through plans with and learn techniques and tools for dealing with life’s struggles and complexities would have been a huge bonus. I got there in the end… but much heartache (and many mistakes!) could have been saved with someone on my side.

I kept plowing on, and along the way learned to survive, thrive and succeed. It was in my late 30s I realised that my struggles were the point, and that (nearly) everyone feels clueless much of the time. But a helping hand earlier in the process would have been great – a few life skills to make every decision less hit and miss, to help me build and grow and perhaps not make the same mistakes several times. Someone to work with me to work out how my skills could help me find a job, thrive in the workplace, and where I should go when I wanted to change career. A neutral listener when I needed to have difficult conversations and build better relationships, to show me how to manage everyday stress, show self care and so on.

Perfection is a myth: everyone struggles with their direction at times, and that’s just part of being human. But a helping hand to find clarity of purpose, to move forward in life with a strong inner compass, can make all the difference.