Qualifications and Experience
A love of Learning and Teaching
I often ask my coaching clients: who do you want to be when you grow up? Ever since I was a child I always wanted to teach. My love of learning, of books and of people, all combined together into this need to help others learn too. My first students were my 2 younger sisters and my first chalkboard the back of my wardrobe door! Living and studying in Cork, Ireland, I qualified with a BA and H.Dip.Education from University College, Cork in 1984 and have gone on to have more than 30 years of working in the human relations and education field. My roles have been very varied: Second Level Teacher and Examiner, Business Partner in education tuition centres, Human Resource Management Leader in manufacturing, Training Manager in retail and wholesale, Trainer in collaboration with consultancies, Training and Coaching Specialist in industry and business solutions and for more 10 years now, Freelance Trainer and Coach in Behavioural Change.
BA H.Dip.Ed MSc EMCC accredited
A life changing decision
In the end of 2011, I took the courageous step of leaving a well-paid secure job-for-life to go freelance as a Trainer and Coach in Behavioural Change. This was brave because it was in the midst of a global recession with Ireland’s open economy particularly badly hit. Having sat down with my husband to brain storm whether this was the right next move for me in my career and for us in our lives (three young children at the time), the pros outweighed the cons and I left the secure shore of employment to venture out on my own. I have never looked back, not once and to me that is amazing. I am not a risk-taker by nature (and I like my comforts too). The change I made in my career impacted our whole family and we had to adjust our lifestyle and plans accordingly. The benefits though, to the family and to our lives have been worth it, because we place huge value on the family and having the flexibility of one parent being self-employed helps juggle it all. The freedom to call my own hours, to work with clients and organisations I choose to work with, to live my life the way I really want to live it, continues to bring me huge fulfilment, beyond measure.
Being Freelance Self-Employed
There are many ups and equally as many downs, when clients are few and struggles keep coming. Just when it starts to feel like it’s getting too much, a chink of light always appears and the work flows on, maybe in a totally different direction. The thing about self-employment is the uncertainty of where the work will come from next: the challenge is to keep a focus on the here and now while at the same time be working away on getting the next piece of work. Much of how I spend my time is, quite frankly, unpaid: learning, investigating, doing research, designing and developing, building relationships, networking and marketing. It is all worth it, for the joy of helping a client, or gaining a new client, or when a client I have helped before comes back again or recommends me to a friend; all that and more, especially the simplicity of the flexible life I am leading with my family. These are all beyond compare for me. And as I grow older, I value it all even more
My Values
In the words of Ghandi: ‘your values become your destiny’; mine always guide me especially when faced with a challenge or major decision in my life.
Curiosity Positivity Simplicity Respect
I try to live my life in accordance with my values and should you choose to work with me you can expect to experience these values in practice.
My Purpose
As a Coach and Trainer, my purpose is to help you achieve positive behavioural change in your whole life, whether as an individual or a team. Behind this purpose is an over-riding belief in the potential of all human beings to become the person they want to be and live the life they always wanted to live. My training as a Coach and Trainer ensures I focus on the identification and clarification of the client’s needs and evaluate the results, based on how those needs are met, with an emphasis on taking action to achieve the behavioural change that will last well beyond our time together.
My Qualifications
What makes me qualified to work with you as a Coach and Trainer is firstly my three decades of learning, education, work and life experience. After that, there are the academic qualifications up to Masters level with a Master of Science Degree in Training (MSc) from the University of Leicester. In addition,
Finally, the confidence you can have in me as a professional is guaranteed by my licence to practise which comes from the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) with whom I hold accreditation at Senior Practitioner Level plus Certification in Team Coaching. Read my full CV on LinkedIn.
My Client Experience
A client recently gave me this written feedback after a
corporate coaching programme:
“You have a wonderful warm way with people and I have very
much enjoyed our sessions and found them to work when it
comes to addressing some of my behaviours which I feel hold
me back”.
This wonderful feedback sums up how I would like my clients
to feel after working with me. I want the experience to be
positive yet challenging, focused on their own needs;
uncovering what is holding them back from putting the
changes they want in place while helping them develop
strategies and approaches that will work over the longer term.
“To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Help Make Your Decision
We can get a really good ‘feel for a person’ if we are given that rare chance to meet them at
their most vulnerable, open, honest and present. That’s what can happen during coaching,
it is such a safe space to be yourself and sometimes people do shed a tear, but they also
laugh, and even skip with joy. My writing can give you an insight into me, maybe an idea of
my approach and philosophy so you can try to assess whether you might like to work with
me. Another good way to help you make your decision is to take a look at what others are
saying about their experiences.
You can read more about my coaching and training approach, philosophy and experience in
my blog posts, from what my clients say and also by browsing Frequently Asked Questions:
BA H.Dip.Ed MSc EMCC accredited