About me
Vocation:
the place where a particular person’s deep joy meets the world’s deep need… where what is particular about us is linked to the service of others
Thought for the Day, Canon Angela Tilby
27 June 2017
Coaching is my vocation, my chosen way to serve others. I would love to serve as your coach too. Choosing the right coach is important, so here's a little more about my professional background and life so far to help decide I'm the right coach for you.
My career, qualifications and credentials
My career began in 1998 in human resources, specialising in leadership development. I worked in the automotive, finance and energy sectors before transitioning to consulting in 2006. As a consultant I’ve worked for experiential leadership provider Brathay in the English Lake District, global business psychology firm SHL and emotional intelligence specialist JCA; executive coaching clients have been in organisations including Balfour Beatty, Barclays, Centrica, Computershare, JLL, Kier Group, McKinsey, Thames Water and Thomas Cook.
I hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Business and Executive Coaching. I am a licensed practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and a qualified NLP Coach. I am soon to complete a Diploma in Coaching Supervision. I am a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and work to their Global Code of Ethics co-published with the Association for Coaching. I engage in regular supervision for my coaching work.
My life so far, in case you are curious…
There’s sometimes a mistaken belief that coaches must be magically perfect human beings who float effortlessly through life on a cloud of bountiful self-worth and never have bad hair days. Perhaps there are a few like that but I’m not one of them! While I am grateful for many opportunities to utilise my talents, learn and grow professionally, and to have been supported and inspired by colleagues, family and friends, my journey has had its share of bumps, cul-de-sacs and running repairs too. As a coach, I believe it’s the grit in an oyster that makes the pearl.
I was born in and raised in the suburbs of north-west London; my parents divorced when I was ten. I went to a lovely small primary school before gaining an assisted place to a high-ranking private school in the area – an academic education that was second to none, but struggling with not fitting in, being deliberately left out and other forms of what is now called ‘social aggression’ among teenage girls.
I studied English Literature and Cultural Studies at Birmingham University, got labelled as ‘posh’ by my first-year flatmates because I’d been to private school and continued to not really fit in until starting work. I built a career in human resources (still called ‘personnel’ when I started out) where I soon specialised in leadership development. To my joy and gratitude today, I discovered coaching early on. I worked in the automotive, finance and energy sectors, resigning from one role without a job to go to – it was a mis-match of both skills and culture, and changed the way I approached interviews for good.
I transitioned to consulting in 2006, which I loved for over a decade for its variety and opportunities to learn, while eventually tiring of job demands that seemed to stretch time, resources and personal commitment to the limit in the name of ‘partnership’ and being a ‘trusted advisor’. I increasingly noticed the need to look after my wellbeing, live in a more balanced way and do more of the work I loved most - much like many of my coaching clients! .
I bought a house in the late nineties with my first serious boyfriend, a sound investment at a benign time in the economy; my next relationship lasted a decade during which I got married and was a part-time co-parent to two teenagers. Two further house moves and one divorce later, I’m happily settled in Cheltenham with my amazing partner Rob who is a former chef and now a professional in the wine trade. He is my greatest blessing. We both enjoy cooking for family and friends, eating out and tasting new wines. To strive for a healthy balance we love running, as well as hiking in the Cotswolds and wherever we travel. We also sometimes eat takeaway pizza, binge-watch nature documentaries on Netflix, and have bad hair days.
To enable me to fully pursue my passion for coaching I set up my business, coachingwithmia, in 2017. Call me to explore how we can work together!
