A bit about me.

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I live in North London, am married and am Mum to two fantastic (mostly!) teenagers. 

Growing up, I was the youngest of seven children and a twin.  Life in a large family helped me hone skills for life, not least fast-tracking the development of a fairly robust sense of humour from a young age.  

GCSE's, A Levels, University followed.  My first employer sponsored me to do my Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.  After which I moved to a £billion high growth FTSE 100 PLC. I  got progressively promoted and moved into increasingly senior HR leadership roles with the opportunity to work alongside Plc. Board CEO's and their leadership teams.   It was exciting,  challenging and also very hard work.  I would anecdotally joke that I didn't sleep for the first 3 years in role; a badge of honour that was closer to  the truth than I cared to admit. I was prone to work long hours, sacrificed work-life balance and strove constantly to keep every plate spinning: mostly to  impress the 'be better' critic in my head. 

My career was on fast-track, I'd also got married and  we were expecting our first child.  Everything was going 'to plan'.  But the route to becoming a parent turned out not  to be straightforward.  Add to that a demanding career, and I realised that I would need to do things differently in order to align with who I was becoming and wanted to be. I worked out what mattered to me, gained clarity on my values, identified my strengths and weaknesses.  I got to a work-life balance that was sustainable  and in the process developed more meaningful connections with those around me and more compassion for myself. 

Why AWE Coaching?

I founded AWE Coaching to spend more time doing what I love most in my career, supporting compassionate and courageous individuals to gain clarity on what matters most to them and achieve their full potential in a fully aligned way.  I know that work and life are inextricably linked, progress is rarely a straight line, things can get messy. and this continues to inform the way I work today.  

Fun (ish) facts: 

• AWE is an acronym for 'And what else?',  possibly the best coaching question you will ever be asked 
• 'AWE' denotes wonder, curiosity, reflection and deep respect - in my opinion these are foundation stones for coaching, and
•  AWE is an acronym of the initials of my children's names. 

Away from family and work, I love being active and outdoors.  I'm an enthusiastic, albeit relative latecomer to solo endurance challenge events preferably long distance walks, hiking, running  or climbing mountains somewhere remote and scenic.  The rest of the time I can usually be found with a good book or podcast and a strong cup of tea. Or the dog. The teenagers are usually nowhere in sight because well, they're teenagers. 

I'm a senior HR Leader with 25 years successful industry experience gained in award-winning people teams, in both the private and not-for-profit sector, spanning FTSE100 Plc.'s, SMEs and start ups of different size and sophistication.  My particular expertise is in developing leadership capability, building high performing teams, strategic business partnering, managing complex change and employee relations.  

The vast majority of my career has been built around partnering leaders, founders, managers and experienced professionals, as their strategic thinking partner, trusted advisor and critical friend.  I have a breadth of cross-sector experience and have worked with clients in finance, retail, technology, professional services, biotechnology and  not-for-profit charitable and third sector organisations.

It's important to me to build deep and human connections creating a safe and confidential space where people can do their best thinking. I particularly love working one to one with individuals, helping them to unpack problems and experiences so they can move forwards feeling resourced, capable, and supported. I provide an objective lens to expand their view of the current situation, combining candour and  constructive challenge with compassion and high support.  Awareness of well-being informs my approach and is essential if you are serious about playing - and staying - the long game.

My own career hasn't always been a straight line, and I know first hand  that life and work can at times be complex and affect how we think, feel and behave.  There have been times when I've felt caught in indecision between career or kids, health or wealth, and felt bound to make either/or choices with a personal or professional cost.  Life can sometimes throw you lemons and when you add work and relationships into the mix, it can take its toll. 

My experience makes me uniquely equipped to support you and your thinking.  There isn't much I haven't seen, done (or bought the t-shirt).  You can trust that you will be understood, you will be seen and heard, supported and constructively challenged,  without judgement.  As your coach, I get it. 

I  am a qualified Coach at Practitioner Level, accredited with the European Mentoring & Coaching Council and comply with the EMCC Global Code of Ethics, this includes undertaking regular, formal supervision to ensure my practice meets professional level coaching standards. I am a certified NLP for Business Coach Practitioner and currently completing certification as an Emotions Coach Practitioner.  I'm a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. I also have a BA (Hons) Degree in English and Translated Literature.