My Story...

I thought I had it all worked out...and then in 2021, I realised that I didn't.

The BlackLight Coach started as a result of my own burnout from working in a caring and helping capacity for many years.

I thought to myself, I'm a psychologist, I should know all about that stuff. I felt flat and not the passionate, caring person I expected myself to be. I had a lot of self-criticism around that and I felt a bit of a failure.

I decided the best thing to do was find a way to manage this. It was through coaching that I began to put in boundaries, self-care, simplicity and calm back into my life, which has allowed me to continue working in this role and continue to be a support to people, which I really enjoy.

To be able to help and take care of others, I needed to help and take care of myself first. I can now say that I feel better today and continue to be in service to others, but I say that whilst accepting that this is an ongoing journey, and I could easily get burnt out again. It has taken me a while to accept that it is okay not to be okay, and this is something I still work on.

What really helped me get back to me again was being out in nature and that is something I continue to do daily. I am lucky that I have my campervan, husband and dog family to get me out in nature more. Being in nature heals me and makes me feel like me again. Hopefully this can be seen in my website themes.

I understand from my own personal experience that people in the helping professions can get overwhelmed, burnout, compassion fatigue, stressed, feel stuck and have negative thoughts. Therefore I want to help the people helping others to also remain in their profession, being mentally and physically well and confident in what they do.

My experience and background...

I am an Educational Psychologist and a certified coach, with a specialism in wellbeing.
I completed my Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Bristol in 2010 and I have been working as an Educational Psychologist ever since, alongside my role as a coach.
I completed my Post Graduate Certificate at The University of Edinburgh in International Animal Welfare Ethics and Law in 2022 and am continuing my study towards Masters level.
I completed my Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Cambridge in 2003 and went on to work as a teacher.
I am a certified member of the Association of Coaching and Health Care and Professionals Council, abiding by their ethical guidelines.
Outside of work, I love nature and being around animals. I have volunteered in a dog and cat rescue centre and hedgehog rehabilitation centre. I currently volunteer with a dog rehoming charity.
I have travelled extensively around the world, including Asia, South America, Africa, Europe and Australia / New Zealand.

My Values ...

I would say that over the years, my values have changed. But when it comes to my work as a coaching psychologist they are:

Calmness – I find ways to keep calm and simplicity in my life in order to be able to help myself and others.

Growth – I continue to learn, make mistakes, learn from these (hopefully) and grow.

Humility – I don’t have all the answers and I am willing to learn from others.

Truthfulness – I believe it is important to be honest and to have integrity.

Warmth – I try to be gentle and warm to people I work with, and be kind.

Compassion – I have compassion for people working in helping professions, having experienced similar roles and desires to help others. This is at the heart of what I do.

Finding your values is fundamental in terms of forging your path in life, living your authentic life and providing you with your well-being direction - I can help you do this.