“Since signing up for a coaching mentor in 2016, I have become much more confident and self-assured in both my professional and personal lives and it has been an invaluable experience to talk to somebody impartial about my career.
Sarah always listens intently and offers constant encouragement, as well as providing practical ways for me to organise my thoughts and beliefs. I have found the work into discovering my own values and aspirations particularly helpful in developing myself as a professional.
Sarah has been patient, kind and understanding in all of our meetings and is always very generous with her time. I believe that she has played a crucial role in shaping the next steps of my career as I was very unclear on what I wanted to do and why when we first met.
I now feel a strong sense of self-belief in the decisions that I make and the reasons why I make them. In our last meeting, which will be the final session before I start a new job, we looked back at the progress I have made and I was extremely grateful for the support that Sarah has given me in order to reach this point. I would highly recommend mentoring to anyone who is feeling a bit lost or unsure of themselves in any aspect of their lives. I would absolutely recommend Sarah to anybody as she has had a hugely positive impact on my life.’’
“I can confirm that Sarah has been an excellent coach with who I have had some interesting and thoughtful conversations. Sarah has the right blend of 'tough love’ and gentle questioning for me which continuously challenges me to identify the root cause of an issue but also to guide me in finding appropriate solutions.
I have also had colleagues notice an improvement in my reflective skills and believe I can attribute this to the work of Sarah. This is evidence that the work Sarah puts in to our coaching session has a positive direct impact upon my professional life.
In summary, Sarah has been an excellent coach and has inspired me to make improvements in my professional life with which I am grateful for.’’
“I had ideas and goals and wish lists and half-attempts at projects but not necessarily any schedule or order to any of it – Sarah was the start of an action plan for me.
Sarah is affable and literate, I always feel at ease during our meetings and never have trouble conveying what I have to say, nor does it have trouble finding a listening ear for a home; Sarah always seems to get my message and have an answer or salient response. It is this that I find the crux of the purpose in me seeking coaching, not to find an expert in my field of work but somebody with an understanding and outside-looking-inwards perspective of things I cannot see for myself. I never thought I'd look forward to receiving homework again but as I sometimes find it difficult to self-motivate and promote myself, I welcome the tasks Sarah sets me to complete before our next session. Successful completion of each of these give me the fillip to pursue my dreams and goals. However, she has an inimitable style of giving me weekly tasks to complete, without actually really telling me them (I somehow task myself!?). And I guess this sums up how Sarah 'teases' out, from within, what was already there to begin with.
[she is] Constantly steering me back on track (when any self-doubt creeps in) with reassuringly toned questions which force some introspection on my part, to the effect that I often find myself thinking: “Oh yeah, she's right”. With great motivational quotes to accompany my homework each week, she may well be the teacher confidant you should (but never did) have had at school.”
“The year 6s at Borden C of E Primary School took part in the Resilience Workshop and enjoyed it very much. There was a good balance of information, discussion and hands on activities to keep them engaged throughout the session. Carmen and Sarah pitched the delivery at a good level which was demonstrated in the feedback they gave both at the end of the session and to their class teacher. We would consider another workshop for our next batch of Year 6 children to help them face the daunting task of transitioning to secondary school.”
“A Resilience workshop was held for our year 9 students, as part of their Focus Day, focusing on well-being and mental health.
As a school we appreciate that this can be a stressful time for year 9 students, embarking on their GCSE path and choosing their options. In today’s society young people have to balance many problems from exams to the pressures of social media and boy image. We wanted our students to think about life’s pressures and how they can overcome this. They presented an interactive workshop to our students where they were be given the opportunity to think about what these pressures could be and provided them with the coping tools to overcome these issues. The session was built on a host of stories, team work activities and the opportunity to openly discuss.
Resilience is such a key part of education that it is in fact our key word for this term and a part of our PSHE programme for the start of this academic year.
Thank you so much for providing our students with this amazing opportunity.’’
“After years of having counselling and feeling like I was going around in circles, I got in touch with Sarah to see if she could help me move forward as it was a different approach than counselling. From our very first session, she had made a difference already. Sarah helped look at difficult situations and feelings and find a way to help you through them. She also provides the tools to take with you and use in any future situations!
After a year and half of seeing Sarah, I feel like a new person! I am in control on my anxiety and feel confident I have the tools for when unexpected things happen and my anxiety takes over! Sarah has the most calming, reassuring and non-judgemental tone and I never felt embarrassed talking through my problems. I would look forward to my sessions as I would come out of every one feeling happy, positive and ready to take on anything! I’m so thankful for Sarah and all the advice, knowledge and care she has provided! It’s so hard to put into writing how grateful I am for all your help Sarah! All my family, friends and myself have noticed such a difference and I truly believe that is down to you, so really thank you so much.’’
