The Full Story
About Me
A potted history of what has made me who I am today, and who I am as a Coach
Early Years
From a very early age, I've always been fascinated by the way things work. in fact, one of my favourite books as a kid was on that topic. I probably used to drive my parents mad as I used to pull all of my toys apart to discover what was inside. My mum tells me that I was fascinated with sticky tape and used to connect all sorts of things together with it, including the toilet. My fascination with electronics began when my Dad bought home some batteries, magnetic switches, and a buzzer home from his work. I used to play for hours on end making circuits, figuring out what worked and what didn't, and what broke things and made sparks.
Education
I took this fascination throughout my education, building a 10 channel music mixing desk for GCSE, and discovered the wonders of developing software at university to build gait recognition software for access control applications. At university, I was very sure I never wanted to be a manager, but that all changed when I started working. To build my leadership capabilities, I did my Executive Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Quantic, studied Coaching at the University of Cambridge, and became a Chartered Manager and Chartered Engineer.
Career
I started off my career writing software for industrial applications, working a lot with motors and machinery initially and then with systems more broadly. I eventually came to love the people side of tech & engineering, and moved into management. I led a department of multiple teams of engineers at Siemens, and later went on to coaching engineers at Mathworks, and then a senior leader at Redgate managing a team of teams responsible for the systems that ran the business.
Pause
Somewhere along the way I slowly and quietly burnt out. The intensity of work during the COVID 19 pandemic was very stressful, I was asked to lead in a way that didn't align with my values too many times, and then I nearly lost my wife during childbirth. When the possibility of redundancy came knocking, I was quietly pleased for the opportunity to pause and spend time with my baby boy and wife. I spent a good balance of time seeing friends and family, reading in the most beautiful areas of Cambridge by the river on sunny days, and taking stock to decide what could come next, with a healthy dose of visiting hilly national parks to disconnect.
Career 2.0
By far the most enjoyable part of my career has been coaching leaders to help them lead with purpose, authenticity, and compassion. I decided that the next phase of my work needed to be running my own coaching practice. So I trained as an Executive Coach at the University of Cambridge, and discovered a whole world that was far deeper and more meaningful than I could have ever imagined.
Core Beliefs
My life experiences so far have taught me that life is uncertain and somewhat random; that the highs wouldn’t be as high without the lows; that ‘success’ is a conscious choice to do the physical and mental work to progress; that people are an amalgamation of their genetics, who they spend time with, what they do, and their interpreted experiences; that kindness takes many forms – from saying hard truths to caring for others when they cannot themselves; that communication is pivotal to relationships; that nature is a great healer and teacher; and that we can only act within our locust of control, but we shouldn't necessarily control everything we can.
How All of This Informs How I Coach
I have an engineering-type mindset from my interests, studies, and 10+ years working, meaning I’m logical yet creative, seek evidence yet open to exploration and experimentation. I bring all this together into my coaching resulting in a style that is: non-judgemental and walks the line between non-directive and partnering; curious about what experiences lead people to where they are now and how it’s impacting the future, exploring the systems they’re a part of; carefully attentive to how clients describe their experiences and systems as it gives insights into how they’re thinking and feeling. All of this is grounded in the belief that the growth, progress, and change my clients are often seeking requires growth within themselves, and my role as a coach is to help facilitate this.
Beyond Work
Outside of work, I'm a Dad to a toddler, Scout Leader, Runner, deep thinker, lover of the outdoors, and husband.
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No one can tell you the amazingly strong love you'll feel for your children, it just hits you the first time you hold them. This was a defining moment for me, and along with that feeling came the deep realisation that people and nature are all that truly matter within this highly complex world we've constructed.
Things I Enjoy
I love to spend time with my son playing in the woods, seeing him discover new things and find enjoyment in the beauty of nature. I was bought up with my Dad as a scout leader, and I enjoy adventuring outdoors and pursuits including climbing and kayaking, I find the connection with the vastness of nature recharges me. As a Scout Leader myself, I enjoy helping young people discover the wonders of being outdoors. Until the COVID 19 pandemic, I used to compete in powerlifting, but when gyms shutdown I started running working my way up to racing in half-marathons. I enjoy the thinking space and the feeling of freedom that running gives me. I thoroughly enjoy the deep conversations with my wife by the fire in the evenings, and we're also quite partial to an indulgent afternoon tea together.
The Name
One thing I've not mentioned yet is the impact my grandparents had on me. As a child I'd often spend weekend afternoons running around their gardens and building dens, but most of all their values and kindness, along with my parents, helped shape who I am today. The name is the maiden names of my Grandmothers as an ode to all of my grandparents..