Frequently Asked Questions

Practical information on my coaching style, qualifications, and the logistics of how we work together to give you the clarity needed to take the next step.

Coaching Basics

  • Career coaching is a structured, confidential partnership focused on your working life: what you want from it, what might be getting in the way and how you can move forward. You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what you want to change. You might know that something no longer feels right, but not whether it's your role, your employer, your industry or your career itself. Coaching gives you space to step back, explore what's really going on, and clarify what you want next. From there, you can explore your options, build confidence in your decisions and develop practical steps to move forward with more purpose.

    If you are weighing up a change of direction, you can see how this works in practice on my career change coaching page.

  • A mentor typically shares advice and guidance based on their own experience, often within a particular profession or industry. A coach is trained to help you explore your own thinking, challenge assumptions and find the answers that are right for you. This means coaching can work particularly well for career change, as your coach doesn't need to have worked in the career or industry you're considering. Coaching also tends to have a defined structure and agreed goals or outcomes. Both coaching and mentoring can be valuable, and people may benefit from each at different stages of their career.

    In a workplace setting, the distinction matters most at the senior level, which is where my leadership coaching work sits.

  • Therapy generally explores past experiences or emotional challenges to support healing and understanding, while coaching focuses primarily on where you are now, where you'd like to be and what might help you move forward. Career coaching can help you explore goals, decisions, challenges and practical next steps. Therapy and coaching serve different purposes, and if I feel another form of support would be more appropriate, I'll always be open with you about that. Some people also choose to work with a therapist and a coach at the same time.

  • A career transition coach is essentially the same as a career change coach, with a slightly more corporate label. Both offer support through a period of change in your working life. This might include changing careers, moving into a different sector, returning to work after a break, navigating redundancy or moving from a hands-on role into leadership. Career transition coaching can help you understand what you want next, recognise the skills, strengths, and experience you already bring, and work out practical steps toward your next move. It can also support you as you transition into and establish yourself in a new role.

    I have written a practical guide to making a mid-career industry change if you want to see the steps involved.

  • Career coaching can be highly effective, but it isn't a magic wand and a coach won't make the decisions for you. It works best when you're willing to reflect honestly, explore different possibilities and take action on what you discover. Often, people come to coaching having been circling the same questions for months, sometimes years: Should I stay or go? Do I need a new job or a completely different career? Am I capable of making this change? Coaching gives you the space, challenge and structure to stop going round in circles, get clearer about what's really holding you back and start making practical progress. Sometimes the outcome is a significant career change; sometimes it's realising that you don't need to change career at all.

    For a worked example, my guide to changing career at 40 in the UK sets out a realistic step-by-step plan.

Cost & Booking

  • I mainly work through coaching programmes, as the value of coaching builds across sessions and gives us the opportunity to explore, reflect and build on your progress over time. I also offer a single 60-minute Focus Session for £150, designed for people with a specific challenge, decision, or area they'd like to work through.

  • Yes. The discovery call is 45 minutes, completely free, and there is no obligation to go ahead afterwards. It's a relaxed conversation about what is going on for you, what you'd like to change and what you'd like to get from coaching. I'll explain how I work, answer any questions you have, and we can explore how I might best support you. If I am not the right coach for you, I will tell you and help signpost you in the right direction. Nothing is invoiced until you decide you'd like to go ahead.

  • I understand that sometimes plans need to change. I ask for at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, and I will always offer you the same courtesy. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are normally charged, although I appreciate that exceptional circumstances can arise.

Choosing a coach

  • Look at three things: qualifications and accreditation, fit, and experience or specialism. First, coaching is unregulated in the UK, so look for recognised professional credentials and accredited training rather than simply taking the title ‘coach’ at face value. Second, have a conversation with two or three coaches before choosing. Your relationship with your coach matters, so notice whether you feel comfortable talking openly with them and whether their style feels right for you. Third, look for someone whose coaching experience aligns with what you want to work on, whether that's career change, leadership development or something else.

  • Because coaching is unregulated in the UK, it's important to look at a coach's training, qualifications and professional accreditation. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is one of the leading global professional bodies for coaching and offers recognised professional credentials. Other recognised bodies include the Association for Coaching and EMCC. I am an ICF-certified coach (ACC), hold an accredited Diploma in Transformational Coaching from the Animas Centre for Coaching and am a member of both the ICF and the Association for Coaching. I also work as an Associate Career Coach with Unmind and am a former Samaritans volunteer and Deputy Director for Recruitment.

    You can read more about my own training and accreditation on my about page.

  • My coaching style is warm, supportive and straight-talking, with a person-centred, practical and insight-driven approach. I draw on Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Coaching, and Transformational Coaching, which in practice means we work on both the thinking and the doing: what's influencing how you see yourself and your options, what might be getting in the way, and what you can do differently. I'll also challenge you when it's helpful. Coaching isn't about me giving you the answers or simply agreeing with you; it's about helping you see things differently, get clearer and more confident about what you want to do, and then turn that thinking into practical steps that get the results you want.

  • Yes. What you share in our coaching sessions is confidential, and I work in accordance with the ICF Code of Ethics. There are limited exceptions to confidentiality, which I explain before we begin working together. If your employer is funding your coaching, we'll also agree at the outset what, if anything, may be shared with them. The content of our coaching conversations remains confidential.

How coaching works

  • Each coaching session is 60 minutes and can take place online via Zoom, by phone or face-to-face near Guildford in Surrey. We'll start by exploring what would be most helpful for you to focus on that day, giving you the space to talk openly, explore your thinking and work out what you want to do next. I'll both support and challenge you, helping you turn your thinking into clear, practical steps that move you forward.

    Between sessions, you'll be encouraged to build on what you've explored, and I'll often share relevant articles, podcasts, exercises or other resources to support you. You can also contact me by email or WhatsApp between sessions.

  • Every coaching journey is different, depending on your goals and the depth of change you're looking to achieve. Many clients find the greatest benefit when we work together for six sessions or more, as this gives us time to build momentum, explore challenges in more depth, and turn your thinking into action.

    That said, I take a flexible approach, from a focused single session to longer coaching partnerships that can run over several months or more. Sessions can take place weekly or every two to three weeks, depending on what works best for you. I generally recommend keeping them within this timeframe to maintain momentum while giving you enough time to reflect and take action between sessions. We'll shape the number and pace of sessions around your goals, circumstances and schedule.

    Each coaching programme is built around a set number of sessions, so you know the shape of the work before you commit.

  • Very little preparation is needed. Just come ready to be open and honest about where you are and what you'd like to change. It can help to think about what's been on your mind, or for later sessions, what's changed since we last spoke and what you'd most like to focus on. Bring a notebook too, so you can jot down ideas or next steps.

    If you can, I'd also recommend allowing yourself a little space after your session rather than going straight into your next meeting. Coaching can often spark further thoughts and reflections, so giving yourself some time to let those settle can be really valuable.

  • That's absolutely fine. Many people come to coaching knowing that something needs to change, but without knowing what they want instead. You might know what you don't want, feel torn between several possibilities, or simply have a sense that your current situation no longer feels right.

    We can start by exploring what's important to you, your values, strengths, experiences and what gives you energy, before looking at possible directions. You don't need to arrive with the answer. Working that out is part of the coaching process.

    If that feeling is familiar, this piece on quietly wondering whether your job is still the right fit is a good place to start.

  • Yes. I can help you take control of your job search strategy. I'm not a recruiter and won't have a list of vacancies for you, but I can help you get clearer about what truly matters to you, your strengths, priorities and longer-term goals, so you can start exploring roles that genuinely fit what you're looking for rather than simply reacting to whatever's available.

    I can also help you recognise and articulate your transferable skills and experience and, where helpful, support you with preparing for interviews and milestone meetings, so you can communicate what you bring with authenticity and confidence. The aim isn't simply to help you find a job, but to help you make a career move that's right for you.

    I have also written about three reasons a job search stalls and what to do about each one.

Leadership & organisations

  • Yes. Alongside my work with individual clients, I work with organisations through 1:1 leadership coaching, workplace wellbeing programmes and interactive workshops. Coaching can be tailored to support individual managers and leaders, while workshops and programmes can be designed around your organisation's specific needs and goals.

    Where an organisation is funding coaching for an employee, I can provide a programme outline and invoice the organisation directly.

    Details of the team sessions are on my workplace wellbeing programmes page.

  • Supporting mental health at work starts with creating a culture where people feel seen, supported and able to speak openly when they're struggling. This includes realistic workloads, clear boundaries, supportive management, regular conversations and giving people an appropriate level of autonomy and control over how they work.

    Leaders and managers also play an important role in modelling healthy working behaviours, from respecting boundaries and taking breaks to showing that wellbeing is genuinely valued alongside performance.

    When employees feel supported, they're more likely to bring energy and commitment to their work, collaborate effectively and perform at their best. Wellbeing initiatives and programmes can play a valuable role, but they work best when supported by the organisation's everyday culture and behaviours.

Location & Logistics

  • Yes. Most of my coaching sessions take place online via Zoom, which means I can work with clients across the UK and internationally. If you prefer not to be on camera, sessions can also take place by phone.

    Online coaching gives you the same dedicated time and space to step back, reflect and work through what you'd like to change, without needing to travel. Online scheduling covers GMT, EST and PST.

  • I'm based near Guildford in Surrey and coach clients across the UK and internationally online. For face-to-face coaching, I work with clients from Guildford, Woking, Godalming, Farnham, Cranleigh and the wider Surrey area, as well as clients travelling from London by train.

    For organisations, I can deliver in-person workplace wellbeing programmes and workshops at your offices or an off-site location of your choice across the UK.

  • Yes. I work with many clients internationally, with online coaching via Zoom making it easy to work together wherever you're based. My scheduling covers GMT, EST, and PST, so we can arrange sessions across different time zones.

    The coaching works the same way, with the same programmes and between-session support available wherever you're based.

  • The first step is to book a free 45-minute discovery call. It's a relaxed conversation about what is going on for you right now, what you'd like to change, and what you'd like to get from coaching. I'll explain how I work, answer any questions you have, and we can explore how I might best support you.

    There's no obligation to go ahead afterwards. If you'd prefer to email me with a question before booking a call, you're very welcome to do that too. If we both feel that working together is the right next step, we'll agree on the best approach and arrange your first coaching session.