Frequently asked questions

What is a typical coaching session with you like?

If you’re looking for someone to have a cosy chat with and skirt around uncomfortable topics, then I’m not the coach for you. Coaching with me tends to go quite deep, quite fast. That’s not to say there’s no compassion or sensitivity, I have a huge amount of empathy for people and the situations they find themselves in. But I’m your coach, not your friend or partner, so I will challenge you on your beliefs, assumptions, and habits if they’re holding you back.

How do you work?

First, I create a safe, comfortable space where you can speak openly without judgement. I give you my full attention so you can get everything off your chest. Then, like a mirror, I reflect back what you’re showing me, and together we look at whether it’s helping you step into your role with confidence, or whether it’s keeping you stuck.I use coaching and practical tools to help you make real changes… not just in how you think, but in how you show up and speak under pressure; including how you manage the physical sensations that can hijack your voice in those moments.

What techniques do you use in sessions?

I combine active listening and incisive questioning with methods including Parts Work, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Core Transformation.

These approaches help you:

Calm your stress response in high-pressure meetings.
Access your confident, grounded self even when challenged unexpectedly.
Change the internal patterns that make you overthink, freeze, or feel physically thrown off.

Parts Work, for example, explores the “different voices” or perspectives within you, so you can understand why one part of you wants to speak up and another part holds back. We work with these parts to create internal agreement and confidence that lasts.

I sometimes get a tight throat, shaky hands, or a pounding heart when I speak.

Can you help with that?

Yes, those are somatic responses, which simply means your body is reacting to a perceived high-stakes situation. They’re completely normal, but if you don’t know how to work with them, they can make speaking feel impossible.

In coaching, I’ll help you:

Recognise these sensations for what they are; physical the ways emotional or psychological experiences are expressed and felt in your body... not a sign that you’re “broken”.
Understand what part of you is triggering these reactions and why.
Learn practical ways to steady yourself in the moment so you can focus on your message, not your symptoms.

I’ve had leadership, presentation, or language training before and it didn’t work. How is this different?

Most training focuses on the outer skills; what to say, how to stand, how to project your voice. That’s useful, but in the moment of pressure, those skills can vanish if your nervous system goes into fight, flight, or freeze.
I work from the inside out. We address the internal triggers that cause you to go quiet or freeze, not only so you can access your skills consistently, but so you can choose the strengths you wish to be most present at any given time.

English isn’t my first language; can you help?

Absolutely. Non-native English speakers in leadership roles are my core clients, especially those in Pharma and Biotech. Having lived more than half my life outside my home country, I understand both the challenge of working in another language and the cultural differences that can make communication feel harder. If you’re not a non-native speaker, that’s fine too, my methods work for anyone who needs to feel calm, confident, and in control when it matters most.

How do I know if coaching with you is the right approach for me?

If you recognise yourself in any of these, we should talk:

You hold back in meetings, even when you have something valuable to say.
You over prepare for every presentation and still leave feeling you could have done better.
You’ve avoided speaking opportunities because you don’t feel ready.
You’re tired of being seen as “nice” or “competent” but not as a leader.
You feel physical tension (tight throat, pounding chest, shaky voice) in high pressure moments and want to change that.

Do you work with companies or just private individuals?

Both. I regularly work with corporate clients, often through HR, L&D, or direct managers, to support high-potential leaders and senior executives. In these cases, coaching is tailored to the organisation’s objectives as well as the individual’s needs, and can be integrated into talent development programmes.

I also work with private individuals who want to invest in themselves directly. The process and level of support are the same, the difference is simply who arranges and funds the coaching.

My Approach

About Louise

I’ve always been sensitive to other people’s moods and emotions.

Even as a child, I could sense when someone was “off” and I had an instinct to listen. I learned that when people feel truly heard, their tension eases. The problem might still be there, but the weight of carrying it alone lifts.

Over time, I realised that friends and family often “hear” us through the filter of who they think we are, which can distort the message. A stranger, however, can listen without those filters and that’s often when real change begins.

I also know first-hand how the body can join in the struggle. I’ve felt the pounding heart before asking a question to a panel in front of a large audience. I’ve been hit by feelings of panic when outside my comfort zone, trying to navigate my way around a foreign country with limited local language skills. I’ve dealt with a lifetime of voice problems — the lump in my throat and pain so strong when trying to express (or suppress) myself that it drove me to see throat specialists, fearing something was seriously wrong. (There wasn’t.)

Years ago, I had my own very visible block: I completely froze riding a moped on holiday. Other people of all ages zipped around without a care, but I panicked and I felt deeply ashamed. I could have avoided it forever, but instead I made a decision: I would learn, pass my test, and ride a proper motorbike.

It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve always done things a little backwards... I learned to fly before I learned to drive a car, and I got my big bike licence last. But the moment I rode that motorbike under my own control, I felt something shift. The fear had turned into freedom.

I understand fear. I also understand what it means to feel different. I’m an introvert who’s lived more than half my life outside my home country. I know the frustration and uncertainty of not being fully understood in another language, the added challenge of cultural differences and that subtle, persistent sense of being a little outside the group.

That’s why I don’t believe every fear needs conquering. Some you can simply sidestep. (For the record, I still avoid fish and aquariums... and I’m perfectly fine with that.)

Today, I work with people who’ve spent years quietly delivering results only to find themselves in roles where visibility matters as much as competence. Because I’ve lived with these physical reactions myself, I know how real and overwhelming they can feel and I know how to work with them so they no longer control the moment.

I combine English language expertise, coaching, and Core Transformation to help them speak up clearly and confidently in the moments that matter most without having to become someone they’re not.

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