How did you come to be doing the job you are doing today?
I have worked in people development and coaching for more than 20 years. I love developing people and gave up employed work this year to focus on my business full-time. I’ve had the business since 2010, so it’s been an ambition since then.
What is the highlight of your working week?
Monday morning. A new working week, full of new opportunities (if you spot them and take them – ‘success’ is where opportunities and courage collide).
What is one common misperception of your work?
The an old adage, ‘people who can’t do, teach’ – which thankfully seems to be dying away. Some training facilitators and coaches have an impressive track record of success. They can add more value by teaching people to fish than by fishing themselves.
If you could offer a piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be?
Trust your abilities: when you see an opportunity, evaluate and take it (as above). People are rarely just ‘lucky’: you don’t see the work, knock-downs and risks that got them where they are. Oh, and in the words of Martin Luther King, ‘comparison is the thief of happiness’. If more people were focused on themselves and what they had, they’d be happier.
What is your favourite time of year and why?
Late spring. Re-birth, growth, beauty, greenery, warmth (putting the jumpers away for a few months) – what’s not to like?!
How do you feel to have won the Institute Advocate of the Year 2025 award?
I am honoured to be placed in the same company as some very worthy nominees and fantastic leaders. I display advocacy for things that deserve it, such as great leadership and the Institute. To be awarded the ‘Advocate of the Year’ is better than any individual achievement I have made because it is about others. Great leadership is something I am passionate about and, along with my fellow nominees in the category, I will continue to encourage, promote and advocate for great leadership through this community.
Read more about Institute Advocate of the Year finalists.
