About Me
I had left a corporate role I genuinely loved. After years at board tables, leading teams, creating impact, it was time for something new. I had a dream to set up my own business.
Then, during my notice period, our number one competitor made me an offer. A role created specifically for me. More money than I'd ever contemplated earning. My ego lit up like a Christmas tree, and I said yes.
Two weeks in, I knew I'd made a terrible mistake.
Maybe you know that feeling, when your gut is screaming one thing but your pride won't let you admit it. I'm not a quitter, so I stayed. And over the next few months, I watched myself shrink. I kept my voice small in meetings I used to command. I nodded along to opinions I thought were completely bonkers. Each day, I felt my confidence and my soul being crushed, piece by piece.
For the first time in my career, I felt trapped. I refused to give up, but every day my self-belief took another battering.
On the outside, I maintained the shield. Protected my team from the chaos above. Looked like I had it all together. But internally? I was doubting my ability constantly. Feeling unheard. Going from on top of the world to a shell of my former self in a matter of months.
The worst part wasn't just work, it bled into everything. I became increasingly unhappy at home, frustrated with myself. Why couldn't I just push through and get back to who I was?
It was an exhausting cycle: feel terrible, find a tiny glimmer of my old self, work twice as hard to prove I was still good enough, get knocked down (easily), repeat. I was leading from pure fear, not a shred of confidence left.
Then came the bittersweet gift of COVID. Work changed fundamentally for everyone.
I finally made the decision to leave. After two years of pushing through, I could no longer mask how dreadful I felt. I was done.
What I never expected was the black wall I hit once I left.
On one hand, I was free. It was joyous. On the other hand, I had to rebuild myself from scratch. My confidence was in pieces, and now I had to face the woman in the mirror who'd let herself disappear.
The Deep Work That Helped Me Figure Myself Out
That's when I began doing the deep inner work I'd been avoiding for years. I started unravelling the real truth: my dented confidence wasn't actually about me. Yes, that role triggered it, but the deeper issue? Old programming. Beliefs from my younger self that I'd been carrying my entire life, and hadn’t even realised until then.
I'd hung my entire worth on what I achieved. When I felt like I wasn't achieving enough in that role, my self-worth nosedived with it. For the first time, I saw the pattern clearly: achieve something, briefly feel worthy, then immediately doubt myself again. Work harder. Prove myself. Feel like I'm not enough. Repeat endlessly.
Through that inner work, something shifted. I learned that I didn't need to achieve XYZ to feel good enough. I didn't need validation from others to feel worthy. I didn't need to please everyone to feel like I belonged. Despite feeling broken, I finally understood: I wasn't broken at all.
I already had everything within me for deep self-confidence. The work wasn't about becoming someone else, it was about removing the subconscious beliefs I'd been carrying about myself.
It was the most liberating experience of my life.
Here I am now, still hugely ambitious, but from a completely different place. I know my worth. I know I'm enough as I am. I'm not chasing anything outside myself to feel worthy. And when you operate from that place? You lead powerfully. You create greater impact. You live a much happier, more peaceful life.
On a personal note, I live west of London with my husband of 25 years, young adult children and our two dogs, Ted & Rolo. When I'm not coaching, you'll find me walking along the River Thames, experimenting with new recipes (cocktails not food!), or planning our next travel adventure. I believe in strong tea, honest conversations, and the transformative power of really backing yourself.
My Why
My mission is to activate professional women to live and lead in a way that feels good to them.
That's why I started my coaching practice in 2020; to help professional women build executive confidence. I help them break free from the same patterns that once held me back.
Women who are talented and capable but doubt themselves constantly. Who play small when they're capable of so much more. Who mask self-doubt behind competence while questioning everything internally.
I guide them to build unshakeable confidence, silence their inner critic, and step into the bold leadership they're capable of. Not through surface tips or quick fixes, but through the deep transformation that rewires how they see themselves and their capability.
This work isn't just my career. It's my calling.
If you're reading this, showing up daily and digging deep to present yourself in a way that people expect you to, know this: the self-doubt you are carrying around is not yours to own. There’s a different way to live and lead and you're exactly where you need to be.
