What’s my approach?
If you hire me as your coach, we will be working as a team and we will both contribute to the relationship and the work. I will offer my expertise and professional coaching skills to empower you to use your own knowledge, resources and capabilities to find the answers that you’re looking for. I will regularly check with you whether you’re happy with the direction and impact of the coaching so that we can make sure you get to where you want to be.
Coaching offers a chance to reflect about your over-arching values and vision in life and how your current goals (personal and professional) fit into this so that you can find the motivation and clarity to move forward, to make change happen and, more importantly, to feel fulfilled. Often our lives and our values are mis-aligned and this is why we feel stuck, confused, unmotivated, unfulfilled and unable to progress. Working to re-store alignment and finding a clear purpose for your life can unlock change and can hold the clues to solving the puzzle you came to coaching with.
What led me to coaching is its transformational value and its huge impact in the here and now. The ultimate aim of our work together is to bring tangible change. For that we need a balance between action and reflection. We tend to be naturally inclined towards one or the other. We can work to achieve a better balance by learning to value and creating space for both. Accountability to yourself or others plays an important role in getting things done. We can explore the accountability structures that work best for you.
I use a creative approach, which can include tools such as visualisation, embodiment or story telling. This can make our sessions fun and light. Equally, they will sometimes feel heavy and difficult. An important aspect of my role is to positively challenge you, to offer perspective and choice, to hold a mirror up so that you can gain clarity and understanding about yourself, what you want to achieve and what may be getting in the way. It is important to me that you always feel in charge and safe, so I always seek consent and check that we’re going at a pace and using tools that are compatible with your needs.
Change and coaching do not happen in a vacuum. Like any other aspect of life, coaching cannot escape the structures of power, privilege and oppression that rule the world. Understanding these structures, my privilege and the role I play in them, how some of them may affect me, how to fight them and how to be an effective and respectful ally is an on-going commitment of mine. Each person’s journey to change is shaped differently by these structures. I will be respectful of the fact that you have a unique life journey and set of experiences that is different to mine. We can also explore as much or as little as you like whenever these structures come up in our work together.
Coaching has traditionally been associated with those situated in powerful positions and with the ambition of some to succeed no matter what. However, not all coaching is the same. I believe the powerful and deep impact of certain approaches to coaching can support the drive to social change. My passion is for my coaching to be used and accessed by those who care about bringing positive change into the world.
“After our sessions together, I gained clarity and a sense of direction and commitment in relation to my identity after having moved to a new country: who I want to be, what I want to do and where I want to live”
– Emily Munro, freelance language tutor.
How does it work?
- Online sessions: I offer coaching sessions from my home in Lancaster, UK, to wherever you’re based, via Zoom or phone calls (whatever works best for you). If you’re based nearby we can explore the possibility of meeting face to face or of outdoors coaching.
- Time commitment: Coaching cannot be rushed. It is important to allow the right number of sessions and the space in between them to implement the ongoing learning in order to make the coaching process successful.
As everyone is different, I tailor the structure and length of the coaching process to each person. We will work at your pace and according to your needs. Coaching starts with a 1.5h session followed by hourly sessions, usually every other week. But we can adapt the interval of sessions to suit your circumstances and how you want to approach the work. As a general rule, an initial package of around 4 months (1×1.5h session plus 7x1h session every other week) is recommended.
For longer term work, after an initial spell of more regular work to establish the relationship, some people may prefer to move to one session a month.
- Cost: I operate a sliding scale based on trust. You decide what you can afford within the scale. The sliding scale for individual sessions is between £65 and £95 per session. The sliding scale for the starter recommended package of 4 months is between £552 and £807 for the whole package.
If you’re interested in my coaching, the first step is to book a free, no obligation discovery chat to find out whether we’re a good fit, to have a chance to ask any questions you may have including format and cost and to experience a sample session if you wish.
Am I the right coach for you?
Aside from the professionalism, approach, and expertise of a coach, the key element that makes coaching work is the relationship between the coach and the client. And for me, when I have been the one looking for a coach, this primarily has meant finding a coach who will ‘get me’ and respect me, who won’t make assumptions about any aspects of myself including my gender, sexual orientation, ability, race, culture, family configuration, aspirations, values… and exactly this is what I strive to offer my clients: a safe, non-judgemental and inclusive coaching space.
A coaching relationship is much like any other relationship: you need to feel the ‘sparkle’ which makes you feel at ease, connect and be able to build a trusting and productive relationship where you can be challenged, explore deeply and grow.
I invite you book a free, no obligation discovery chat to find out whether I am the right coach for you. I can answer any questions you may have and we can both get a sense of whether we connect and are a good match for working together.
