About
“I believe in the power of courageous conversation, in which people feel able to be open and honest as part of building trusting relationships.”
Leadership Partner, Facilitator, Mentor, Coach and Speaker, Author, and Host of the Leaders in Conversation Podcast
With more than 30 years' experience, I have worked with global leaders across a range of sectors and industries, specialising in helping senior leaders and their teams create a safe environment to bring out the best in each other and others. I value inclusive dialogue and diversity of thought and feeling and incorporate them as part of working collaboratively to deliver remarkable results and services.
I believe in the power of courageous conversation in which people feel able to be open and honest as part of building trusting relationships.
My Story
“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, deeply religious upbringing is something I have 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.
After completing my first degree in Communication Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, I knew I wanted to work with people. I went on to gain a Master’s in Management Learning from Lancaster University, and trained as a mediator at Regent’s College, London. Over the years, I’ve worked with many different teams and organisations, drawing on my training in MBTI, FIRO-B and Hogan to help people better understand themselves and one another — all in service of positive behavioural change and team performance.
Leadership, for me, is deeply personal and relational. In 2007, I published ‘Assertiveness and Diversity’, exploring how individuals and organisations can create cultures where everyone is valued for who they are and respected for what they do.
For over thirty years, I’ve lived on the edge of the South Downs Way, in a small semi-detached house built by the Land Army for land girls after the Second World War. The Downs give me joy every day. Being in nature is a central part of my life and my work. 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. More recently, I co-founded Walking Partnerships™ with my colleagues and friends, Natalie Shering and Lucy Kidd.
With Lucy, I also co-founded the Collaboration Equation™ in 2018 - a body of work shaped by our shared experience of partnering with leaders and their teams. We help teams find their Collaborative Edge™, the space where trust, clarity and connection meet. In 2025, we launched the Finding Your Collaborative Edge podcast and are now developing our Collaborative Edge Behavioural Enquiry (CEBE) - a reflective tool to help leaders identify where they are now and where they want to grow, through conversation and insight.
I’m also a mother of two daughters and became a grandmother in 2023. One of the motivations behind building my own company was to create a way of working that allowed me to balance motherhood with doing the work I love, and to manage my energy with care.
Alongside my coaching and facilitation work, I’m a writer and photographer. My father used to say, “Every picture tells a story,” and my Story Portraits honour this. Each one captures someone outdoors, in the midst of their everyday life, sharing something of who they are.
Passionate about lifelong learning
I am passionate about learning and reading on the subjects of leadership, inclusivity, and how to create a collaborative culture in the workplace. I enjoy continually learning and educating myself, being creative through my love of writing and photography, and spending time exploring new topics and ideas that help me further my leadership and help others lead with confidence.