Testimonials

Coaching is transformational. It has impact across all areas of your life but don't trust my word for it.

Read what my clients think.

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"Towards the end of last academic year I was at rock bottom and completely burned out from teaching. I had no energy left to do the simplest of things, my outlook on life was pretty drab and my loci of control had moved dangerously into the ‘external’. I knew I had to do something about it and that’s when Jo came in.

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I’ve had six 1:1 coaching sessions with Jo and after every session, a little piece of me came back. She listened and created a safe space for me to explore my situation and helped me challenge some of my mal cognitions. She gave me the tools to listen and trust myself again and helped me to understand the things I do well and my areas for development.

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One of the most powerful things I have taken from my coaching sessions is the importance of protecting myself and my wellbeing. Before coaching I didn’t care enough about those things and they would be the first to go- work must come first! Jo helped me to work through those feelings of guilt and low self-worth and I am in a much stronger position now.

 

Coaching has helped me to re-shape my behaviour and helped me to make small, sustainable changes to my personal and work life.

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Jo is incredibly gentle and warm and made me feel comfortable from the first session, although she did make me work hard and I am forever grateful for this!

I would recommend coaching with Jo to anyone in education and I look forward to future sessions with her."                           

Senior Leader, Cambridgeshire

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'Thank you again for our meeting last week and the time we’ve spent over the past 6 months. It has been a really helpful opportunity to reflect on family life/ returning to work and better understanding my child’s needs.

 

Thank you for your patient questioning, being such a helpful sounding board and for dealing so calmly with the tears and laughter! 

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I initially sought coaching as I was struggling with parenting my middle child. I suspected she might have some additional sensory needs alongside her speech and language delays and I was worn down by constant meltdowns and cycles of her getting frustrated and me getting angry. I was tired, disheartened and feeling constantly guilty. 

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Although we still have our moments, my relationship with all my children has improved. I feel I understand my daughter’s sensory needs better and have put various strategies in place to enable her to cope with external stimuli better. I’ve also become much more confident in advocating for my daughter and setting more realistic expectations from others (at nursery, with wider family and in social settings) where she often feels overwhelmed. 

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I found Jo’s coaching approach down to earth, very practical and reflective. I’m not great at talking about things I find difficult, but Jo gave me the space and opportunity to reflect on my hopes for family life, navigating returning to work after 6 years of being a FTSAHM, and specific challenges of parenting a child with additional needs. 

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I think the main highlight was realising I didn’t need to parent my children for the approval of others and having permission to prioritise our family needs. 

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There have been lots of strategies I’ve adopted since starting coaching, particularly in relation to providing my daughter with proprioceptive and vestibular stimuli at start and end of day to help her better emotionally regulate and establish connection. I’ve also integrated more conversation at home incorporating emotional language and modelling handling emotional responses which has helped all three of my children grow in their own emotional awareness and to express emotions more positively. We’ve set up areas in the house for the girls to have their own space where they can self regulate using sensory objects/ reading/ music, etc.

 

I’ve also recognised the importance of self care in order to be able to support the rest of the family and have prioritised setting time aside each week to reflect, exercise and connect with others. Alongside this, I’m trying to worry less about what other people think about me and my parenting. Still work in progress though!

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Coaching has made a big difference in helping feel more equipped and confident in my parenting and making me aware of the unnecessary burdens of others expectations that I was carrying. I think the impact has been significant not just for me, but for all my family and even our wider support network in understanding the needs of my middle daughter better and supporting her. 

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I’m really grateful for the time I’ve had being coached. Looking back at my notes from the start and the challenges I was feeling about family life and parenting, I feel like I’ve come a long way. Thank you.'

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Mum of a child with additional needs, juggling family life and the transition back to work.

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"I was feeling out of my depth while getting to grips with a new role. I had a lot of self doubt and thought coaching would help organise my thoughts and help me make more confident decisions.

 

I think a lot of the 'lost'' and 'overwhelmed' feelings came from not having the confidence to set boundaries and lead/ make decisions. Learning to set boundaries in terms of time and in terms of emotional involvement has really helped.

 

You have been a great sounding board and have validated a lot of feelings that I had dismissed as weakness. You have asked some great questions that have made me reframe my thinking e.g. 'what would success look like?' I had been feeling like I wasn't making progress or being successful without considering what my markers for success were. Coaching has reframed my thinking.

 

I think I have changed the way I approach situations and I am more able to look at the big picture of problems and distance myself so I don't take things personally or get into a negative thought pattern. I am a lot more organised in my decision making e.g. focussing on aims/ outcomes before beginning whether that is a meeting or just a difficult conversation. 

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I'm a more confident communicator and feel less stressed. Because of this I have been able to move my thinking forward to the 'next step', whereas before I was stuck in the stress and couldn't see beyond!" Parent starting a new role