About Michelle
It's Personal
Back in 1999 I was working with a forward thinking financial institution who were embarking on introducing a coaching culture – managers showing autocratic, laissez-faire and other less than helpful management behaviours were supported to develop skills to engage their people, appreciate the need for emotional intelligence and to listen.
Up until then, I had worked in Customer Service, Sales, Advisory, Operational Management and Operational Training roles. I'd also experienced some difficult times - an autocratic boss, being "dumped in at the deep end" with no support or training for my first management role, constant change, personal health concerns and episodes of stress and depression.
I'd now discovered a passion for understanding what makes us tick, how the brain works and how mind-set as much as skill-set are key to success and happiness. I moved into Leadership Development. Facilitating learning in others and my own personal growth, gave me a real buzz.. A couple of years later as a participant in a workshop based on Jinny Ditzlers “Best Year Yet” I was finally able to articulate my values, understand the limiting beliefs that were holding me back and truly step into Who I am and What was Important to me. The impact was felt on my career too with promotion to an HR Business Partner role, further professional qualifications and ultimately a move “up North”.
Fast forward a couple more years and, having devoured and learnt from Michael Neill, Nancy Kline, Anthony Robbins, Susan Jeffries, Gladeana McMahon, John Lees and others, I knew the time had come to leave my corporate life behind and step into the exciting yet unknown. I found the courage to leave and embark on a life which was supported by a new found independence and confidence
After becoming a professionally qualified coach, I set up my business to support managers and aspiring managers who are feeling frustrated, suffocated or stuck, who want an objective sounding board and help, to make changes either for themselves, their teams or their organisation.
Why Choose Me?
My client's opinions matter - looking through my website you will see comments and views or visit my LinkedIn Profile for more testimonials.
I bring coaching, leadership development, mentoring and HR expertise to our working relationship, I am not a "one-trick pony"
I create the safe space for you to think, challenge you to explore your thoughts and feelings, really listen to who you are and what you want and support you to develop the resolve, the skills and the strategies to get you there
Wide sector experience - Financial Services, Charity, Education, Health, Engineering, Manufacturing, Law, Retail, Call Centre, Various Public Sector Departments and more.
Featured Expert for Abintegro - the Career Development Portal, Contributor to Psychologies LifeLabs, Speaker for CMI Events, Expertise bought in by other training providers and North Lindsey College to develop and deliver engaging skills workshops
I have a thirst for knowledge and undertake various continuing professional development activities, courses and research, together with coaching supervision to ensure I offer current and thought provoking support.
Based on the border of North Lincolnshire/South Yorkshire I work locally (when the current Cov-id crisis will allow) and also online using Zoom, Teams, Skype, Facetime or by phone.
I strongly believe that life is a gift and that ultimately it is down to each one of us to carve out and make choices to live a life we love..for ourselves and the people we share it with.
Challenges, curved balls, stress and discontent are messages we receive to remind us that something needs attention, that it's time for change.
I am here to help you.
Please get in touch: michelle@careersoshelp.com
or Tel: 07789 922842
Professional Qualifications
- Licensed Firework Career Coach
- MCIPD - Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
- FCMI - Fellow Chartered Management Institute
- Barefoot Trained and Professionally Qualified Personal and Business Coach.
- BPS RQTU - A Registered Test User with the British Psychological Society, qualified to use Occupational Personality and Ability Questionnaires
- MAC - Member of the Association for Coaching International
Professional Development Courses
- Cognitive Behavioural Coaching
- Time to Think
- Human Givens Theory
- Coaching for Stress Management
- Coaching for Conflict Situations
- Mental Health First-Aider
- Positive Intelligence Coaching - Managing Our Saboteurs
How did my business name "Fields of Change" come about?
As I came to the end of my coaching qualification course we took part, in pairs, in an exercise called “Dereve” – a coaching conversation whilst walking, noticing, breathing the great outdoors. As the fields stretched before us, Deb and I took it in turns to walk the footpaths and….think, speak, stay slient, reflect and listen.
The trust between us and the quality of that experience remains to this day – closing my eyes I am back in that special place, feeling what I felt and understanding the profound impact.
Using the scenery, the butterflies, the birds, the sounds, the colours, the smells and the touch I realised that I had led quite a conformist life – never one to really break the rules or disobey authority and as we walked alongside a field of corn I felt a strong urge to step off the footpath and barefoot onto the corn. I didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t run across the field with reckless abandon as there was still that voice inside of me reminding me that this was a farmer’s field, his livelihood, and I’d always been a champion of what was right and fair. Nevertheless that little moment of “letting go” was priceless. I could be who I wanted to be.
As I looked across the field, there, across the diagonal and in the corner, was a gap between the 2 hedges that flanked each side of the field, as I stared through into the next field, past the trees and onto the horizon the name of my business was borne – Fields of Change!
It was not long after that I came across the John Shedd quote
“Ships are safe in the harbour, but that is not what they are built for” – now, not only did I have a name for my business I had discovered the essence of my business too - Tackle the Challenges, Achieve More, Live More!