I am a coach, facilitator, teacher and mentor, working on the development of human potential, and curious about our relationship with the world we inhabit and what lies beyond.
I trained as a humanistic, integrated, psychologically-oriented executive coach at the Metanoia Institute in London, achieving distinction at a Masters level. I have been practicing for over 25 years, predominantly with leaders in business but more recently with a broader range of people.
Fifteen years ago, I started a mindfulness practice, and went on to become a teacher and founder of The Mindful Life, a charity that teaches people to meditate. My practice and teaching are grounded in the Vipassana tradition of seeing things as the really are in order to develop insight in the personal, interpersonal and transpersonal realms.
Mindfulness is one of the tools I teach in resilience training, alongside other psychological tools and techniques. In a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) I subscribe to the view that mindset matters most, and work with individuals, groups and organisations to shift their attitude and perspective.
I am a trustee of The Hazel Hill charity, a woodland retreat centre grounded in exchange with the more-than-human world. We nurture this beautiful ecosystem, and in return, it provides us with endless opportunities for healing and learning.
My first degree was a first-class BA in drama, community theatre and media at Winchester University. As a mature student, I was able to apply helpful techniques in creativity, play and activism directly within my professional practice. My dissertation explored the mutual relationship between theatre and death. Practical projects included helping Young Carers find their voice and teenage prisoners speak truth to power.
Having been adopted at birth, I have recently started to use my own experience to become an advocate, coach and mentor for adult adoptees. There is a lot of hidden, often unconscious, suffering among the adoptee community and I am committed to helping where I can.
I have a passion for literacy and love to read. I helped establish, and currently lead, a local group of volunteers that coaches adults who have problems reading. Operating as part of the national charity, Read Easy, we have become the largest group in the country and are passionately committed to helping anyone who is struggling to read. I also write, both for my work and also for In Common, an independent, community, arts, culture and society website based in Southampton.
When I'm not working I love an eclectic mix of sports, particularly sailing, golf and snooker that I participate in, and football and cricket as an avid spectator. I enjoy running and yoga.