It wasn’t until I started writing this that I had the realisation that I’ve been coaching, leading, and mentoring for a very long time!

Early years of coaching / mentoring

As a youngster I was a national standard swimmer and team captain at my local swimming club. I loved helping with coaching and mentoring the younger swimmers as they progressed through the ranks - preparing them for the big national events which can be very daunting. At the time, I had no appreciation of the role I was playing by motivating and encouraging teams and individuals to trust their abilities.

At school I was not the strongest pupil academically. I had an "interesting" educational journey. It was my sporting abilities that pulled me through, and remarkably I ended up as House Captain. When I reflect, this was another skill building experience leading, motivating, and encouraging teams to be a success. The true value of this was totally lost on me at the time. 

Navy days

Aged 18 I joined the Royal Navy. I was soon voted in as class leader for my entry, leading a team of 30 raw recruits from all walks of life. Daunting as it was, I brought the team together and we soon became a team of high performing sailors. From there I went onto my trade training in telecommunications. It was here that my sporting abilities were noticed again, and I was selected to swim and play water polo for the Royal Navy.  

On completion of training, I went onto various deployments on land and at sea. I saw active service during the forma Yugoslavia conflict and was lucky enough to travel the globe from the Artic to the Antarctic and lots of places in between! Progressing rapidly through the ranks, the size of teams I was leading gradually increased and after 7 years of service, I was encouraged to apply to become an officer. Although I attended the officer selection process at Dartmouth, this career path was not to be. I was engaged to be married at the time and my mind was already made up that the Navy was not suited towards family life, and it was with a heavy heart I left the Navy in 1998. 

Corporate life

Fast forward 25 years and I've had an amazing second career! My 25 years in the corporate world really has been an amazing journey! I’ve had the privilege of being employed by some of the world’s largest companies such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Caterpillar, Fluor and Thales working in various leadership positions in the Supply Chain and Programme Management domains. Whilst at Lockheed Martin I was selected to join their leadership academy and as part of this process I was sponsored to complete my MBA. In addition to my MBA I have a number of professional qualifications - something my younger self could never have imagined.

I feel extremely fortunate to have had such a varied career. However, it is the challenges, opportunities, and diverse range of people I have worked with that has provided me with a unique set of skills and experiences to serve my clients as their coach. I’ve seen things done well – and not so well. I recognise all too well the struggles of trying to be a success in the corporate world whilst balancing family life. I know how hard it is to pursue outside interests outside of work such as training for an Ironman triathlon, simultaneously studying for an MBA whilst going through a divorce and travelling into London every day for work! 

The future

Over the years, one thing has become really clear to me. My true passion is people. Leading, developing, and building high performers is what I’m good at and this is what makes me tick. People are naturally drawn to me to support them with whatever challenge they are facing. There really is no better feeling than seeing someone come to life as their individual self-awareness grows to such an extent that their true potential and passion to succeed is realised. Each of us has the answers within us. Sometimes we just need a bit of support and guidance to unlock this realisation to go on and transform our lives.  

Little did I realise that those early leadership roles through swimming, school and the navy would have prepared me so well for my future self - and yours!