Summary
I’m a qualified coach, facilitator, psychotherapeutic counsellor, supervisor and Thinking Environment specialist and faculty at Time to Think.
I support people to make sense of the rapidly changing, uncertain world we’re in, helping them to build awareness, emotional literacy, strong relationships, new skills, and individual and collective resilience.
This can be through coaching, teaching, supervision, keynotes, talks, and guest spots on podcasts, or designing and running workshops and courses, or facilitating climate cafe listening circles, peoples’ assemblies and community meetings.
I aim to make human nature and the complex psychological reasons behind sometimes seemingly illogical behaviours and responses easier to understand, helping people to move into productive dialogue and positive action.
I also specialise in psychotherapeutic coaching to help people to overcome stubborn blocks to confidence, happiness and inner peace; it's a restorative, liberating and transformational journey.
I draw on many approaches, including the Thinking Environment, interpersonal and systems psychodynamics, Deep Ecology, the Work that Reconnects, Deep Adaptation, and more.
In 2024 I was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award from Coaching at Work magazine for my contributions to coaching & climate coaching. I have 15,000+ hours of coaching experience, gained from over 30 years’ in helping people to discover what makes them tick which helps them to have better conversations, better relationships and facilitate change and transformation.
My Experience
I have worked with thousands of people and over 300 organisations, from owner-managed start ups to large multinationals.
I have coached leaders and managers across numerous areas of industry and public service, and have facilitated all kinds of events from board strategy awaydays and team building programmes through to helping groups of citizens to debate and take action on their environmental, health and community concerns.
A large part of my work has been in creating “Thinking Environments” for high quality thinking, connection and results, running programmes in-house and teaching, qualifying and supervising professional Time to Think coaches, facilitators and consultants.
My work is greatly informed by psychodynamic theory (the unconscious processes which influence our emotional lives and behaviour) and by systems psychodynamics which looks at the interplay between psychological forces and systemic structures within organisations. I’m also experienced in working with trauma and critical incidents, and I bring a trauma-informed approach to individual and group work, which simply means that I take care to create an environment where people experience a strong sense of fairness, safety and belonging.
In 2010 I launched and led BACP Coaching, the coaching division of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and from 2013-2018 I chaired and led the 50-strong panel of executive coaches at the Centre for Entrepreneurs. I was a trustee of the BACP for 9 years and involved in many change projects that achieved greater public acceptance of mental health issues, and that highlighted the significant value of the talking therapies for people.
In September 2019, together with Zoe Cohen and (the late) Alison Whybrow, I co-authored a letter which was published in Coaching at Work magazine calling on the coaching community to recognise and respond to the unfolding climate and ecological crisis. I was a founding member of the Climate Coaching Alliance, and was climate coaching columnist for Coaching at Work magazine from 2021-2023. I’m co-editor of “Holding the Hope: reviving psychological and spiritual agency in the face of climate change” (PCCS Books 2023).
Alumna of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, and of the Oxford School of Climate Change, I am board member, facilitator, supervisor and speaker for the Climate Psychology Alliance, leading on our Climate Cafe Listening Circle training and supervision offerings. I’m also a trained Work that Reconnects facilitator, which is also known as Active Hope.
My freely available climate conversations tool “With the Earth in Mind” is used internationally, and I design and deliver workshops and keynote talks on understanding our responses to climate and environmental change, on climate coaching & on climate leadership.
I’m a trustee of my local Transition Town (Sustainable Chipping Norton) and of a large Community Benefit Society based in Birmingham, the Active Wellbeing Society.
Main Studies, Qualifications & Training
Trained in designing, co-ordinating and delivering Citizens Assemblies by the Centre for Blue Democracy
Time to Think global faculty member, teaching the professional qualifying level coaching, facilitation and consultant courses
Alumna of Cambridge University Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Business Sustainability Management Course (2020) and of the Oxford University School of Climate Change for three years in a row (2019, 2020 & 2021)
Trained facilitator of “The Work That Reconnects”, (aka Active Hope) from Joanna Macy
Certified Climate Conscious Coach (Academy of Executive Coaching)
“Climate Aware Practitioner” recognised by “Psychology for a Safe Climate” in Australia
Certified Carbon Ambassador (Carbon Savvy / Resurgence)
Qualified Time to Think coach, facilitator, thinking partnership teacher, and consultant
BACP registered, accredited psychotherapeutic counsellor (and awarded Fellow of BACP) with diplomas in psychodynamic counselling, individual and group supervision, and stress management
Masters degree in strategic human resource management
Accredited MBTI, SDI, Leadership 360, and Talent Dynamics practitioner, with training in resilience and stress and post-trauma management, mental health, solution focused coaching, mediation, career management, neuropsychology, organisational systems and group relations.
Qualified BWRT® (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy) level 1 practitioner, and registered member of BBRS (British BrainWorking Research Society).
Former SRN & RSCN.
Outside of work
I enjoy a vegan lifestyle, keeping fit with circuit training and HIIT, experiencing live music and theatre, and going for long walks in the countryside.
I’m involved in several local climate and social change groups as a facilitator, speaker and trainer, provide free psychological and emotional support to community groups and climate activists and am a news and features writer for my local newspaper, Chipping Norton News.