About

The Mission of Success Abroad Coaching is to provide support and inspiration to people living and working abroad and  facilitate their development of happy and contented lives abroad.

How did I become a coach?

In 1987 I left University and became a Sales Consultant in the Financial Services Sector – just after the stock market crash, great timing! I hated making sales telephone calls but I found that I loved meeting, talking and listening to my clients. I enjoyed hearing about their ideas and dreams for their business and being able to help them market their services using our products.

My role involved some product training and after winning the National Sales Award in 1990 I decided to move to the Training and Development Department as a Training and Development Consultant.

As the clouds lift a fantastic and inspiring view is revealed - crystal clear and focused - coaching can help you to achieve a similar focus in your life.

And so I found an interest and passion for the field personal development that has continued now for over 15 years! In my role as a Training Consultant I assessed training needs, developed and delivered training programmes in the UK and France and loved every minute of it. But what I noticed was that although courses were rated highly and people believed they had benefited well from the programs, the transference of knowledge to the workplace and to enhanced performance was variable.

This was early days for the coaching industry but gradually we were beginning to learn about the power of follow-up and post course support, in the form of  ‘coaching’. When people are given support and encouragement to take their learning and discover ways of applying it to their personal and career goals then change and improved performance results.

Roll on ten years – four foreign moves, one repatriation, two babies, a Masters in Occupational Psychology and a Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching later. I know how people who are supported and encouraged to believe in their own abilities and resources can consistently achieve great things.  I have experienced the resulting motivation and focused action that comes from good coaching – I personally wouldn’t be here today without it.

The greatest result though is the opportunity to combine my passion for and interest in personal development with a process that has development and personal growth at its core – coaching.

Me relaxing at home.

Why I choose to work with Expatriates.

Experience: I am currently an expatriate living in Lisbon, Portugal. Prior to this I have lived abroad three times and repatriated once. I have lived and worked abroad without children, moved with children and even given birth abroad. I know what it is like to relocate as a working trailing partner, as a non-working trailing partner and also as a Mother.

Support: We have had to manage each relocation process ourselves and although we have greatly enjoyed and benefited from each move I know what it is like to ride the relocation roller coaster without outside support.  Coaching offers the perfect medium for the provision of this focused and forward thinking form of support.

Professionalism: My professional background is Personal Development as described above. I am a qualified and experienced coach and have also studied and written a Dissertation on the experiences of expatriates towards a Masters in Occupational Psychology (see my Free Stuff section for a summary). I understand from a personal, professional and academic perspective the potential issues and challenges people face when moving to live and work abroad.

My commitment to you:

To provide a non-judgmental environment of support and encouragement: We all live life in our own way. Our views and attitudes develop over the period of our lifetime and make sense within that context. I promise not to judge and to accept your life choices without criticism or comment.

To treat everyone with respect and dignity: In order to feel able to be ourselves we need to feel that we are accepted and respected for what we are. Everyone I work with is given my total attention, dedication and respect. As a result they feel comfortable enough to be authentic and true to themselves and me.

To work with each individual’s interests, personal development and happiness as our core focus: We strive to change and develop personally in order to generate happiness in ourselves and for those we love. I support you fully as you strive to achieve your goals.

Stunning nothing like a sea view to lighten the mood!

Education/Training/Schools/Associations and Credentials.

• The Coaching Academy is at the forefront of coach training worldwide. As the largest UK school for coaches, The Coaching Academy has developed a reputation for quality training and has trained over 19,000 people in coaching skills over the last eight years. I qualified as a Professional Personal Performance Coach with the Coaching Academy.

• InterNations is an international online community for people who live and work abroad. It is a network based on trust, enabling members to interact with other global minds in a similar situation, with comparable interests and needs. InterNation users keep in touch with friends and business contacts; exchange information on expat-specific topics, both on a global and a local level. As a Brit living on the Portuguese Island of Madeira I am currently a member of the Lisbon Community.

• The British Psychological Society is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. Through its Royal Charter, the Society is charged with overseeing psychology and psychologists. It has responsibility for the development, promotion and application of pure and applied psychology for the public good. With a Diploma in Psychology and a Masters in Occupational Psychology from the University of Leicester I am currently a Graduate Member of the Society.

• The Special Group in Coaching Psychology (SGCP) is a Special Interest Network of the British Psychological Society (BPS). The aim of the SGCP is to promote the development of coaching psychology as a professional activity and clarify the benefits of psychological approaches within coaching practice. As a Graduate member of the BPS and a practising coach I am a member.

• The Association for Coaching is an independent non profit organisation with the goal to promote best practice, raise awareness and standards across the Coaching industry, while providing value added benefits to its members – whether they are professional Coaches or Organisations involved in Coaching. As a practicing Coach with a Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching from The Coaching Academy I am currently an Associate Member.

• University of Leicester. The Psychology department at the University of Leicester is at the forefront of research and teaching in the UK. The National Student Survey 2008 has placed Psychology at the University of Leicester in the top 3 amongst all full time students taught across all mainstream English universities, and substantially higher than Oxford. I obtained a Masters in Occupational Psychology from Leicester University in 2002. My dissertation investigated the relationship between the expectations of trailing partners and their adjustment to international assignments. See my section of ‘Free Stuff’ for more details.

• The Open University. The Open University (OU) is the United Kingdom’s only university dedicated to distance learning. It currently has over 180,000 students with 25,000 students studying from outside of the UK. I obtained the Diploma in Psychology (Conversion for Postgraduates) in 2000.

• The University of Exeter. One of the Top 20 Universities in the UK and particularly noted for its strengths in the arts and social sciences (The Times Good University Guide). I obtained a BA(Hons) in Economic and Social History in 1987.

My General Interests:

Outdoor activities are my ‘thing’! I love to be outside enjoying the fresh air and natural beauty with my family and friends.  I am regular gym going, exercise class attendee and have just taken up running, soon to enter my first half marathon!.My greatest passion though is my family; my husband and my two gorgeous little daughters, Becky and Issy, who amuse, enthrall and exasperate me in equal measure!