“From a young age I was curious about the world, the people I met and the conversations I had with them.”
I was brought up in a small mill town in the Pennines, Yorkshire, by my hard-working parents. Education and getting on in the world mattered to them, as did their Protestant faith. The impact of this early, very religious upbringing is something I’ve written about in the book ‘Children Growing Up with Religion’. At the age of 10, I was sent away to an all-girls Quaker boarding school in York. I contributed to the book ‘Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege’ (written by Nick Duffell and Thurstine Basset) having realised what a huge impact boarding school had on me.
On completing my first degree in Communication Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, I knew I wanted to work with people. I gained a Masters in Management Learning from Lancaster University and am an Accredited Mediator, by Regents College London. I am an Accredited Practitioner of MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator), FIRO-B and Hogan. These are tools widely used to understand peoples' personality type and decision-making styles to bring about positive behavioural change and promote team performance.
I am passionate about leadership, believing it to be personal and relational. In 2007, I published ‘Assertiveness and Diversity’, in which I explore, through theory and case studies, how individuals, teams, and organisations can make it possible for everyone to be valued for who they are and respected for what they do.
In 2013, I was interviewed on BBC4’s Ramblings and spoke about my love of the Walk and Talk approach. Whether working or relaxing, I love being outdoors. I regularly make the most of living on the edge of the South Downs in Sussex by enjoying walks and talks with friends, colleagues and clients. I live with my partner, and have two grown-up daughters.