Leadership and Professional Coaching
What is coaching?
My job is to partner with you to help you unlock your potential and maximise your performance, focused on the future. It is guiding rather than teaching, often through the use of open and incisive questions, reflection, challenge and tools.
The core belief is that ‘the mind that holds the problem, holds the solution, [and] probably the best one.’
It differs from mentoring, in that a mentor has usually ‘walked the walk’ and is sharing some of that experience directly with you. It differs from therapy, in that a therapist is usually someone who supports you to heal your past.
What I do
I am a business and life coach, trained by the UK’s leading coaching training company, Barefoot Coaching and accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
I provide a range of services to help the people I work with to move forwards in their lives, specialising in:
- Leadership development
- Career transitions
- Confidence building
- Personal growth
- Avoiding burnout
- Improving performance
- LGBTQIA+ coaching
How I work
My approach is authentic, relaxed, informal and caring, focused 100% on the needs of my clients. I’ll hold the process and help the client to understand and develop their goals.
I’ll create a bespoke programme of work (usually starting with 6 – 8 sessions), tailored to helping my client make progress towards those goals.
My aim is to help people grow and blossom and become the best version of themselves. I’ll bring energy and fun to the sessions and help clients to explore their thoughts, create ideas, unblock situations and move forwards.
Change can often seem more scary than it is in reality and having support can be invaluable.
Testimonials
Philippa Buckley, CEO bibic
'Chris has been working with one of my senior leaders for several months and wow, what a transformation.
The main goal was around developing skills while talking to corporate individuals and coming from the charity sector this is something that was really required to develop our business training arm to ensure future income.
He has supported in so many ways, including increasing confidence, developing focus, learning to ask the right questions and being more strategically minded.
I have seen a real change in this person in a very short space of time and I am grateful to Chris for bringing out the skills that we knew she already had.
Chris has worked in a way that has been truly impactful and has adapted to meet the needs of my colleague. Alongside the incredible learning she also reported how much fun she had. Every single session brought her joy and I could hear that in her voice every time she updated me on her progress.
Having the ability to learn new strategies and then practice them in a networking environment has been invaluable and we are so pleased with the progress seen.
I would absolutely recommend Chris as a coach and will be looking to utilise his incredible skills to develop the future of my small team.'
Managing Director, Not-For-Profit
'I think that Chris's coaching saved my not-for-profit business.
As a social entrepreneur and founder, it's always easy to get sucked in completely to your business and completely burn out. That's where I was, three years in - and despite achieving great success with my start-up, I was about to give it all up. Faced with some tensions and challenges in the business, as well as trying to be a good enough mum of two, I was experiencing profound self-doubt and stress. I definitely could not see the wood from the trees. I had lost my sense of self trying to do it all, with a deep sense of shame and feeling that I had failed on all fronts.
With his lovely, twinkly support, Chris gently helped me re-build my confidence as a business leader and, to be honest, also as a human.
He took a lot of time to understand my world and knew instinctively what was needed; a super curious listener who immediately made me feel really 'held' and validated. He introduced me to some super useful tools and techniques to help me investigate my personal values, strengths, blind spots and leadership styles. Working with him helped me to far better value my abilities, opinions and achievements, boosting my ability to be assertive in a way that's true to me.
My professional confidence has increased 100% since working with Chris.
I'm now committed to moving the business I love forward, but by being led less by emotion and more pragmatic and boundaried - much more sustainable! I'm now doing the things I know I'm good at and getting the right people on board who share my values to help with the rest to make the business fly. Best of all it's helped me feel much happier and more fulfilled. I know that this will have a positive impact on the beneficiaries we support over the long term (and my family is appreciating it too...).
As well as his incredible practical knowledge and expertise, I'm particularly grateful to Chris for being such a wonderfully good egg. If you get the chance to work with Chris, snap him up while you can 🙂'
Managing Director, Major Media Organisation
"My time with Chris has been instrumental in bringing clarity and understanding to a developmental fog. Through insightful discussion and preceptive observation Chris empowered me to articulate a clear and actionable development plan for both personal and career growth.
Despite a successful, corporate career in media, I was aware of a growing restlessness, as my overactive mind itched for more. Chris' calm, reassuring coaching and insightful frameworks unlocked a deluge of (sometimes surprising!) ideas we were able to order, sort, and analyse, creating a tangible action plan 'bridge' between the here and now, and the potential tomorrows.
I now feel confident and assured in both my short and midterm next steps, and am excited by the future. Thanks Chris."
Senior Digital Content Leader, Major Media Organisation
"I worked with Chris during a huge period of transition in my career (which I found quite high-stress) but led to some monumental developments in a relatively short period of time.
Chris helped me unlock and explore my unique strengths as a leader, build a manifesto that represented my core values and worked with me to understand and reframe a variety of limiting beliefs that had been with me for a long time.
I still refer to the work I did with Chris on a daily basis, it has been hugely valuable to myself and the business I work in myself and the business I work in."
Serial Creative Entrepreneur
"My sessions with Chris Kerwin have been invaluable. Of course it helps that he has extensive experience in my professional field, so I felt supported on the more specific questions I had, but even without that he is a dedicated and patient coach.
Chris is laser focused on finding the best way to support individuals. His enthusiasm for coaching and mentoring creates a wonderful atmosphere; where clearly he has found joy in his profession and that in turn, helped me feel I had the permission to seek the same.
The sessions felt like he had both tried and tested tools, but also an enviable curiosity for finding additional supportive words or exercises for me as an individual. Would - and have - recommended working with him and would sign up to work with him again.."