Meet Your Coach
Hello, nice to meet you, and thank you for taking the time to browse my website and find out more about the work I do.
I’ve been working in private practice for over 20 years. Through this work and my research over the years into what makes a successful practice, it’s clear that knowing at least a little about your coach before contacting them helps to pave the way to a fruitful coach/client relationship.
The aim of this page therefore is to introduce myself and hopefully make it just that little bit easier for you to make contact and start a conversation about how we might work together.
My background and experience
Whilst there is much more to a successful coach than their qualifications and training, as a potential client it’s reassuring to know that this isn’t just someone who says than can coach.
Formal training, education, and ongoing professional development also add to the confidence of the coach and their credibility in what is a competitive field of work.
With this in mind, here’s a short list of the qualifications and training relevant to my coaching work:
· Post Graduate Certificate in Integrative Coaching and Counselling
· BSc (Hons) 2:1 Psychology
· MSc Place Management and Leadership
· IAFPD Primary Certificate in Coaching Supervision
· NEBOSH Certificate in General Health & Safety
· RSA Certificate Adult Education & Training Guidance
· C&G 730 Further & Adult Education Teacher’s Certificate
· C&G 926 Adult Trainers Award
During my coaching career in private practice, I have often worked in part-time roles as I think it’s important to have up to date and ongoing contact with the workplace as many of my clients approach me for coaching and support due to issues arising at work.
I have worked in a variety of sectors; the charity sector working with specific groups such as single parents, the long-term unemployed, people recovering from addiction and adults impacted by adoption. In Further and Higher Education providing or managing student support services and educational and career guidance, and with local and central government delivering and managing coaching services. I also have several years experience in working in the private sector.
My work has often been in senior roles with responsibility for managing and developing services, financial management, and personnel responsibilities such as recruitment, appraisal and coaching. Various demanding roles over the years have provided me with an in depth understanding of the challenges of today's workplace at all levels within an organisation.
My Motivation
Why am I a coach?
The biggest motivating force for me in working as a coach is simply seeing people grow and develop and ultimately succeed as a result of their application and commitment to the coaching process.
I have had many clients over the years who have referred to the life coaching process as life changing, and it really can be.
I think supporting people through this process to achieve their full potential, to grow, or to move forward in such a way that improves their overall degree of contentedness and quality of life is one of the most rewarding things about working as a coach.
My outlook and beliefs regarding personal development and growth
I am a firm believer that we all have the ability to achieve our life goals, the only restrictions are those of a societal nature i.e. the barriers that exist within the world around us. Such barriers can of course make progress difficult and in some cases, it might feel impossible, but there is a way around or through each and every obstacle.
We all have the ability, the right and (though we might not believe it at this moment in time) the resources to live our best life. What’s often missing, or what we often see as barriers to living that best life, are things that the coaching process can help you to find or overcome.
For some people it’s as simple as not really knowing “what” it is they want in so far as they find it difficult to pinpoint what’s missing. For others it’s having a very clear idea of their life goals but being unsure as to the route, the “how”.
Lack of confidence/belief, low self-worth or low self-esteem, not knowing if it’s the right time, the “when” or fear of failure, and for many the complete opposite, the fear of success. Yes, believe it or not, though many people aren’t conscious of this barrier, being fearful of your own success is what is very often the cause of never feeling able to move forward.
My areas of expertise/special interest
It’s true to say that the coaching process can be applied in just about any situation or circumstance, but you will find that most coaches either work in a “niche” field such as career coaching or have specific areas of expertise that attract clients. I am happy to work with clients with any aims in mind so long as they are obviously, legal moral and realistic.
From an expertise point of view however, a great deal of my experience is in the field of work-related problems such as burn out, work life balance but also workplace bullying.
Connected to work, business and employment I am an expert in the field of employability, career transition and career change and for those content with their current profession supporting them with their future career goals and continuing professional development.
In a more general sense I particularly enjoy, and have had a great deal of experience in, helping people overcome some form of adversity, be they personal barriers relating to confidence, belief or identifying a life purpose, or wider issues relating to job loss, relationship break up, chronic ill health issues or major life events.
I am also very experienced in what I refer to as “whole life change” where a client is seeking major change such as relocation, career change and making a completely “fresh start”.
Throughout my life I have had a strong interest in “place”, our environment in which we live, work and function which ultimately led to me studying a Master’s degree in Place Management and Leadership. I believe that place can have a profound positive (or negative) effect on our well-being, motivation, aspirations and all-round quality of life.
I have worked with many clients over the years who have planned emigration to other countries or been seeking work abroad, having been inspired by a place they have been to on holiday or perhaps visited for work purposes, or even just read about or seen on TV in a film for instance.
How I work with clients
Getting to know each other is vital at the beginning of the client/coach relationship so our first session will focus on just that, as well as looking at your current situation in some depth, exploring what it is you seek from the coaching process, and establishing your expectations. This first exploratory session is free of charge and therefore not counted as part of any package of sessions you book with me.
My overall aims in working with all of my clients are based around four words; clarity, belief, confidence and inspiration. Positive change and success will naturally follow.
Once we’ve identified your aspirations and expectations, I will outline a plan as to how we might move forward in subsequent sessions. This plan will be entirely flexible as, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over my many years in this area of work, it’s that the coaching process itself can often bring about change in terms of what a client originally thought they wanted to achieve through coaching, or it may be that they change their specific life goals.
All sessions include a short summary and review of our previous work together and I always send an email summary following each session so that you have a record of what we covered, and any actions agreed.
Prior to the first session I will send you our “contract”. This is a very informal document that is called the “client and coach commitments” and also sets out the brief terms and conditions of our work together including fees and payment methods etc. There are never any hidden costs. My fees are clear and agreed in advance of any work we do together.
Whilst a skilled and experienced coach helps to make this whole process work, it’s the client themselves who does the hard work necessary to achieve their set goals and the client who, rightly, takes credit for the success of the process.
As your coach I will give you feedback throughout. It should be understood however that coaching can be a challenging process, and any good coach won’t steer away from asking quite difficult or challenging questions, it’s often at this point that the biggest breakthroughs occur. But as a trained counsellor as well as coach I will be their supporting you through the process. Coaching can and often does bring up some unexpected thoughts and feelings, and it’s important to recognise and work with these rather than brush them aside as they can ultimately create a blockage if ignored.
Rapport, trust, openness, flexibility, accessibility, confidentiality.
These are the key elements of our working relationship as coach and client. Openness is a vital part of the process and helps to build rapport with rapport essentially being the bridge across which all of our communication to one another travels. Building a good rapport therefore ensures that communication is clear and comfortable.
Whilst an open and honest dialogue is essential to the process please rest assured our work together is completely, 100% confidential.
I aim to be as flexible as possible with my availability for sessions as I know it can often be difficult to find a good time to book sessions. I’m happy to do evening sessions or weekends as required. I offer consultations by phone, video on various platforms or face to face.
Your next steps
If what you’ve read here and across the website has made you interested in coaching and would like to discuss this further all you need do is either email me on martin@renaissance-coaching.co.uk or complete and submit one of the enquiry forms at the bottom of each page.
In making contact there is absolutely no commitment on your part. I’m more than happy to arrange a phone call to talk through your ideas about coaching, your goals, any thing you’re not sure about and what you would like to achieve through the coaching process, again with no commitment on your part. So, if you’d like to know more just click the email link above or complete an enquiry form.
Thanks again for reading and I really look forward to hearing from you.
