I’ve had a career in the international development and humanitarian response for over 25 years. This means that I know the sector from the inside, and understand the many challenges that leaders are currently facing – whether it’s leading through unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty or potential redundancy and job loss.
Ever since I can remember, the thing that’s motivated me most has been ‘making a difference’. As a kid, I used to feel upset that other children didn’t have enough food to eat while I did, and was worried about the future of our planet.
So after being an environmental campaigner with Friends of the Earth, and a minor detour into the film industry in London after graduating, I quickly realised that international humanitarian and development work was my calling over 25 years ago.
I’ve been lucky to enjoy a rewarding career with a mix of not-for-profit organisations including the UN, the Red Cross, the Caritas network, operational aid agencies, national organisations and International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) Head Offices in the UK, and have lived and worked overseas including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
And the longer I worked in the sector, the more I realised that in order to change the world, we need to start with ourselves. That the passion and desire to help others can sometimes come at a cost, and that there are barriers to progress and healthy power dynamics which require inner-work. As a former INGO senior leader and Head of Programmes, I experienced first-hand the life-changing impact that coaching can have, which inspired me to train as a coach myself in 2018 and I hold an International Coaching Federation ACC credential (the ‘gold standard’ coaching qualification).
I specialise in working with women and marginalised genders, because social justice matter to me. In a world where women still typically shoulder more of the emotional burden at work, have more caring responsibilities at home and continue to face systemic barriers to their safety, recognition and progression, women’s leadership is something I’m passionate about.
In addition to my private coaching work, I also work as an Organisational Development Consultant, team coach and trainer with an international development charity 2 days a week. This means I only take on a limited number of coaching clients each year through my private practice, so I can dedicate quality time and attention to each client.
When not working or geeking out on new coaching tools and techniques, I’m usually either planning an adventure, listening to records with my lovely husband, herding our two cats or going for long walks with friends/family near the sea.
My personal values are: love, growth, fun, inclusion and independence.
