IAPC&M Accredited Master Coach. Over 2,000 hours of coaching, ten years of practice and experience spanning nine industries.
Based in Devon, working with leaders across the UK and internationally.
I work with people who are great at what they do and are now being asked to do something harder.
Moment I knew I wanted to do this
I was working for an incredible organisation called, Project Trust, which at the time was based on the Isle of Coll in Scotland (less than 250 people) and from there I travelled the world as I was the desk officer and later the senior desk officer (old terms that were used, they might align more with country programme manager)…anyway, my role with the rest of the team was to recruit, select, train volunteers that were being sent to countries all over the world, my remit was Central America (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras) and Dominican Republic, parts of Southern Africa (eSwatini, Lesotho, South Africa)…I visited the volunteers in country and set up new projects and when they came back, I debriefed them.
I absolutely loved it, at the time Project and leadership aligned with my personal values of belonging, freedom and uniqueness. I had gone overseas with Project Trust before university and lived in Honduras as a volunteer, it changed the way that I saw the world and again when I worked for them, it reminded me of the wonder of people and how with support and encouragement anything was possible.
I had become jaded after working in education in London…the Isle of Coll brought back hope and reminded me to see beauty everywhere, focus on what’s important, take the time to breathe and connect, reflect and it was during a period of change at Project Trust, new leadership, when I realised that I no longer aligned with the company….I sat down and looked at my skills, what I had been doing and what I enjoyed, and that was seeing people grow, seeing them become better versions of themselves.
I stayed on the island and start my journey/ studies into coaching with Curly Martin…I stayed on the island for another 18 months / 2 years -working at a hotel….I went back to Skinners although it was now a new school and an Academy where I got to coach the students…in 2014 I took the leap and started Dragonfly Pathways Ltd in Jamaica – I moved countries and started my own coaching company and loved it…..Dragonfly in many cultures, symbolise self-realisation, transformation and change…they spend so much of their life as a nymph, which can be up to 5 years and then have a maximum of 8 weeks as a dragonfly….so many of us are like that…as I was in my period of transformation, I wanted to support others along their journey.
Accredited, and Highly Experienced
Master Coach is the senior tier of accreditation awarded by the International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring. It’s assessed on demonstrated coaching hours, supervised practice and evidence of competence.
You can’t just complete a course to gain this accreditation. It takes years of logged practice and experience to reach and it can’t be bought.
Ten years of practice across nine industries means the patterns I recognise are not drawn from one sector’s way of doing things. A first-time director in manufacturing and a partner in professional services are facing different contexts and often the same underlying problem.
- Financial Services
- Technology & Digital
- Professional & Business Services
- Energy & Utilities
- Construction & Infrastructure
- Life Sciences & Healthcare
- Creative Industries & Media
- Sport
- Entrepreneurship & Founder-led Businesses
How coaching with me works
Every engagement starts with an open conversation and we go from there.
My pledge is to always be honest with you and to work impartially to help you find the best way forward.
Tell us about a client who came to you stuck on something
I had a client that wanted to quit smoking as well as reorganise their finances as they wanted to buy a house within the next 3 years.
While the goal and motivation for the finances was clear and we were able to put in actionable steps, the quitting smoking was not having the same success, it was then I realised I was asking the wrong questions.
So I asked about their why….what was their reason for quitting smoking? Their answer, oh because everybody wants me to and it’s bad for me. I then asked if they thought smoking was bad for them, they responded…that’s what everybody says…so I asked again, what do you think?
They didn’t think it was bad for them as they didn’t smoke that much…When we realised that they didn’t really want to quit, they decided to not have it as a goal anymore and focus on their finances.
The question that week around you spending led to them deciding to track all spending for the next 10 days to see if there were areas that they’d forgotten to account for….by the next coaching session, they had quit smoking….this was the unexpected expense that was eating into their saving for the house….by focusing in on their why…they were able to get clear on their goals and more importantly take action towards it.
Within the leadership space, the challenge is often around how to show up in a way that resonates well with the team while staying true to oneself.
I was recently coaching a leader who got along well with his team and he was comfortable and happy in that space…he struggled with his peers and even those that managed him.
He felt he was not listened to or his contributions were acknowledged, he also felt that he was in battle with his peers, or always trying to get them to do what they’re …we took the time to look at a variety of situations and identify what was true and what needed to be reframed. We also identified how he wanted to show up with his peers and what steps needed to be taken…this made a huge difference in how he communicated with his peers, instead of being confrontational, he was able to see the value in ever member and what they brought to the table.
We then challenged language used and discussed ways to communicate more effectively. He was able to build a relationship with his peers and became more confident in meetings and sharing information.
The kind of clients I don’t work well with
I’m not for people who want to stay exactly as they are while expecting everything around them to change.
I work with people who want to solve an issue whether that be with themselves, with a team, a colleague, a restructure, maybe they need to make a difficult decision or lessen the pressure of carrying too much. In coaching ‘the problem / challenge’ that people first bring to the table, is often not the one that they want to work on.
The useful work begins when we get underneath everything and ask: what is actually happening here, what is yours to own, what is being driven by expectation or habit and what genuinely deserves your attention?
That is where I add the most value.
My work is grounded in belonging, freedom and uniqueness, so everything is tailored to my clients as we agree on how they prefer to be coached, for those with busy schedules and prefer short meetings I offer a 25 min sessions, for those that want coaching and accountability the ultimate package provides both. What does a coaching session look like, in practice it means creating a space where an individual can think without having to perform, be able to say what they want to say and aren’t always able to say elsewhere, to make choices that are genuinely theirs rather than simply reacting to pressure, politics or other people’s expectations.
The least natural fit is someone looking primarily for validation, advice or confirmation that the problem sits entirely with everyone else.
Coaching becomes powerful when there is enough curiosity to examine your own part in the situation, enough honesty to see what may need to change and enough courage to act on it. You do need to be willing to become the best version of yourself. The people I work best with are capable, thoughtful people who are prepared to challenge their own assumptions, make clearer choices and take responsibility for what happens next.
How I coach
Every engagement starts with an open conversation and we go from there.
What does a first session with you look like, practically?
A first session with me starts with contracting. We agree on how we are going to work together, what the client wants from coaching, what they can expect from me and what I will expect from them. That includes confidentiality, boundaries, roles, responsibility and how we will know the coaching is useful.
I make it clear that the client owns the agenda, the decisions and the actions. My role is to create space for thinking, to ask questions, reflect what I notice and challenge where that may be useful.
I then ask what they want to focus on, what they would like to leave the session with and what would make the conversation valuable.
From there, we explore.
I listen closely for what is being said, what may sit underneath it, where there are patterns, tensions or assumptions and what seems to have the most energy around it. I may reflect something back, ask permission to challenge or test an observation.
I also check in during the conversation to make sure we are still working on what matters most to them.
Towards the end, we bring the session back to what they wanted from it. We look at what they have noticed, what has shifted, what they now understand differently and what, if anything, they want to do next.
Any action belongs to the client. We may explore what would make it realistic, what might get in the way and what accountability they want or need.
I close by reviewing the session with them: what they are taking away, what was most useful and whether there is anything they want to carry forward into the next conversation.
First session is:
Contract the relationship → contract the session → explore → notice and challenge → review what has shifted → identify next steps → close and reflect.
What do you do when a client arrives without knowing what they want to work on?
Quick answer is: ask questions and let them talk uninterrupted – I will usually slow the conversation down and create enough space for them to notice what is present. I might ask what has been taking up most of their headspace, what has had the most energy around it recently, what feels unresolved, or what they keep coming back to.
Sometimes the topic appears very quickly. Sometimes what first comes up is only the surface issue, so we stay curious until we find the thing that feels most useful to explore.
“I don’t know” is not a problem to solve, it is often useful information in itself.
Once something begins to emerge, we contract around it: what would make this conversation useful, what they want to understand or shift and what they would like to leave with.
The important thing is that the agenda still comes from the client. My role is to help them notice what is already there not manufacture a goal for them.
Quite often, the session that starts with “I’m not sure what I want to talk about” ends up getting to something that has been sitting underneath the noise for a while.
Is there a model, framework or set of questions you return to consistently? If so, what is it and where does it come from?
I work flexibly rather than coach from one fixed model, focusing on the client and what they need from the conversation always come first.
My practice is grounded in the ICF Core Competencies, particularly around contracting, partnership, listening, evoking awareness and supporting client-led growth. My practice is also informed by the professional standards and coaching principles of the IAPC&M, where I am an Accredited Master Coach. Both reinforce the importance of contracting, partnership, ethical practice, deep listening, client responsibility and creating the conditions for meaningful change.
I also draw on GROW and the ICANDO models where they are useful. I use them as frameworks to support the conversation rather than as a script to follow. Depending on what the client brings, they can help create structure, identify what is already working, open up possibilities and move towards a meaningful next step.
I am also very intentional about language. Where appropriate, I use positive, possibility-focused language that supports clients move towards what they want to create, rather than spending all of the conversation focused on what they want to avoid.
The questions I return to most often are simple and tend to create space rather than close it down:
- What matters most?
- What are you noticing?
- What is already working?
- What are you assuming?
- What is yours to own?
- What do you want instead?
- What becomes possible from here?
- What are you choosing?
- What would make this conversation useful?
- What is the next meaningful step?
- What if anything is standing in your way?
Over time, I have noticed that my coaching naturally moves through a pattern of creating space, noticing what is present, separating what matters from the noise, making a choice and deciding what action, if any, follows.
That has developed through years of practice rather than from relying on one single model.
What does a client have to be willing to do for coaching with you to work?
A client has to be willing to be honest with themselves. They need to be open to looking beyond the presenting issue, questioning their own assumptions and noticing the part they may be playing in what is happening.
They also need to be willing to take ownership. Coaching works best when the client is prepared to ask, “What do I want?” and “What am I choosing?”
They need enough curiosity to explore, enough openness to be challenged and enough courage to act on what becomes clear.
That does not mean they need to arrive with all the answers, or even with a clear goal. They can be uncertain, frustrated, stuck or overwhelmed. What matters is a willingness to think honestly, stay engaged with the process and do something with what they discover.
The strongest coaching relationships are with clients who are prepared to bring the real issue into the room, rather than the polished version of it.
Who I Work With
Most of the people I coach are somewhere in the gap between competence and confidence. They’ve been promoted because they were excellent at the work, and are now expected to lead other people who do it. That’s a different job, learned publicly, usually without much support.
That includes executives carrying the weight of a decision nobody else can make, senior women navigating rooms that weren’t designed with them in mind, and first-time leaders who are still working out what kind of leader they intend to be. Some come through their organisation. Many come on their own, quietly, because they’d rather not raise a hand at work and say they are struggling.
When you work with me, you work with me. There’s no associate assigned once the contract is signed, no account manager between us, and no house method you’re fitted into. That’s one of the biggest advantages of working with me, and it’s the reason I keep things small and personal.
Where I Work
I’m based in Devon and much of my client base is in London.
In practice that’s never been the constraint people expect it to be. Coaching conversations work well remotely, often better, because a video call is easier to protect in a full diary than a half-day round trip, and easier to take somewhere private.
I split my time between the UK and Jamaica, and I coach clients internationally across time zones.
If you’d rather meet in person, I travel for that, and I take on a small number of in-person clients in the South West.
Let’s Start With a Conversation
A discovery call takes just 30 minutes, it’s free and carries no expectation that you book anything afterwards. It exists so we can both find out whether this is the right fit, because coaching only works when it is, and neither of us benefits from starting otherwise.
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