About Me - The Story So Far

I once reported for Reuters from a desk in the UK parliament, covered earthquakes, tsunamis and terrorist attacks, and lived alone in a North London attic flat. I now coach, write, and speak - straight from the heart - and live by the sea with the man I love. I used to be an adrenaline junky who sought status and acclaim. Now I crave balance and peace.

So what changed? I changed.

I realised, in my early 30s, that I'd been punishing myself for most of my life - starving, binge eating, binge drinking, compulsively exercising, working incredibly hard for somebody else and getting into relationships with people who couldn't meet my needs. I was stuck in a cycle of self-harm, chasing dreams that weren't mine, using achievement to compensate for low self-esteem, living in fear of others or of getting things wrong, and denying myself the freedom I so desperately sought.

Over the past 13 years, I've been on a journey of recovery and self-discovery, learning more every day about the unique, vulnerable, strong, determined, creative woman I am at my core, finding balance, discovering how to achieve my potential without self-harm, learning to fall in love and stay in love and allowing myself to use my natural talents for coaching, writing, storytelling and speaking to bring me joy and help others find their own version of happiness.

My passion is to help others create a life and career they love as well as a long-lasting relationship. I do this through mid-life mentoring and relationships coaching.

Authenticity is at the core of everything I do. For years, my confident and successful exterior disguised my inner turmoil. I believe in being real about my struggles, sharing my truth and encouraging others to do the same.

I've been in recovery from dysfunctional relationships, with myself and others, and from self-defeating behaviours including an eating disorder for 13 years. During this time, I've mentored and coached others through their recovery and into fulfilling relationships. I believe my biggest achievement to date is learning to fall in love, both with myself and with my partner, and maintaining a healthy, loving relationship, despite my frequent desire to self-sabotage. I don't have children and have written in depth about my ambivalence towards motherhood, in my book and on my blog. I am passionate about learning to accept 'what is' instead of focusing on 'what if'.

I'm a graduate of Oxford University, have a diploma in counselling and psychotherapy skills from the Westminster Pastoral Assocation and have more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, writer, speaker and professional communicator, with articles published in leading newspapers and magazines, appearances on national TV and radio and speaking engagements at events including the Women of the World festival at London's Southbank Centre and The Inspire'd Stage in Mayfair. I've lectured in journalism, employability and emotional intelligence at Bournemouth University and I speak to businesses and schools on the topics of wellbeing, resilience, managing stress and avoiding self-harm. I am trained in the Packtypes® self-awareness system and use this simple, engaging, interactive tool, alongside other tools, in workshops and in one-to-one coaching. I am a graduate and fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

I live by the sea on the Dorset coast, where I swim and play in the waves as often as I can. I'm based in Poole but frequently work in London as well as nationally and internationally via videolink.

(Packtypes® is a Registered Trademark belonging to Friendly Publishing Ltd. www.packtypes.com)