Executive Coaching 
Personal Coaching 
Career Coaching Executive Coaching is about growing leadership capacity.
The acronym VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) used to describe our world a few years ago has been superceded by BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible). For many BANI also describes their internal state and experience of work. Grappling with constant change, conflicting demands, the need to deliver more with less, challenging inter-personal relationships and questions to which there are no clear answers is our working reality.
Brightspace Executive Coaching is about helping you navigate the BANI world with grace and wisdom, to manage challenging circumstances and take inspired leadership action.
I take a whole person approach to Executive Coaching - acknowledging that when we come to work we carry with us our full humanness – our life experience and our personal values. It’s only when our ‘doing’ self is aligned with our ‘being’ self that we can really flourish and lead with wisdom and compassion.
- Development of Leadership Capability
- Expanding Leadership Consciousness
- Creative and Strategic thinking
- Personal impact and presence
- Inter-personal dynamics
- Personal Balance and Wellbeing
Having someone to listen enabled me to set aside inhibitions about talking about myself. Getting things off my chest, then being guided to think more deeply about the implications and consequences was useful; I don’t think I could have got to that point myself. The ability to set the agenda was very liberating and to practise self-reflection in a structured, sustained manner made me even more convinced that this is a worthwhile thing for anyone to do. I feel much more at peace with myself and my position in work and life. Thank you very much for listening.
CS, Senior Lecturer, Russell Group University
The thinking session facilitated by Heather had a profound effect on me. Heather created a safe and relaxing space for me to think deeply and freely about my situation…to consider angles and subtleties that I hadn’t explored before and …to consider the way forward.
Mark C, Assistant Director, H.E Sector
I contacted Heather in tough times when I have been desperately trying to find a way out of a crisis. Through working with her, I was able not only to explain the background of the issue but to discover my powerful internal resources that enabled me to flip it over, draw a line under the past and plan the steps for a happy future. I’m very grateful to Heather for her help and definitely recommend her as an outstanding person and a responsive and thoughtful coach with a flexible approach and a diversified toolkit.
JS, senior executive, someone who needed help
I contacted Heather to work on how to engage peers and address their perceptions. This we did, and more. Her experience and depth of insight allowed us to explore and address the roots of the issue, and how they affected my thinking and behaviours in many other areas of my life. I can honestly say the 6 sessions with Heather have been liberating and transformational.
PJ, Head of Business Operations, Systems Development
The coaching exceeded my expectations. I was a little sceptical at the start, having not found coaching to be of value in the past (by virtue of it being rather generic). Heather, however, allowed the sessions to be client-led, with a focus on engagement and exploration rather than adherence to any coaching “workbook”. This worked brilliantly and enabled me to go where I wanted to with the sessions.
Professor & Senior Manager, Russell Group HE Institution
I had always expected the coaching to be helpful in solving some of the problems, but not to the extent of turning a negative into such a positive outcome. The coaching has really helped me to understand and interpret others’ behaviours and actions and be aware of my own.
Ms B, Director, University Research Team
Life - both professional and personal - is a constant unfolding journey of becoming. There is no ‘end point’ where we finally ‘get there.’ In this ever-emergent journey we can easily feel out of balance, overwhelmed by the complexity, disconnected from our authentic selves and each other, paralysed, stuck or confused as to what to do next.
We all have periods where we lose confidence, lack direction and reflect over our changing identity and future options. These can be brought on by external changes out of our control, by illness, loss, separation, starting a family, changing roles, redundancy, relocation, approaching retirement, and the wider context of our societal and planetary crises.
I work with individuals who feel they would benefit from an independent partner to reflect and think differently– either because they want to keep it separate from work, or because they can’t access coaching through other channels.
In a clarifying, reflective space, free of judgement or opinion, I can help you tune into your inner wisdom, release the potential of mind, heart and soul, generate new insight and fresh ideas and make decisions about the future within the context of your life.
- Personal Direction, Confidence, Purpose, Identity
- Inter-personal communication and managing conflict
- Personal impact and presence
- Personal Balance and Wellbeing
- Career direction and transition
- Developing ideas and bringing them to life
I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to really look inside myself and find out what it is that I want or need and you gave me that chance. It was exhausting, emotional, challenging and fantastic. I came away with a new purpose. I felt free to make new decisions without guilt and above all, restored my sense of being ‘me’, which I had lost a little when I became a mum.
Mrs R, NHS General Practitioner
I was nervous and resistant, but in a gentle but focused way, Heather managed to open up my thinking and helped me to clarify and respond to my cluttered brain’s thoughts, despite my anxiety.
Nicola Bray, Personal Coaching Client
Having made some big life and career changes I felt like I was slipping backwards instead of moving forwards. I just felt stuck and lost. My experience of coaching with Heather was nothing short of enlightening – it helped me work with and build up my intuition so that I could develop trust in what I wanted to achieve. Heather skillfully facilitated our sessions to nurture my intuition, having suppressed it for so long I am excited to have it back and confident that I am moving forward.
Laura C. Business Owner
I came to your office for the opportunity to think 6 weeks ago, I enjoyed the session at the time but had no idea of the lasting effect it would have on me. It’s like a door in my mind has been opened wide and there’s now a wonderful warm breeze blowing through. Thank you for giving me the key to becoming a happier, more inspired self.
Marie Parkinson, Personal Coaching Client
Working with Heather in the trustworthy environment she creates means I can be completely honest and explore some really difficult issues. She’s helped me realise what was hindering me, resulting in a “lightbulb moment” that helped me turn a corner, regain a positive outlook and improve my performance.
Grace Dixon, Professional Tennis Player
Heather is an exceptional thinking partner who everyone could benefit from working with. She helped me to organise my own thoughts, to see more clearly, to gain personal insight and direction and to feel confident and resilient. I can’t believe we did all that in so few sessions! Working with Heather is a lot of fun and hugely rewarding, I’m so glad I took the plunge into personal coaching.
Ruth H, Personal Coaching Client
At the root of every career coaching conversation I’ve ever facilitated lies a question along the lines of “How can I contribute something in the world as who I TRULY am, show up fully and also pay the bills?”
In a world of turbulence and ever-increasing pace of change it is increasingly rare to follow a linear career pathway throughout our lives. From leaving education and deciding on your first steps, through searching for employment, progressing up the career ladder, changing direction, redundancy, career breaks, combining career with family life, to preparing for retirement, coaching can help you reinvent yourself at each of these crossroads.
We start by reviewing the current situation; recognising the gifts, skills and experiences that have shaped you. We’ll explore the developmental challenges presenting themselves at this stage in your career journey. We’ll enquire into how you truly want to show up in the world, what makes your heart sing and what you are becoming. Then we’ll identify how to go about it.
- Deciding what career direction to take.
- Feeling unhappy at work and taking steps to change the situation.
- Mid career crisis - “Where I’m going with my life and career?”
- Returning to work after an extended period e.g. maternity or sick leave
- Considering a career change – what next?
- Redundancy – coping with feelings and planning for the future.
- Retirement – what to do with the rest of your life?
- Writing a great CV
- Preparing for interview
I’ve got a job! I start in January on a one-year contract… It’s a good opportunity to broaden my experience and if I make myself indispensable they might have to keep me on! I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say I wouldn’t have got it without your help.
Craig W, returning to work after a career break
Heather has been a significant part of my successful transition from a badminton player into my many ambassador roles and other projects in my new working life.
Gail Emms, Olympic medallist
Heather got me back on track with my life …by getting me thinking about where I was and where I wanted to be. Coaching helped me to identify paths I hadn’t previously thought of. Heather was very understanding in her nature and had a way of getting…. out of me what was actually in there.
Marianne T
I have articulated what motivates me and my career goals for the next 3-5 years. I have understood much better how my attitudes and priorities in life and at work are interlinked. I have become more forgiving towards myself. I now have a sense of taking practical steps to reach a ‘higher’ goal.
CS, Senior Lecturer, Russell Group University
