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My desire to discover more about myself and to do something meaningful with my life led me to train as a psychiatric nurse over 30 years ago.

During this time, I worked with people of all ages and from all different types of backgrounds. Whatever their ‘diagnosis’ or set of ‘symptoms’, I learned that what most people wanted was to be listened to with compassion and respect, and for their stories to be taken seriously. As part of this I learned how to be present to people in distress and not be fazed by it. I learned to see the commonality in the human experience, beyond the labels that people had been given.

 

For most of my nursing career I worked with children and families. I loved being around the playfulness and spontaneity of children and I got a huge amount of satisfaction from working with parents around how they could be the best possible guardians and guides for their children.

 

It was a natural step from here to specialise further and train as a play therapist. It was here where I learned the intrinsic value of play and free expression- not just for children, but for all people. This sense of playfulness is something which I believe many adults have lost. I find that in my coaching practice, bringing in an element of playfulness can greatly enhance creative problem solving. Coaching is an important endeavour, but it doesn’t always have to be ‘serious’!

 

After 20 years of working in mental health it was time for a change. I loved the essence of the work, but I had become weary with the constraints and demands of the system I was working in. My own mental health was suffering. It was time for a completely fresh start. This came in the form of an opportunity to live and work at Gaia House, a Buddhist retreat centre in Devon. At that time, I’d had an established meditation practice for a number of years and leapt at the chance to both further my own personal development and to be part of a community offering my service. My 18 months at Gaia House taught me the value of slowing down and doing one thing at a time with the intention of doing it wholeheartedly. I learned how to get curious about even the most seemingly insignificant moments of experience.

 

This way of being, integral to who I am, has strongly influenced my style of coaching. I bring a mindful presence to my practice and invite people to slow down, take time to explore their inner life, be comfortable with silence and recognise the benefits of being still. 

 

My time at Gaia House was invaluable in terms of understanding the workings of my own mind, but there was still something unfulfilled in me. I realised this was a longing for something more ‘earthy’, something more ‘in touch’ with the land. This yearning led me to Embercombe, a land based environmental project, also in Devon, where I lived and worked for 18 months as the Volunteer Coordinator. 

 

Embercombe was a special time for me. I immersed myself in ‘life on the land’. Each day began with everyone sat in a circle around a fire pit, sharing from the heart. Then we would collectively organise the day’s work on the land. I sat around fires, harvested fruit from the forest garden, turned my hand to green woodworking and got involved in forest school activities with young children. For really the first time in my life I came to understand the meaning of community- understanding the interdependent nature of my relationships with others; sharing my feelings and allowing myself to be vulnerable and recognising the fundamental human need for connection and togetherness. More than any other time in my life my time at Embercombe confirmed to me what’s really important in life: people, time and space, nature and a sense of belonging.

 

In recent years a major part of my personal development has come through my involvement with the ManKind Project (MKP), an organisation committed to helping men discover their true selves. For much of my adulthood I’ve questioned the models of masculinity available to me culturally and found many of them to be wanting. Through my work with MKP I’m much more ‘in my own skin’ as a man, and simply more at ease with who I am as a person. I very much bring this experience to my coaching and love working with men around issues of identity and masculinity.

My work within MKP reflects a long-standing commitment to my own personal development. I have undertaken regular periods of personal therapy and coaching throughout my adult life and believe I have a great deal of empathy for what it’s like to sit in the ‘client’s seat’. I see this as essential in enabling me to be the best coach I can be.

 

When I’m not coaching there’s nothing I love more than being outdoors- birdwatching, tending to the garden, spending time by the sea. I also have a love of woodworking, particularly upcycling wooden pallets to make furniture. Having a healthy work / life balance is important to me- getting the right balance contributes to me being the best possible coach I can be.

Training, Qualifications and Experience