Down to earth and approachable, I’ve been a career, life and executive coach for over 20 years. I also have 30 years’ experience of working with ministers and at board level, leading communications teams in government departments and agencies (including as a jobshare), so I understand the issues people face in busy, pressurised jobs.

I spent a long time in my 20s and early 30s feeling stuck about my career, so it feels truly purposeful for me to specialise in career coaching to help other people get unstuck and enjoy their work.

Michelle’s coaching style

My clients say that I’m intuitive, warm and quick to use humour (when it’s appropriate!). I’m very experienced in helping them to get to the bottom of what really matters to them and how they might be holding themselves back. I create a safe, non-judgmental space where I ask questions and provide tools that help my clients to create the life and work that they want.

When I first thought about being a coach, I was concerned it might be a little “woo woo” (I grew up in Stoke where “woo woo” wasn’t really a thing…). During my coach training, I realised that there’s a whole range of coaching approaches, that I’d chosen one rooted in neuroscience, and that coaches bring their own style to how they work with their clients.

Why Michelle started coaching

I worked in press, PR, marketing, internal comms and strategic comms roles for 13 years before I trained as a life, career and executive coach in 2002. I liked my work in communications but felt something was missing, so I saw a coach and became clear about what it was. That led to me starting my coaching practice and beginning a fantastic 18 year period of jobsharing in communications leadership roles. 

If you’d told me in 2001 that I was going to be a coach or that I was able to make a big change in my working life, I’d have said it wasn’t possible. I was held back by too much fearful chat from my Inner Critic. So as a coach, it’s very rewarding to see my clients make changes they thought they might not have been able to make too. The changes are down to their hard work, their willingness to see themselves and situations in new ways and to also ensure they aren’t held back by their Inner Critic.  

Life coaching and career coaching credentials

I trained with the respected Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). As well as being a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, I’m also accredited as a professional coach by the International Coach Federation (the professional body for coaches) which means I’m committed to ongoing professional development, and I’ve trained hundreds of other coaches to use the Firework™ career change programme.

I’ve worked as a career development adviser to communicators in Government and have recruited to 30+ comms roles, so I know what interviewers are looking for. As a leadership coach, I’ve worked with leaders in retail, travel, local government and Government departments, including the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care.

I enjoy writing and have contributed to the Jobsite website, as well as being quoted in articles in Red, Marie Claire, Essentials and Woman’s Own.

I’m a graduate and a qualified teacher and I live in Twickenham, South West London.

Find out more

Read about Michelle’s career coaching, life coaching and executive-coaching services, or contact Michelle to arrange a free consultation.