When you say the word retirement, many people (especially high achievers) have associations of things like spending your days golfing, being thought of as ‘out to pasture’, the phone no longer ringing or being yesterday’s news. Clearly these are some…
Reimagining retirement
Powerful questions to review your year
It’s clear from both the theory and practice that taking time to reflect boosts our performance and is an incredibly important part of growing, learning and developing ourselves. Kolb’s experiential learning model, for example, says that the opportunity to reflect…
Quietening your inner barking dog
Albert Einstein once said: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” All of us have had moments in our…
Living without regrets
Imagine it’s your 90th birthday. A large group of all the important people in your life from over the years have gathered to celebrate this special day with you. Close your eyes and visualise the scene. Notice where the celebration…
Midlife questioning (not midlife crisis!)
The term ‘midlife crisis’ has a bad reputation. It conjures up images of flash sports cars and leaving your marriage for someone half your age. There is, however, a very common stage around mid/late 40s to mid/late 50s(ish) – a…
Already successful and wondering what’s next?
Are you around mid 40s to mid 50s and pretty happy with what you’ve achieved in your life so far? While this sounds like a great place to be (and in many ways of course it is), it can often…
Feel like something’s missing in your life?
The people I work with often describe how their life is actually really good and so they find it hard to understand why they feel like something’s missing, something isn’t quite right or they aren’t as happy as they feel…
Why I don’t do executive coaching
Do I do coaching? – yes. Do I work with executives? – yes. Only executives (and usually CEOs or C suite level). Is all my experience (almost 30 years) in the business world and with business people? – yes. Many…
The ‘Not Do List’ is the new ‘To Do List’
Let’s get real here. There will NEVER be enough hours in the day to get everything done. No matter what system you put in place. No matter how disciplined you are with your time. There will always be more to…
Do you have ‘Purpose Anxiety’?
The importance of purpose It’s a well-established finding in psychological research that having a sense of #purpose in our lives improves our wellbeing, our levels of happiness, our life satisfaction and even our health. And this not only applies to…
How to have more fun – the Fun 50 Challenge!
A few years ago, I wasn’t enjoying my life as much as normal and a friend suggested writing in my gratitude journal. Since I very consciously and actively practice gratitude in my life, what she said wasn’t sitting right with…
Life is not a dress rehearsal, this is it
When I was 17, I left Ireland and got on a boat to the UK to study psychology. I kept a diary from this time (which I still have to this day – see photo above). It wasn’t a diary…
When your life is good but something doesn’t feel quite right
In a recent coaching session, the CEO I was working with suddenly looked up and said in surprise “Do you remember that nagging feeling I used to have – it’s gone!”. When we started working together he described how he…
How gratitude can change your life
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things” Robert Brault. Edith Eger, who survived Auschwitz, describes in her stunning book ‘The Choice’ how she and her sister had arrived at…
Is meaning more important than money?
I have moments where I think – “This is the work I was born to do”. I feel a sense of aliveness, joy and a deep inner knowing that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing. Work that makes…
Change vs transition: The psychology of personal change
A lot of people who come to me are thinking about making some kind of change – usually to do with their work. They’re thinking about a different role, changing the type of work they do or perhaps considering moving…
3 tips for making a significant change: How to have a smooth transition
When you make a significant change in the way you live or work, like selling the business you founded, moving to a non-executive career or changing to a very different role or career that is more meaningful for you, there…
Is your life out of balance?
I used to be addicted to being busy. To doing. To achieving. I found it hard to sit still and would have a constant list of things to do running through my head. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t…
Better not Busier
- Thought leadership - to challenge people's relationship with being busy and the prevailing culture of 'doing' in our organisations and society
- Identifying the problem - the cost of busyness on work and leadership performance, as well as the personal impact
- Tackling the issue - how to create a calm and resilient mind
- Practical actions and takeaways - how to be 'Better not Busier' and create space in a busy world
What next?
- Midlife questioning - understanding what Midlife Questioning is and what are the signs you might be experiencing it
- Blocks to fulfilment - no matter how happy or fulfilled you want to be, what might be blocking you from achieving this?
- Sources of fulfilment – how to have a greater sense of fulfilment, meaning or purpose in your life
- How to get there - practical tips and techniques to help you create the life you really want
Qualifications and Credentials
For coaching to work well, the relationship between the coach and the individual is the most important thing. It’s the “secret sauce”. That said, qualifications and credentials are an indicator of a coach’s experience and professional commitment.
I hold myself to the highest levels of professional practice as both a psychologist and coach through my ongoing accreditation, continuous professional development, professional supervision and my commitment to always learning from the best teachers from round the world.
If you’d like to know more, have a look at my details on LinkedIn
OR just ask me anything you’d like to know by getting in touch
- Accredited Coach - Senior Practitioner (European Mentoring & Coaching Council)
- Chartered Psychologist (Psychological Society of Ireland & The British Psychological Society)
- Licensed Firework career coach
- Co-Active Coach (CTI UK)
- B.A (1st class honours), MSc & PhD in Psychology
- Lecturer on the MBA programme at Trinity College Dublin (2005-2019)
