I’m a certified children’s coach and also work for Hertfordshire's Welwyn & Hatfield DSPL team (a partnership group that works with school SENCOs, local SEND organisations and families to improve the support available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.) I'm a volunteer mentor with MCR Pathways and most importantly I’m a Mum to two teens!

Some might say I’m just nosey, but I’ve always been fascinated by understanding people, what makes us all tick and why we think, feel and do the things we do. I enjoyed a 20+ year career in qualitative market research doing just that, working for clients including M&S, Sainsbury’s, Toyota, the Open University and HSBC to help them get a richer and deeper understanding of their customers, who they really are as people and how they can best meet their needs.

Being made redundant came as a bit of a shock, but has turned out to be a blessing in disguise! I took up a former colleague’s offer to receive some executive coaching which gave me the confidence to listen to and act upon the voice that was telling me to make the leap and do something new for the first time in a long time - if not now, when?! My two

criteria: keep working in something that involves understanding people; do something that has an impact greater than commercial success for brands. Coaching children and young people was a perfect and exciting path to follow!

Compared to counselling or therapy, coaching is a less intensive, short-term support, however I love how powerful and deep-rooted its impact can be. I use many of the projective and enabling techniques that I used in my research career to ensure my approach is child-centred and taps into the innate positivity, honesty and creativity that young people have within them. It gives me goosebumps even now when I’m describing how coaching guides young people towards that light bulb moment, when they realise that yes they can…, they are…, or they do know how to… 

I’m committed to working with honesty, respect and fun, helping young people to feel seen, heard and understood thanks to their own internal resources, self-awareness and self-belief.