My background

Coaching for me is the happy outcome of a lot of personal development and actively managing change in my own life.

I began life coaching in an informal way, helping family, friends and colleagues handle personal development and change. Early in 1998, I discovered the profession of life coaching. At that time, no formal training programmes were available in the UK so I began an intensive one-to-one training course with one of the UK's longest-established coaches, Charles Bentley. In 1999, I set up my private coaching practice. Later, I studied neuro-linguistic programming and qualified as an NLP Practitioner. In 2002, I completed further training with the Coaches' Training Institute and, in 2007, I was awarded the credential of Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation.

Coaching is my third successful career change. After a period of drift in my twenties, I got a degree (in Literature) at the age of 31 after several years working with the probation service. Since then, I've worked in publishing and in marketing and risen to management level in a large multinational. I've also run my own marketing consultancy.

On a personal level, I have come to terms with difficulties in my early life and amicably ended a 10 year marriage. After 15 years in London, I moved to Sussex in 2003 to start the next phase of my adventure through life.

In addition to running a thriving life coaching practice, I am also a leadership and executive coach, through my company Inner Leader Limited, and was co-creator of the Firework Coaching Company which offers career coaching and also trains life coaches to become career coaches.