Coaching
You wantSomeone to think with
The focusYour work now and what you do next
Who has the answersMostly you. I ask, you decide
Who offers itA trained coach
Ask for it whenYou are capable but stuck on a decision or a pattern
You don’t need more advice. You need room to think.
I work with managers and senior specialists who are good at their jobs and quietly unsure what comes next. I spent nineteen years running operations teams before I trained as a coach, so I know what a Tuesday feels like.
One person, a small practice, no team of associates. You will always work with me.
Add your coaching qualification and membership details hereWho it’s for
You might recognise yourself here
If you want someone to tell you what to do, I am probably the wrong person.
- You now lead people who were your peers last year.
- You are a strong specialist, unsure management is what you want.
- You run a team, and your calendar runs you.
- You have been told to be “more strategic”, and nobody will say what that means.
- You are deciding whether to stay or go, and want to do it on purpose.
- You are coming back after redundancy, illness or a career break.
Before you book
Is coaching what you need?
People often arrive needing something else. These four get mixed up all the time, and each is good at different things.
You want
The focus
Who has the answers
Who offers it
Ask for it when
Mentoring
You wantSomeone who has done it
The focusTheir path and what they learned
Who has the answersMostly the mentor
Who offers itA more senior person in your field
Ask for it whenYou want to see how a career works from the inside
Therapy
You wantSupport with your mental health
The focusWellbeing, feelings, often your past
Who has the answersYou and a clinician, working it through
Who offers itA licensed mental health professional
Ask for it whenLow mood, anxiety, grief or trauma are getting in the way
Consulting
You wantAn expert to solve it
The focusA defined business problem
Who has the answersThe consultant
Who offers itA specialist in that subject
Ask for it whenYou need a plan or a deliverable by a date
Coaching is not therapy.
I am not a therapist or a clinician, and I do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. If what is on your mind is affecting your health or safety, please speak to a doctor or a licensed therapist first. If it comes up in our work, I will say so and we will pause. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
Working together
Three stages. Stop at any of them.
Week 1
Stage 1Get clear
Single session$340
One knotty question, 90 focused minutes.
- A written summary within a day
- Good for a decision on a deadline
Month 3
Stage 2Try things
3-month programme$2,450
Most people start here. You test new habits on real work and we adjust as you go.
- 6 sessions, 60 minutes, every two weeks
- Short messages between sessions
- A goals conversation at the start
Month 6
Stage 3Make it stick
6-month partnership$4,400
For a role change or a long stretch of change, when you want someone alongside you for all of it.
- 12 sessions, 60 minutes
- Feedback interviews with up to 5 colleagues
- A written review at the close
If your employer is paying, we agree goals in a three-way meeting, then what you say in sessions stays between us. Prices exclude tax. Monthly payment is fine.
The method
Slow down, then do one thing
Notice
What actually happened this fortnight, not the story about it.
Name
The real question under the one you came in with.
Try
One small experiment on live work, before our next session.
Review
What changed, what didn’t, and what that tells you.
A sample session, 60 minutes
Example: a new director who keeps rewriting her team’s work.
- 0:00Arrive. A minute of quiet, then what is here today.
- 0:05Last time. What you tried, and what surprised you.
- 0:15Today’s question. “My team isn’t stepping up” becomes something we can work on.
- 0:30Look closer. What you are assuming, and what the rewriting protects.
- 0:45Options. You name three. I push on the one you skipped.
- 0:55Commit. One experiment, small enough to actually do.
Client notes
Sample notes for this template, written to show the tone. Names and roles are invented.
“I came in wanting a script for a hard conversation and left with a better question to ask myself.”
“What helped was being asked things nobody at work asks. Not whether I was right, but what I was protecting.”
“I still don’t know if I’m staying. But I know what I would need to see, and I stopped rehearsing my exit in the shower.”
Essays
- The first ninety days nobody warns you about12 Oct · 6 min
- What “be more strategic” usually means21 Sep · 5 min
- How to stop rewriting your team’s work30 Aug · 7 min
- Staying is a decision too2 Aug · 4 min
FAQ
Fair questions
Anything else? hello@tallowmere.example
Is what I say confidential?
Yes, with limits I explain at the start. The only exceptions are a serious risk of harm or a legal duty to disclose. I keep brief notes, and you can read them.
My employer is paying. What do they get to know?
We agree goals together in a three-way meeting at the start. After that they hear that sessions happened, and anything further comes from you.
How will I know if it is working?
We name what you want to be different at the start and review it every few sessions. I cannot promise an outcome. I can promise close attention and honesty.
Online or in person?
Mostly by video. I also see people in person on Mondays at my room on Ropewalk Yard.
What if we are not a good fit?
Tell me, or I will tell you. Unused sessions are refunded, and I will suggest someone else if I can.
Do you write CVs or prepare people for interviews?
I do not write CVs. We can work on how you talk about your work, and what you want next.