The Person Behind the Coaching

My story

A bit about me

I am neurodivergent, with both dyslexia and ADHD. I was diagnosed at 12, but it's only really since hitting my 40s that I've understood what that actually means. The more I learn about them, the more I learn about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and how to use or avoid the situations that don't align with who I am.

That understanding shapes how I move through the world. I have always had a passion and a nature for helping people, and I always end up taking on mentees, whatever role I'm in. Underneath that is something I believe very strongly: treat people like people. Give them the benefit of the doubt until you get to know them, and don't judge them until you've met them.

My career

I have been working for 26 years now, since leaving school. That's taken me through sales and retail, construction, IT support, and eventually software, where I found my home in QA and SDET, 16 years in software test automation, progressing from entry level all the way up to leadership and principal roles.

Along the way, I've tried to make career shifts, like so many people do, and haven't always got it right. That's part of why I want to coach; I want to use my mistakes to help others avoid, or get through, the same ones.

I've also worked in toxic environments, and learned something important from it: no matter how good the individuals around you are, it cannot undo toxicity. So I've left a number of jobs that weren't a fit for me. I never frame that as me not being a fit for them; I am more important than a company. That belief was tested further by redundancy, and the uncertainty that comes with it: not knowing what's next, or where my next pay cheque was going to come from. I spent a long time looking for the right job, my "home", and never quite found it, aside from one role that ended in a mass redundancy I was caught up in.

Whatever I've been doing, my career has never been the thing that defines me; the people in it have. Whether you're climbing hard towards the next title, or you've stepped back from that to protect your time and energy, what I care about is that the work fits you, not the other way around. A company can offer a great role, but it's still just a vehicle; it's your life, your growth, and your wellbeing that come first, and I'll always coach with that at the centre.

Education

At 25, I went back to school as a mature student to get my honours degree in computer science at IT Blanchardstown in Dublin. Since then, I've kept adding to that foundation with qualifications in UX Design, Fitness Coaching, Sports Nutrition, Photography, Scrum Master, and Agile Leadership.

What I value

Honesty sits above everything else for me, closely followed by clarity and communication. I don't expect people to do things for me that I can do myself, but I do expect help understanding what needs to be done. If I don't know what I don't know, how can I learn it?

Life, to me, is about learning and growing: aim high, but build on the steps along the way. Be kind, even when others aren't, because kindness costs nothing. Don't ask someone to do something you wouldn't do yourself. And where possible, get it right the first time rather than having to do it again, where that's not possible, compromise to get the job done.

Outside of work

During Covid, I picked up Taekwondo and started learning guitar. When I get spare time now, I like to build model boats and paint. I'd call myself a gamer at heart too, the first game I ever played was in the late 80s, on an old Apple II, coded myself from a book called Mystery of Silver Mountain, a text-based adventure.

Why I became a coach

My best work has always come from helping someone, personally or professionally. That's what led me to take the plunge and expand my reach beyond my own workplace, to help others achieve what they want and need in their careers.

Whether it's a promotion you're not sure how to get, a feeling of being stuck with no clear way out, or the fear that comes with redundancy, I want to help. Whether you're pushing for that next step, restarting after time away, or simply ready to take your career more seriously, I can help, because I've been there. I've had the highs of success and the lows of uncertainty, changed direction both successfully and unsuccessfully, and worked to find a life-career balance after starting a family and wanting to be more present, for myself and for them.

So, if any of this resonates with you, reach out, book a free introduction session, and let's have a chat about what you need, what you want, and how we can work together to achieve great things.