Testimonials
It’s all very well us calling our Business Mentors and Coaches “Outstanding”, what is more important is what clients have said about their experiences with our Coaches.
Please browse the selections below to get a flavour of the real benefits you would get from working with us.
If you want to learn more about our Coaches click here to read their Biographies
Or click here to make an appointment with one of our top coaches or Contact Us for more information
Business Coaching Client Testimonials
“The coaching Bill Sanderson delivered to me and to my fellow directors was absolutely spot on. I know I was a reluctant convert, being an old dog who resisted a new trick, but it was the right thing to do and has made a real difference to me and to the company.” John Murray, Managing Director, John Kennedy (Civil Engineering) Ltd
“Cathy Lasher’s support and coaching expertise proved to be invaluable as the business grew exponentially to a turnover of £3m and an associate base of over 40 consultants in the year that I sold it. During the time that she worked with me, I drew on her skills to help me manage the growth process, the building of a managerial team and the challenges of balancing my own role as founder director, leader of the business and key account manager. I found her unfailing in her passion for the business and our work together and incredibly resourceful in the perspectives and advice she was able to offer. However I most valued the quality of her listening and her unflinching integrity in a business that was principle-driven. I would unhesitatingly recommend her as a business coach.” Sarah Harwood, Director, The Faraday Partnership
“One of the things I feel I have most benefited from the sessions with Carol McLachlan is actually verbalising my ideas. Communications (oddly enough for my chosen path of business) has sometimes been my weak point, and just planning aloud, does bring clarity, and the questions do make me expand my points to fuller fleshed ideas.” Scott Middleton, Entrepreneur, Owner DropCap Ltd
“Stephanie Greasley acted as my business coach over a ten month period. I approached her because I wanted to find a way of making my business, Cinderella's Slipper, more profitable. Stephanie helped me to analyse every aspect of the business so that it would operate more efficiently. I have seen a significant increase in sales. Also, with Stephanie's support, I recently launched an e-commerce website which I run in conjunction with the Holywood boutique. I would not hesitate to contact Stephanie again, should I choose to develop the business further. I would recommend her to anyone who wishes to expand or improve their business in any way.” Fiona Wills, Proprietor, Cinderella's Slipper
“Stephanie Greasley has got me on track to achieve my financial goals. Before our coaching sessions I had a mass of ideas, but no coherent plan, and was making no headway. Since then Steph has helped me get going to establish my first clients and get my business off the ground. Steph's style has been supportive and motivating, and her questioning has encouraged me to set stretching but realistic goals which have given me the momentum I needed. Thank you, Steph; I would not have achieved a fraction of this without you.” Caroline Cooper, Managing Director, Zeal
“Cathy Lasher’s business experience and challenging methods as a coach helped me to make some realistic business decisions. I particularly liked her style of making me think through the options rather than her sowing the seeds of decisions I should take.” Jon Levin, MD, Levin & Derhammer LLC
“Cathy Lasher’s a rare talent. Her unique blend of personal development and entrepreneurial business expertise has been instrumental in helping me to envision, design and realise personal and professional growth that now complement – and no longer conflict with - each other. It's very liberating to be so focused on growth.” Leslie Boscheratto, start-up entrepreneur
“Our work with Pete Mackechnie has directly increased our profits this year and our investment in coaching has been the best one we have made in our business career to date.” Ruth MacKay, MD, Unique Marketing Solutions, www.UniqueMarketingSolutions.co.uk
“Professional and highly experienced approach, Cathy Fennell clearly practices what she preaches. This coaching goes beyond just theory and models – it’s on target, experiential and facilitates insight at a deep level” Managing Director, WCI, www.wcigroup.com
“I have stopped being a workaholic, take better care of myself, and my sales will still double this year!” Charlotte Wilson, MD, Pure Events, www.PureEvents.net
“Sue Stockdale is a very good listener and is able to grasp the essential points of a discussion and give an objective response which is helpful.” Helen Carey, Chairman, National Federation of Women’s Institutes, www.womens-institute.co.uk
“A professional dialogue with Carol McLachlan that brought a cluttered life into sharp focus and paved the way for action. It was great to unblock some stagnant thinking” Max Coates, Author, University Lecturer and MD
“I have found that Karen Skehel’s coaching has helped me enormously. It’s as if she has helped me to unlock a key inside which has allowed me to react to the world in a new way. The effects of this on my home life, my mood, and my business have been spectacular.” Chris King, Joint MD, KB 49 Communications consultancy and full-service, www.kb49.com
“Peter Bernard has helped me to grow my business from its start to a position of significant income and profitability as of today.” Iain Mackintosh, Owner, www.simply-docs.co.uk
“Stephanie Greasley has helped me to help myself. Objective, challenging and where necessary forceful, pushing me to question my motives and the reasons behind actions. Insightful and non-judgemental she provides an excellent sounding board to make life & business decisions.” Stephanie Horton, MD, River Canal Rescue, www.RiverCanalRescue.co.uk
“Bill Sanderson is great at combining personal development with business growth. I can see my future and that of my business much more clearly now that I have learned to take a more balanced view. I now focus on the things that matter and get them done. This is the best business investment I have made.” Maurice Campbell, Golf Professional, Leighton Buzzard Golf Club
“I was pretty sceptical about the value of coaching before I started with Karen Skehel. Now I am a firm believer in its value, and I have seen real benefits. Not only have I realised that I have the power to achieve my business and personal goals, but I have also learnt how to self-coach in the process”. Chris Ellis, Managing Director, Netspace Kingston
“Peter Bernard has provided me with several years’ expert support and guidance to help me identify and then stay focused on the key activities needed to run and grow my businesses successfully.” Robert Burnett, Owner, Urban PA, www.UrbanPA.com
“Working with Laura, I became more focused, improved my presentation and grew the business by 40% in a year” David Holland, MD, Savant Ltd, www.SavantLtd.com
“Pete Mackechnie’s extensive business experience has been a great resource to me and the development of my business. He is able to quickly identify a problem and help me find solutions to it. He has also been able to provide extremely useful skills transference sessions in areas such as presentation skills, Leadership, management and business planning skills” Mary Combe, MD, Minuteman Press, www.MinutemanPress.co.uk
“My sessions with Stephanie Greasley have allowed me to reflect and plan in a more rigorous way than I have historically been able to achieve and I am clear about how I need to take the business forward. Stephanie provides an exceptional combination of energy, support and challenge in our coaching sessions. This combined with her extensive business experience means she has been a critical part of the transition process in my business.” Kate Daniels, Managing Director, H&D Consulting
“I found Sue Stockdale’s insights and challenges to be extremely beneficial and she helped me to clarify plenty of areas I couldn’t have done on my own.” Lesley Reader, Managing Director, Emerging Potential
If you would like to start getting the benefits of working with an excellent coach TAKE ACTION NOW! Book a Business Coaching Appointment with one of our top Business Coaches or Contact Us for more information
“I thought the coaching with Bill Sanderson was going to help me rescue and rebuild my business. Well it did just that. But it did so much more in helping me rethink my outlook and what I wanted from my life. It really opened my eyes to what I could achieve.” Lee Herbert, MD, Blue Monkey Marketing, www.BlueMonkeyMarketing.com
“The most useful aspect of Carol McLachlan’s coaching ...... the opportunity to talk openly at length and in depth with an unbiased, objective, and positive coach who is genuine in her approach, and importantly, understands the business environment well.” Dave Ewing, Business Researcher, CMC Ltd, www.cmcltd.com
“I found coaching with Sue Stockdale such an invaluable tool for me to help re-align my thought processes.” Lisa Auchinvole, MD, The First Drop
“Laura is a great individual who is highly motivated and with a lot of experience in dealing with people. She has helped get me back up to the motivated individual I was! I would thoroughly recommend her.” Chris Davy, MD, www.HartGlobal.co.uk
“From the first meeting Stephanie Greasley made me aware that without a proper plan the business, although strong, would have difficulties in expanding and sustaining growth.
“When you get to my age you don’t expect to experience something that makes you rethink your way of life, particularly when you have already achieved all the goals set in your youth. It’s like being born again without the religious connotations” Geoff Berry, MD, GDG Management, www.gdgmanagement.co.uk
“Peter Bernard provided me with critical advice, guidance and support in my journey from idea conception to business opening.” Harry Stevens, Owner, PlaySpace, www.PlaySpace.co.uk
“Bill Sanderson helped me to develop the self belief I needed in my first CEO role. He challenged, stimulated, inspired and most importantly listened. I will always be grateful to the support I got whenever I needed it.” Tim O’B. MD, Munters, www.Munters.co.uk
“Laura Ashley-Timms has given me the confidence to know that I can make the right decisions for my business and build on my success! Thank you.” Denise Penn, MD, X-Squared London
“Sue Stockdale is an excellent coach; just right for me – I found that if I explained to her, in my language, what I was trying to achieve, Sue was able to ‘pinpoint’ what that meant in terms of business plan and where it translated in the plan. Sue was also very supportive and gave lots of confidence; definitely a ‘you can do it’ ethos.” Laura Jones, MD, Awful Fantastic, www.AwfulFantastic.co.uk
“I was quite sceptical about what coaching could help me achieve, and thought that I would never have time to fit it in! Actually, I have loved the time that I have spent with Karen Skehel. I really look forward to seeing her, she has helped me to streamline my thoughts and aspirations for the business. It is very inspiring” Rachel Riley, MD Rachel Rile, www.RachelRiley.com
“Coaching with Sue Stockdale has given me a focus and I have approached issues in a way I haven’t in the past. Sue was never critical and if she disagreed with my assessment of the situation she was able to bring this to my attention in a supportive way.” Mike Ockwell, MD, Hetherington Seelig Theatres
“Peter Bernard helped me to set my business strategy, to decide on appropriate business objectives, and he provided invaluable expertise in helping me to define the key job roles required in my business going forward and then helped me through the often painful process of recruiting key employees.” Tom Hickman, MD & Founder, Media Revenue Services, www.MediaRevenueServices.co.uk
“Laura Ashley-Timms has forced me to confront and re-evaluate previously held convictions and to focus on critical factors that have helped me to determine my future objectives.” Managing Director, Philip Harris Associates
“Coaching? Well, I was pretty unsure about all this before I started. The cost, the time, the real results etc. but it has been both easy to do and enjoyable. And most importantly I have achieved the goals that I focused on. Karen Skehel was a steady hand on the tiller and I would recommend her as a coach to anyone.” Paul Miller, Chairman, The Empowerment Group, www.teguk.com
“A large part of coaching is unscrambling your brain to set actions to develop a clear path towards your goals. Laura made me realise that you cannot do that alone.” Robert Kelsey, MD, Moorgate Group, Robert Kelsey, www.MoorgateGroup.com
If you would like to start getting the benefits of working with an excellent coach TAKE ACTION NOW! Book a Business Coaching Appointment with one of our top Business Coaches or Contact Us for more information
Executive Coaching Client Testimonials
“When I first began working with Cathy Lasher at the end of last year my initial brief was to look at ways of increasing my professional impact and confidence. However circumstances quickly over took us and that brief changed to coaching me in getting through a very tough promotion process in a very short time frame. Having spoken to people who had worked with me, Cathy built up an extremely insightful picture of areas I should focus on in terms of achieving the greatest impact – she has a great ability to see through the fluff and really get to the heart of the issue. And she is not afraid to confront that with you and support you in working through that. It was also really helpful that Cathy’s knowledge of my organization’s business and culture meant she could really empathise with situations and their challenges. I found the time I spent working with Cathy to be one of the best investments I have made professionally, and I’m glad to say I achieved my promotion.” Debra Glenaway, Director, KPMG
“I found Carol McLachlan’s coaching style tremendously helpful to build confidence and to make important decisions in an effective and sustainable way.” Lisa Sangster, Asset Manager, HDG Mansur Investment “My relationship with Stephanie Greasley was very engaging. Stephanie took the time to listen, and diagnose with me the root cause of my issues. She flexed her style. She demonstrated genuine interest and quickly established her self as a professional – and by doing this I felt able to trust her. For me this was the key to our successful working relationship. The changes that I have made have unquestionably improved my performance. The coaching helped me to rebuild trust with the organisation and recognise my own capabilities and strengths. As a result I have taken on a leadership role and delivered a significant change programme successfully in the past 6 months.” Jayne Hannan, NUL, Aviva
“Sometimes you just have to go back to the laboratory. Stephanie Greasley’s impact has been immediate and far-reaching. She has taken a couple of high performers up a few gears - making them understand why they operate the way that they do and making them understand how to improve their own performance. Her ability to keep things simple and deliver high impact coaching has turned her into an integral part of our teams' ongoing success.” Denis Jackson, Citigroup
“The goal was to ensure that at end of the project the executive team functioned as a cohesive team, leading by example and delegating whenever efficient or effective. Team members should be able to deal with their own stress in addition to that of their direct reports. Meetings had to be turned into productive forums instead of formalized self-glorification.
“The value I got from the coaching with Cathy Lasher was in the chance to stand back and to look at my whole life, work and home, with someone who had no axe to grind other than my development as a human being. I had thought long and hard about the choice of coach and Cathy appealed to me because she was distinctly different from the other coaches in my world - her background in therapy, her common sense wisdom, her experience as a trainer and the fact that she is American all made for useful difference and challenge. I didn't want someone just like me!
“Cathy Lasher has done a fantastic job working with Frontier senior economists. We have seen real tangible differences in terms of engagement and influence with clients and of positive leadership of teams.” Michael Ridge, Director, Frontier Economics
“Peter Bernard allowed me to become clearer on my core skills and role motivators, and then supported me to delegate more effectively and manage my time more efficiently.” Senior IT Director, Royal & Sun Alliance
“I achieved much more from the coaching programme with Martin Goodyer than I expected; it was an excellent experience" Sarah Weller, Barclays Bank UK
“Carol McLachlan is flexible in approach and able to draw out the real issues with you and then work with you on setting the goals to achieve them. Appropriately challenging whilst giving you the motivation and making it easy for you to achieve and take action - which is the key” Malcolm Lewis, Training & Development, AXA
“Cathy Fennell’s contribution and professionalism is exemplary. Her coaching skills are of a very high calibre and her knowledge in the organisational / leadership development area is excellent” WW, HR Director, Micro Focus
“Sue Stockdale’s coaching has made a tangible difference to me and the way I deal with my team. The consequences being an improvement in morale and the relationships I have with them.” Chris Duchezeau, Relationship Director, Leading UK Bank
“Bill, I am really pleased at the feedback from our entire senior management team. The programmes have really delivered beyond expectation and I am sure will prove to be a major factor in our future progress and development. I am especially grateful for the coaching sessions you ran for the MDs who were on the programme. They all commented on your ability to identify their needs and to tune in to the situations they faced within their individual sphere of operations.” Ray Ryan, HR Director, Mansell plc
“Peter Bernard provided invaluable advice and guidance on how to start my new role effectively and how to engage with my team from a more managerial, and less technical, perspective.” Senior Technical Manager, Airbus
“My senior managers have been unanimous in their praise for the programme Bill has run for us. There has been a clear and measurable improvement in performance in many areas of their work but most noticeably in their self confidence and professionalism in their approach to their work. They are a much tighter team now and have a far more positive approach to their work.” Carole Emerton, General Manager (Manchester), British Gas plc
“Sue Stockdale has a clear understanding of the role of the coach to help the individual find the solution to their issue. She demonstrates a commitment to help the individual succeed but without becoming embroiled in the specifics. Maintaining her objective view point and offering a technique has allowed me to solve my own issues and understand myself and my environment better.” Carole Thelwall-Jones, CB Volunteer Manager, Rugby Football Union
“Peter Bernard helped me to understand my behavioural and cultural drivers more clearly, and then guided me to plan a different approach to peers who had previously not bought into my new plans.” Senior Marketing Director, Mattell
“Karen Skehel’s approach to coaching exceeded my expectations, her coaching is challenging yet practical and always keeps you focused on the desired outcome. I now have greater belief in my abilities and a more confident outlook. I can see the specific benefits and results in achieving my goals but there has also been a positive impact across many aspects of my life.” Peter Paterson, Nokia
“Peter Bernard very quickly gave me the tools to engage with my team in a way that would elicit greater productivity and motivation from them.” Senior Executive, Airbus Logistics
“Martin Goodyer made more sense to me in our first hour than the rest of my life put together. His empathetic but direct approach to solving life’s difficulties is the most amazing experience…and the results are breathtaking” Allison McQueen-Luzar, Consultant Nutritionist, Subaru World Rally Team
“Carol McLachlan’s guidance helps me bring clarity to chaotic thought process, and extract the nuggets of brilliance I knew were there, but just could not find by myself” Moshe Hadari, Director, Chancery Barr Financial Services ltd
“The main learning for me is to understand where to start from (self-evaluation), to recognize how to achieve the desired results and to impart my learning to my colleagues to achieve higher sales.” Will B., Director, Topos Creative Packaging Ltd
“Martin Goodyer is a fantastic coach. I am now laser-focused on taking the specific action needed to achieve my goals” Su Nyatedzu, Fashion Accessory Designer
“Laura Ashley-Timms quickly helped me realise what I really wanted to achieve, both in my business and personal life, and to believe that it was possible…. Laura is always there to give me a guiding hand and help me realise that, by following my action plans, I’m still on the right path to fulfilling my dreams. Laura makes you work hard but is considerate and flexible too. She is always prepared to discuss issues or concerns as they arise and to change what has been planned at the drop of a hat.” Solicitor, Birmingham
“Pete Mackechnie enabled us to identify and focus on our key business goals and developed effective management strategies that have ensured we successfully met each one” Andrew Paterson, Director, Framework Osteopaths Ltd.
“Karen Skehel is both intuitive and practical in her coaching, providing not only plenty of opportunities for valuable insight but also a good sounding board for ways to move forward. As well as her great motivation skills I found Karen's constant enthusiasm a great lift and always felt focused and ready to go after a session with her!” Bridget Adams, Marketing Manager, Glu Mobile
If you would like to start getting the benefits of working with an excellent coach TAKE ACTION NOW! Book a Business Coaching Appointment with one of our top Business Coaches or Contact Us for more information
Public Sector Client Testimonials
“I was very impressed by the way Cathy Lasher responded swiftly and imaginatively to my specifications, taking on board the detail I had provided but also probing me to find out necessary detail. I was extremely impressed by Cathy’s skill and sensitivity. I think she is ideally suited to working with senior civil servants and imagine she would good at working with a wider range of people as well. She commanded respect by her professional competence, encouraged positive interaction by her warmth, sensitivity and determination and elicited responses by a whole variety of means, many of which are too subtle for me to describe.” Amanda Finlay, Director, Legal Aid Strategy, Ministry of Justice
“I have worked with Cathy Lasher since 2004. During that time I have held a number or roles within two government departments and worked for an NGO overseas. Cathy's support has been invaluable in helping me to clarify my ambitions and prioritise my time. She has helped me to identify my strengths, address my weaknesses and ensure that I achieve greater balance in my life. Cathy has also provided practical support on specific work issues and in developing my CV, preparing for interviews and putting frameworks around my goals outside of the workplace, as well as putting me in touch with other contacts who have been able to provide input on specific issues. Cathy also facilitated a successful team building event for me at the Ministry of Justice. I have found my sessions with Cathy enjoyable as well as productive and she is a trusted confidant and mentor.” Senior Civil Servant, Cabinet Office
“The encouragement and support that I have received from Carol McLachlan has given me the confidence to make some changes both in my work and home life....... I am now less stressed and feel that I can continue to do my work more effectively.......I now realise the talents and skills that I have.” Jackie McGee, Business Advisor, Train 2000
“Coaching has helped me to consider the vision and values I have and how they translate into my working life. Talking to Carol McLachlan has helped me to identify practical ways forward and gather strategies to help. It has been really useful in keeping me focussed on organisational and personal development.” Cathy Driscoll, Head Teacher, The William Hogarth School
“I would like to express my appreciation for the very real assistance that I received from the meetings with Pete Mackechnie. It had been obvious for some time that both my team and I were far too heavily loaded work wise and it was having a bad effect on our collective health. Despite clear analysis and formal recognition of this problem I felt that I was not getting anywhere in dealing with it, and that I was being treated unsympathetically by my line manager. My team was becoming increasingly unhappy and I was struggling to hold the show together.
“Cathy Lasher has been a facilitator for a senior DfT Action Learning Set I have been involved with over a period of 18 months. The group consisted of 5 senior individuals from a broad background. Cathy has provided a first class service to the group and over the course of her involvement has helped nurture and develop the leadership skills of the individuals involved. Cathy has the ability to support the individuals in the group and help mature their thinking but also provide a positive challenge function to the individuals to help them explore ways of broadening the effectiveness of their leadership style, improve their self awareness as well as identifying tangible areas for improvement and wider reflection for the individual concerned.
“I have found our meetings highly effective for improving my thinking technique. Seeing a way forward with an issue gives me a tremendous sense of relief and motivates me to take action promptly. Thank you” Brian, Head of Financial Services, Highlands and Islands Enterprise
“Coaching helped me make time to move key issues forward and I found the questioning useful.” Mike Hewitt, Government Office
“Carol McLachlan has guided me through my coaching journey with sensitivity and humour. She has helped me to understand for myself how to tackle issues and behaviours I have wanted to work on.” Kathie Anderson, Manager, Derby City Council
“Cathy Fennell’s coaching was encouraging, helpful, fun and challenging. Would I recommend it? – absolutely yes! - it’s a valuable, insightful, grounding experience.” Dir of Executive Development & Education, Reykjavík University
“I found my sessions with Sue Stockdale to be insightful and inspirational, allowing me to reflect on aspects of my commitment and professional attitudes/values that required to be revisited in order to galvanise a higher level of motivation to my work.” Professor Sarah Chaplin, Head of School, Architecture and Landscape, Kingston University
“The coaching Bill has been delivering to individual members of my senior management team is being well received. The difference in the people on the coaching programme is marked both in their demeanour and performance. In fact the change is such that I am being asked by their colleagues whether or not coaching is to be made available to them.” Susan Hodgkiss, Area Manager, Department of Employment
“Carol McLachlan has helped me to believe that I can become the self employed person that I want to be and is giving me the confidence and skills to make my visions reality.” Trevor Walter, Teacher, Mulgrave Primary School and Early Years Centre, London Borough of Greenwich
“Sue Stockdale is a very good coach with the ability to provide insight and objectivity.” Catherine Harries, Business Link Solutions
“Sue Stockdale helped me stand back and reflect and focus on what was important to me so that I could formulate actions for the future.” Jan Broadbent, Kingston University
If you would like to start getting the benefits of working with an excellent coach TAKE ACTION NOW! Book a Business Coaching Appointment with one of our top Business Coaches or Contact Us for more information |
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“Laura, I would like to record my appreciation of your excellent business coaching over the last 12 months. I have found your understanding of the ‘business problem’ refreshing and the strategies we have developed together have given my business renewed purpose and direction.
“Marshmallow Creative and Notion have proved to be a scrumptious combination! Taking action and seizing an opportunity are now part of my daily to-do list. Working with Laura Ashley-Timms has changed the way I think as a business leader enabling me to put plans in place which take both myself and the Marshmallow brand to the next level - thank you Laura!” Michelle Sommerville, MD, Marshmallow Creative, www.marshmallowcreative.co.uk
