Coaching

My coaching helps people find courage in the complicated.

With my anthropology background, my coaching approach is grounded in curiosity and empathy. Anthropologists learn to step outside our version of ‘normal,’ suspend judgement, and consider things from many different perspectives. This is an especially important skill as we grapple with an era that some researchers are calling a “global polycrisis”: you are not alone in feeling that it’s almost impossible to set goals or carry out plans when <gestures at everything.> Life is pretty complicated right now. While I can’t promise to help you fix every vast, systemic global calamity that humanity faces, you CAN change how you respond to the unique challenges that you face every day.

As a cancer survivor, I know deep in my bones how a catastrophe can transform into an opportunity to explore personal growth, uncovering hidden reserves of resilience and inner strength. I’m based in the vibrant neighbourhood of Leith in Edinburgh, whose crest featuring a ship of hope over the motto ‘Persevere’ has been a source of solace and solidarity for people living here since the 12th century. As well as my own coaching practice I am an associate coach for Working With Cancer, a social enterprise that helps people remain in and return to work following a cancer diagnosis. I’m also a trained Mental Health First Aider, so I’m not afraid to listen to the stuff that really matters which brings up big or tough emotions. It may be that these are not right for a coaching journey, but I can help you figure out some resources to support you, no matter what comes up.

Is coaching right for me?

Coaching is an open and forward-looking series of conversations around a specific topic or challenge that you have identified. As a coach, it is my responsibility to help you view this challenge in a new way and to support you in identifying pathways to xmove forward in a positive direction. Coaches won’t offer advice or suggestions in the way that a mentor, consultant or teacher would, and we’re not counsellors or therapists: our role is to offer you the space and time to support your awareness in identifying different approaches for accomplishing your goal. I’ve been an International Coach Federation member since 2017 and I’m an Associate Certified Coach, meaning I’ve been assessed by experts in the field. My coaching always includes:

A complimentary discovery call to ensure we’re a good fit for co-creating a productive coaching relationship together. Ask me anything that will help you understand what our teamwork will entail!
Getting clear on your goal: what would success really look like for you? What will it mean to achieve your goal? What’s at stake? How will you celebrate when you’ve gotten there?
Identifying behaviours or thought patterns that may be impacting upon your success – through non-judgemental curiosity, empathy and playfulness!
A supportive, psychologically safe, confidential environment to promote progress towards your goal, including challenging some of those ‘inner gremlins’ when you’re getting in your own way.
Building your awareness of your strengths, resources and inner resilience to overcoming obstacles towards your goal.
Figuring out action steps that work for you to move purposefully towards what you want.
Acting as a supportive accountability partner to work through sticking points when things aren’t going to plan – and celebrating your successes when they are!

How we’ll do it

My coaching package for £540 can be any of the following:

6 60-minute sessions: the classic coaching package; great for steady, frequent progress to create rapid change in a defined timeframe – usually within 6-12 weeks.
5 70-minute sessions: more exploring room in each session to create space for greater insight, awareness and growth in defining and moving towards change.
4 90-minute sessions: useful for intense deep dives that need a more spacious shift in perspective away from the day-to-day to create the conditions for change, typically with a longer interval between sessions.

You decide how you want to work to support the change you have in mind: it’s the same amount of total session time whichever way you cut it!

I’m also currently offering these pro-bono or reduced-cost ways to get coaching with me (stay tuned as I regularly update these offers):

Join us for a monthly slice of Courage Pie! Life is a little complicated right now. Every month, I host a free online meetup to savour a slice of courage. With low-key guided activities, perceptive discussions, and a supportive community, Courage Pie is your space to reconnect with your inner resilience and leave with simple yet powerful commitments to reconnect with what really matters. Sign up here!

Pro-bono coaching hours through Coaching for Creatives to support anyone working in the creative industries. Creatives are facing a particularly difficult wellbeing crisis in the UK, and Coaching for Creatives offers various programmes of support. Learn more about the Coaching for Creatives coaching bank.
6 30-minute sessions for £300. These brief sessions are brilliant for offering a concentrated, focused space to clarify thinking. If a 60-90 minute session is a slow and steady hike through an expansive landscape of the mind, a 30-minute session is a brisk, refreshing walk. They both help you understand your inner landscape to gain clarity and forward momentum, but in a very different way. I have limited availability for these shorter sessions!