Claire’s story

Coaching is about you. The focus is on your journey, not mine. But I also think it’s useful for you to know a little of my history, qualifications and how I came to coaching.

Life is sometimes challenging and unfair, but from challenge can come opportunity. I am a firm believer in the possibility of post traumatic growth and I believe that people are stronger and more resilient than many modern narratives would lead us to believe.

I grew up in a flashpoint area of Belfast at the height of ‘The Troubles’ and lost my mother to cancer at the age of 10. Only as I addressed the more recent challenges of stress and burnout did I come to appreciate the impact of such a huge early loss and the degree to which it (positively and negatively) shaped the adult I became.

Having left Belfast at eighteen, I worked in the City of London and Edinburgh as an analyst and fund manager for over 20 years. While I enjoyed elements of my career in finance, at times I felt that my key values and strengths were compromised. That conflict of values together with sometimes toxic environments (and people) took its toll. I had always enjoyed the constitution of a tank but the road to burnout was paved with colds, sleepless nights, reflux and IBS. The accumulated stress had very real emotional and physical consequences!

In 2016 I took time out from my career to recover and decide what I wanted the rest of my life to look like. My aim was to come out the other side with a rebalanced life that felt more ‘me’. The idea of changing career path to coaching evolved during my journey as I explored my own character strengths and work preferences.

I studied extensively to support my recovery and at the same time explored my long-standing interest in all things personal-development related. I have been interested in neuroscience (how our brains work), our capacity for change and the various routes to change for a long time. I also have great interest in positive psychology and its work on resilience, optimism and post traumatic growth.

Qualifications and training

• Postgraduate Certificate in business and personal coaching, University of Chester. Course accredited by International Coach Federation.
• Kirsten Neff self-compassion workshop.
• Primary Certificate in Stress Management.
• Member of International Coach Federation.