How I Got to Here

(The true story of how I left corporate and found fulfilment…)

Most people know me as the Conscious Career Coach helping women over 45 find themselves and career fulfilment, especially when at a career crossroads.

I help them discover who they are, why they’re here, and what they want next, through the wisdom of their inner compass and the power of their sovereign self.

I’m a qualified coach and Experiential Focusing Practitioner, with a background in both person-centred counselling, and working in large organisations. And I have been successfully coaching professional women since 2004.

What you might not know about me is …

…When I left a successful, if unfulfilling, corporate career to train in psychotherapy I didn’t have ANY clear idea about what I wanted or where I was going.

After qualifying as a therapist, (as well as moving 500 miles across country, and having a baby – yeah life got complicated!) – I became interested in executive coaching, helping women through major life and career transitions. But ironically, although I got great results with clients, I lacked clarity and direction for myself.

And even though I’d changed career and location completely, I still didn’t know who I was – so I struggled to believe in myself.

So I kept restarting, chopping and changing, basically going round in circles inside myself. I felt confused, direction-less, and stuck.

It was not at all how I’d imagined working for myself would be. Instead of feeling fulfilled, I felt burnt out and like I was sabotaging myself.

So eventually, there I was, early fifties, a successful coach, yet feeling like a fraud because I hadn’t sorted out my own “stuff”

Then one day I came across an inspiring new book about a little-known somatic process I’d first come across back when I was training as a therapist.

As I delved into this process I began to experience radical shifts in how I understood myself and my work.

Soon I found a mentor (the fantastic Fiona Parr) who helped me deepen my practice and then train in using this practice in my work.

And I realised that this method was the missing link that enabled all of the many other trainings and self-discoveries to work together.

As a result I was able to heal the self-belief and self-sabotage blocks that had held me back.

AND also to articulate and activate my deeply held yearnings to make a difference, this time with clarity and action.

So what have I learned?

I’ve learned that getting into our 50s is a watershed experience. I really did feel like it was now or never to sort my life out. (No pressure then!)

I learned that true fulfilment comes from

a) being true to who you are (which starts with knowing who you are)

b) finding both meaning and value in your work and also across your life

This is as true whether you work for yourself or you are an employee.

Career change after 50, for my clients, is most often driven by a desire to find both themselves and fulfilment in this next phase of life. Most often that’s through reinventing how they work and/or what they do.

You might be surprised to learn that your body knows the way to do this.

The “secret” is to consult your wise inner compass – your “felt sense”. When you do this, you can release blocks to action and decision-making. And at the same time activate a reliable source of confidence, wisdom, direction, and growth.

What a relief!

As a result of all this I could finally claim and commit to my most important and fulfilling work.

In addition, I feel clear, grounded, empowered, and deeply resourced both as a business owner and as a coach.

This is why I do the work I do:

Too many mid-life women are fed-up, run-ragged, and wondering “Is this it?” They’re struggling with a tangled combination of lack of self-belief and lack of direction. Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve read this far, I’m guessing that you too want a more fulfilling career doing meaningful work. But you’re stuck in your head. You don’t know who you are without your corporate id. And you feel disconnected and disillusioned.

At 50, you want clarity and confidence that you’re on your right path. And you’re done waiting.

I help you short circuit the years of wondering and wandering.

I do this through coaching and teaching you to connect with your own “inner compass”, in order to find your best way forward. There are a lot of moving parts to this mid-life transition so it’s vital that you have dedicated time and support to help you figure it all out.

Above all I’m here to support you in stepping into your power and resources as your own boss, whether you work for yourself or for someone else. So you can flourish. And, finally, be fulfilled at work. 

Is this resonating with you? If so, click the button below to check out ways we might work together…