What my Clients Say
Below are some examples of how I have helped my clients:
Being brave enough to leave the corporate world
Debbie was in a partnership with two other women when she came for her first session. During the second session it became apparent that she was grappling with the decision as to whether she should stay in the partnership or pursue her own venture. I challenged her to listen to her heart and follow her instinct as to what she felt was right for her. She resigned from the partnership after our third session and I can happily say she is now reaping all the benefits of her efforts by having her own business. This is an example of how sometimes we need that little ‘nudge’ or challenge from an outsider to get us moving in the direction we really want to go in.
Below is what Debbie has to say about her experience of Life Coaching:
Hilbre has an ability to ask questions that really get to the core of issues and repeated mistakes. She also has insights from an objective perspective that opened my eyes to things I was blind to. I have taken a journey into the real me, and have found the courage to change the things about me that were disabling me in business and relationships. I have started a new business again and the response has been phenomenal from clients and friends. It is an affirmation of doing the right thing and it would have taken me much longer to make a decisive decision had I not had Hilbre's little 'nudge'.
Sandra came to see me as she was struggling to make a decision as to whether she should go back into the corporate world of Finance or do something else, but she was unsure as to what that might be. Many of the reasons she was looking to return to the corporate world were linked to self-confidence and insecurity. Coaching addresses our fears and challenges our sabotaging beliefs so that we end up doing the right thing for the...???
Below is what Sandra has to say about her experience of Life Coaching:
I decided to try life coaching as I was feeling bored and apathetic and unhappy, and I did not know what to do with my career. After researching a number of life coaches, I came across Hilbre’s website and I immediately felt a connection with what she had to say.
Right at our first meeting, I felt that she understood how I was feeling and that she wanted to help me. Throughout the sessions, Hilbre was caring, enthusiastic and supportive. She helped me work through my options and challenged me to reframe my thinking in a more positive way. I firmly believe that I could not have found a better coach for me.
What some of my other clients have said when facing similar situations:
I wanted to say the warmest thank-you because I really would have not launched myself without your guidance.
I think the most powerful learning for me has been to cherish and celebrate those things that I’m good at and not punish myself for the things that I’m not so good at (and as a result – enjoy doing the things I’m good at and outsource the things that I’m not!) But I’m not sure I can really verbalise the minutiae of things that I’ve experienced and learned on this journey to someone who has never been through the coaching process (especially with someone like Hilbre). All I will say is experience it for yourself – you won’t regret it!
Helping entrepreneurs establish structure and discipline in their businesses:
Vanessa started Life Coaching to get some structure and discipline into her day. She essentially works for herself, consulting to a large design company, which at times felt overwhelming due to the constant pressure of demanding deliverables. She wanted to get focused on the key areas in her life that would give her the maximum return for the minimum output and to turn her current thinking from ‘working harder’ to ‘working smarter’.
As a result of Life Coaching she has implemented some key time management and prioritization strategies into her day. By changing her perception she has found more balance and a greater level of fulfillment in her job. We are still working together to achieve higher levels of fulfillment in other areas of her life besides work.
Below is what Vanessa says about Life Coaching:
I have found the experience of Life Coaching with Hilbre to have been a thoroughly rewarding and constructive process. Our work together has enabled me to re-group and focus on my work with a more positive outlook, and consequently more productive results. She has helped clarify my thinking, develop new skills and begin to steer a course towards a more enjoyable working life and beyond. I would recommend both her and Life Coaching to anyone who would like to embrace change.
It has been, and continues to be, an exciting journey accompanied by a skilled and inspirational coach.
Helping women to improve their confidence and self belief:
Leigh is someone who was just waiting to fly and when she started Life Coaching she had great visions for herself and her business. However, a confidence issue relating to her self-image was holding her back. After coaching around the possibilities for a ‘new her’ she took the leap and went for a make over and has found a whole new side to herself which I can excitedly say she is wearing with much pride. This newly found confidence is showing up in all other areas of her life, including work and personal relationships.
Below is what Leigh has to say about her experience of Life Coaching:
I started coaching with Hilbre in July 2008. I have my own business at home and found that the juggling of being a business owner, mother of a seven year old, wife and keeping the household in tact was taking major strain on my health and wellbeing.
Through coaching I have learnt to slowly let go of the guilt I constantly feel by not being perfect. I took a leap and did an image makeover, which made me feel more confident meeting with clients, which inadvertently has won me more business. I have also found an inner strength, which has allowed me to be truthful to myself, and helped me to stand my ground. My perception has changed from seeing this as a damaging thing to where it has actually allowed me to mend relationships.
Below are what others facing similar challenges say:
I used to have a good career before having children and I was really missing using my brain and wanting more than just being a mother. I love my children and my husband but I really felt like I had lost touch with that part of me before the life I have now.
I missed the parties with my girlfriends and feeling good about myself. I put on weight following having my children and I felt I needed to do something about it before it got too late and I felt too old. I thought life coaching could give me the focus I needed to commit to making changes and having someone to be accountable to. I found Hilbre's natural and very relaxed, but also direct way of coaching, just what I needed.
I felt she understood what I was going through which really helped as I hadn't really been able to talk to friends or family so knowing she was there every two weeks for the best part of a year was a huge support. I lost the weight, started my own business and feel I have connected with the old part of me again and love the fact I am earning some money as well. Thank you, Hilbre.
Helping women transition into their new role of being a mother
Carron started coaching when she was newly pregnant as she was having difficulty adjusting to what lay ahead in terms of both the physical and emotional changes a mother-to-be goes through. She was struggling with the notion of losing her independence, which is something many women who have successful careers struggle with when they enter motherhood. They tend to be sleep-deprived and feel like an on-demand-feeding-machine has replaced their sense of self. While having a baby is a miracle, it is nonetheless a very daunting undertaking where one can often feel alone, despite having many people to talk to.
A Life Coach offers unbiased support and aid in this process of major physiological and emotional change. It is often as simple as looking at different perspectives for this new status of 'mother' and ensuring that despite the changes that lie ahead, it is still possible to remain an individual with a strong sense of self. I so enjoyed working with C and seeing the changing shape of her pregnancy and how she has embraced the idea of being a mother while remaining true to her own needs.
Below is what Carron says about Life Coaching:
My pregnancy has been a tremendously fulfilling journey. My joy and excitement on finding out I was pregnant was accompanied by feeling terrified at the prospect of losing my sense of self, my relationship changing, losing my financial freedom and my figure. All sorts of elements changed over which I felt I had not much control...Coaching helped me to deal with all these aspects positively by changing my perspective, learning to let go and enjoying the incredible miracle of a baby being created. Coaching was also very beneficial in that it not only focused on my pregnancy, but also on my sense of identity. It addressed elements such as regaining my creativity, maintaining a healthy balance and being in touch with my spirituality. Together with the practicalities of timelines, putting systems in place to ensure things run as smoothly as possible in my business while I am on maternity leave, and planning for when my baby arrives.
I know that the biggest challenges still lie ahead when my baby is actually born, but I am feeling positive and excited, and although it will be hard I truly believe that personal growth comes through facing the many challenges of life. Hilbre is an exceptional listener and her enthusiasm and positivity are contagious. She is compassionate, empathetic and knows just when to challenge you and when to let you just be. I would highly recommend Hilbre as a Life Coach!
Helping women get the balance right
When Nicky started coaching she described herself as a ‘big clock’. She is an extraordinarily kind and energized person with a huge amount of passion for life. Her only frustration was that there was too much to do and too little time, which is common theme for people wanting Life Coaching.
Nicky is a very successful artist and mother of 4 who wanted to expand what she was doing into other exciting avenues, which required prioritization and planning. Together we looked at the areas she wanted to explore and came up with action plans and realistic deliverables. I can proudly say that Nicky has achieved a huge amount of what she set her mind to and while we all continue to grow and have development areas, it is so rewarding to see clients achieve their big-ticket items.
Below is what Nicky says about Life Coaching:
I see each morning as a world made new, knowing that it has so much to offer. I treasure the fact that I have been given talents and gifts, to go out each day and make this world a better place. Having been to your Life Coaching sessions really made me see just how important it is to recognize our talents and to use them to the best of our ability."
Thank you for you inspiration and 'go get it' attitude.
What others say facing similar challenges concering time-management:
I found the whole process gave me permission to be more comfortable with myself and my lifestyle with the main thing being able to 'relax into being me' and to be 'proud of being me'. I felt like I had a breath of fresh air sweep through me which got rid of some poor perspectives and the use of 'techniques' which Hilbre showed me were all fun but very powerful in terms of helping me to help myself at the required moment. I really can recommend Hilbre as a warm and highly intuitive coach. Thank you.
Coaching with Hilbre has taught me that everything is part of a big picture, to enjoy the little things each day that make life fun and not to worry so much about the big stuff. Balance is essential and not to get too bogged down with worry. I really feel that this journey brought me closer to understanding who I am and what I need to be happy and fulfilled.
I know I am an A-type personality and I want things to happen on my time which is why I thought I would see a Life Coach. I have always been very successful in my career and have spent the last 15 years building a successful company but my life is unbalanced. I thought if I don't do something now to even it out I will be single forever and only able to talk about work. My sessions with Hilbre helped me to focus on the other parts of my life and to get a better perspective on what I wanted my whole life to look like. I now feel a lot more interesting and work is only a part of my life and not MY life. Thank you Hilbre.
Someone to listen to you
Due to the confidentiality of coaching some clients prefer to remain anonymous. For the purposes of this reference I refer to this client as 'O' who came to see me shortly after losing her father to cancer. It was understandably a very difficult time for her and being single further added to her feeling of loneliness.
Sometimes clients just need to be with the emotion that they are experiencing at a particular point in time, allowing them to process it and move on.
Below is what 'O' says about Life Coaching:
Coaching with Hilbre really helped me through an emotionally difficult time as it made me realise that we all face challenges but the difference is how we respond and handle these challenges. Hilbre has such a positive and vibrant energy about her which really gave me hope that I too could be and feel that way.
What others say about being listened to:
When I started life coaching with Hilbre I was at a very low point in my life following my divorce and feeling I wasn’t going to find anyone again and was going to be too old for children. I found that Hilbre was able to shift me from being very negative about my situation and the future that I saw to seeing all the possibilities that my new situation brought.
I realised that this was a very exciting opportunity to define who I wanted to be and with the time to just focus on me and who I really was. I realised I had lost a part of myself by being in the wrong relationship for such a long time. I started to see everything around me differently and with this new perspective came new opportunities, some life travelling, were never things I even dreamed I could do. I really owe my new life to Hilbre who not only helped me but made me feel like she really knew how I was feeling and that really helped me to not feel so alone
I always felt Hilbre really cared about me and that she understood how I was feeling, so much so that I believe she wasn’t doing it for the money. She has such strong empathy and intuition ~ Viv 31, full time mother.
Hilbre is an excellent coach. I had never tried coaching before and was happily surprised by how effective the experience was. Hilbre helped me to sift through all of the pieces that were floating around in my mind and put them together in a way that represents a picture of what I want to be doing, in a way that made me feel confident about the ultimate destination, the path that will take me there, and my ability to get there.
Helping women to feel less alone
Tess was a Canadian expat who had been living in London for a few years when she contacted me. She was experiencing the lack of a support network, which is common for a lot of foreigners and can lead to a feeling of loneliness.
Shortly after arriving in the UK she gave birth to her first child and so did not work during her time in London. Tess’s main concerns were around her ‘loss of identity’ due to not working as well as struggling with the change in lifestyle that being a mother brings. Some women really embrace being a mother and it is enough for them. For others, there is a real need to be more than ‘just a mum’. This brings with it feelings of guilt and confusion and the coaching really helped Tess to define what she needed, in addition to being a mother.
The coaching relationship provides the support and safety to really be honest about who we are and what we need in order to feel fulfilled and therefore have balance in our life. By identifying your objectives and setting clear and obtainable goals the coaching process takes you closer to your desired life.
Below is what Tess has to say about her coaching experience:
Hilbre is a good listener and seems to tap into people well – a quality that I think is inherent and is difficult to learn. She helped me realize where my focus needed to be and that I was only ever going to be happy if I was true to myself in terms of my needs, and honoring my values. It was great to have someone to talk to regularly as a foreigner one can definitely feel lonely without the support of immediate family and good friends.
What others say:
My husband was offered a great job in London and it was a good opportunity for us all. I had always wanted to live in another country and so I saw this as a great experience. I am not naturally that outgoing so although I embraced the change, I also found it difficult to connect with other mothers. I felt quite alone and struggled with having to make a whole new life without the support of friends and family. I felt life coaching was a good way to help me with this.
I chose Hilbre because she has moved countries and so I felt she could understand what I was going through. Her practical coaching style really helped me focus on each day and how I could take charge of my weeks and not feel like they were just passing by and I wasnt really having the experience I thought I was going to have. I felt very inspired and motivated after each session as I had practical actions to go and do and this all helped me shape my weeks to how I wanted them to look. I am now loving living in London and would recommend anyone who has moved from another country to see Hilbre if you are struggling to set up your new life.