The Person Behind the Coaching

My story

A bit about me

I’m neurodivergent, with dyslexia and ADHD. I was diagnosed at 12, but it’s only in my 40s that I’ve developed a deeper understanding of what that means for how I think, work, communicate, and navigate the world.

The more I’ve learned about neurodivergence, the more I’ve learned about myself: my strengths, my challenges, and the environments in which I’m able to do my best work. That understanding also shapes the way I coach. I believe support should be practical, inclusive, and adapted to the person in front of you.

Helping people has always been an important part of who I am. Whatever role I’ve held, I’ve often found myself supporting colleagues, mentoring others, and helping people make sense of their next steps.

At the centre of my approach is a simple belief: treat people like people. Give them the benefit of the doubt, take the time to understand them, and avoid making judgements before you know their story.

My career

I’ve been working for more than 25 years, beginning in sales and retail before moving through construction, IT support, and eventually software engineering.

I found my professional home in quality assurance and software development in test, spending 16 years working in software test automation. During that time, I progressed from entry-level roles into leadership and principal positions, gaining experience across technical delivery, communication, mentoring, team development, and career progression.

My experience is particularly relevant to people working in technology and digital organisations, including professionals in software, quality engineering, testing, engineering, product, delivery, operations, and technical leadership. However, the challenges I help with, confidence, career direction, applications, interviews, progression, redundancy, and finding work that fits, are not limited to one industry.

My own career has included successful transitions, difficult decisions, roles that were not right for me, toxic working environments, redundancy, and long periods of uncertainty. I have not always made the perfect choice, and that experience is part of what I bring to coaching.

I’ve learned that a workplace can have talented and well-intentioned people while still being unhealthy or unsuitable. Leaving a role that is damaging your wellbeing is not necessarily a sign that you have failed. Sometimes it is a decision to value yourself properly.

My career has never been the thing that defines me. The people I’ve worked with have mattered more than job titles or company names. Whether you are working towards your next promotion or stepping back to protect your time and energy, I believe your work should fit into your life, not the other way around.

A company can offer an interesting role, but it is still only one part of your life. Your wellbeing, development, relationships, and sense of direction come first, and I keep those things at the centre of my coaching.

Education and continued learning

At 25, I returned to education as a mature student and completed an honours degree in Computer Science at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown in Dublin.

Since then, I’ve continued developing my skills through qualifications and training in:

• UX Design
• Fitness Coaching
• Sports Nutrition
• Photography
• Scrum Mastery
• Agile Leadership

This varied background helps me look at career decisions from different perspectives, not only through the lens of a job title, but also in terms of communication, wellbeing, motivation, learning, and the kind of life someone wants to create.

What I value

Honesty is the foundation of my work, followed closely by clarity and good communication.

I don’t expect people to do things for me that I can do myself. However, I do expect people to help me understand what needs to be done. If I don’t know what I don’t know, how can I learn?

I believe life is about learning and growing. Aim high, but recognise the progress made through every step along the way. Be kind, even when others are not, because kindness costs nothing. Don’t ask someone to do something you would not be prepared to do yourself.

I also value practical progress. Sometimes it is possible to get things right the first time; sometimes it is not. When it is not, the goal is to learn, adapt, and find a way forward.

Outside of work

During Covid, I took up Taekwondo and began learning guitar. In my spare time, I enjoy building and painting model boats, and I’ve always considered myself a gamer at heart.

The first game I ever played was in the late 1980s on an old Apple II. I even created a text-based adventure by following a book called Mystery of Silver Mountain.

These interests are a reminder that careers are only one part of who we are. Curiosity, creativity, family, hobbies, health, and personal interests all contribute to a fulfilling life.

Why I became a coach

The work I have found most meaningful has always involved helping someone, whether personally or professionally. That is what led me to expand beyond supporting people within my own workplaces and begin helping clients with their wider career goals.

I work especially well with professionals in the technology sector and related digital roles, including people who are:

• Trying to secure a promotion or take on greater responsibility
• Moving into a new technical, product, operational, or leadership role
• Changing direction within or outside the technology sector
• Returning to work after a career break
• Navigating neurodivergence in the workplace
• Recovering from redundancy or an unhealthy working environment
• Feeling stuck, overlooked, or unsure what to do next
• Looking for work that better fits their priorities and wellbeing

My primary focus is supporting professionals in Ireland, the UK, and English-speaking European job markets. I also work with people internationally, particularly where English is the working language.

I understand the highs that come with career progress and the uncertainty that comes with difficult change. I’ve changed direction successfully and unsuccessfully, experienced redundancy, worked through uncertainty, and had to think carefully about how to balance career ambitions with family life and wellbeing.

I cannot promise to have every answer, but I can offer honest, practical support while you work out what comes next.