My Story:
Overworked & Underpaid to Stress-free & Successful

I have always been driven, determined and hard working. I did well at school but I didn't enjoy it. I am the youngest of four with two parents who still love each other to this day. I had a lot of love and encouragement growing up. I lived in a family of artists, surrounded by  creativity, expression, laughter, travel and music. It was brilliant. We never had much money but we had a great life.

​

Between the age of 12 and 15 I experienced a lot of grief.

Unimaginable pain.

​

Nobody coped well. And like a lot of girls, I developed 'good girl syndrome'

​

If I work hard, help out, get good grades then I'll make everyone happy. It wasn't conscious and it wasn't asked for. It was a subconscious expectation of others and myself. 

​

Over the years it became my identity.

I was 'so kind and helpful and so clever at school'.

Don't get me wrong, this had its lovely moments, but came with a lot of pressure. I carried this hard work through school and into university where I studied Directing & Scriptwriting.

I loved it.

I had some of the greatest times of my life and some of the worst. I had my first heartbreak. I worked myself to the bone. Partied hard!

That's when the panic attacks began.

But I just kept going. Because I'd learned that the answer was to keep working harder.

18 months into my degree I was diagnosed with Glandular fever. The 'kissing disease' apparently. I was shamed for my sickness. The doctor laughed in my face (literally!) He belittled it.

So I did the same. I ignored it.

I studied hard, I went to dance practice, wrote a film, rehearsed my shows, pushed my feelings down, went to the gym, had a VERY busy social life and did what everyone said: 'work hard, play hard' and take care of everyone.

​

3 months after diagnosis I had lost 8 Kilos without noticing. The doctors told me to 'rest' but that was it. No other info. No warnings. I kept going.

Eventually, I made it through. I graduated with a first class honours degree. The highest grade possible.

Surely this was the peak of happiness. I had made it! 

The feeling of success was immense. A fizz of relief and elation all at once.

And then I came crashing down, literally.

​

I was really, really sick. After months of tests and research, I was eventually accepted on a treatment programme for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that involved 18 months of life coaching, graded exercise therapy and CBT.

​

The symptoms were bad! I can remember looking into my sisters eyes and not being able to remember her name.

It was terrifying.

​

I had pushed my body and my brain too far.

I had given too much and I was being forced to stop.​ I had no choice but to slow down, to listen to my body, to acknowledge my feelings. It was HARD.

​

I restarted my life with the tools I was learning in my treatment. Sometimes it felt totally hopeless but I never gave up. (that determination to keep going can be useful!)

​

I continued building my career as a theatre director slowly but surely, I taught children with special needs, I travelled and spent 3 months in Kenya, and eventually I did an MA (this really rested my new mindset!) which led me to becoming an acting coach.

A big turning point was travelling to LA. I did some of the most inspiring and groundbreaking personal development and coaching programmes I could. It changed a lot for me. It made me realise I I wasn't defined by my illness or my family and I came home ready to move forwards. The panic attacks stopped.

​

6 years after diagnosis, I had recovered.

I took a full time job teaching in a drama school which I loved. I was successful and I was healthy, finally.​

I also moved into my own place, finding the love of my life, developing this immense knowledge of education, of brain health, of creative practice, playfulness and communication. My life and work were merging into an incredible treasure trove of wisdom to pass on to my students and clients...

​

I became more and more successful at work.

I directed shows, ran my own coaching business, taught at various drama schools, created projects. It was incredible. But it wasn't all plain sailing. Life will always do what life does... There were toxic relationships, workplace abuse, financial stress, more grief and more family trauma!

​

Then the pandemic hit...

and I lost all my income overnight, no warning, no furlough, no government grant.

I had to pivot FAST.

I started a new company teaching acting workshops online. These classes were, for some people, their only human contact. There were students who let me know that my classes saved their lives and I am immesnsley proud of what I did during that time.

But... there I was again, helping and panicking at the same time.

It was a recipe that could have undone all my work to heal and recover... but little did I know it was showing me the core of what I really wanted to do...

​

I leaned into my tools. I continued for 4 years and I loved the actual coaching. But the stress was always there. It was always too much.

After travelling back and forth from LA for creative rest trips, inspiration and reflection, I realised I had helped hundreds of actors, writers and directors become more confident, empowered and skilled people and I'll never regret that...

​

But I had to move on. 

This was the first time EVER that I 'gave up' on something by choosing my needs first.

Since then I have grown a lot and have been listening to the part of my work that makes me happiest (truly happiest) which is the deep work. Helping someone realise they are not defined by their job, that they don't need outside validation, that they don't have to suffer to succeed, that...

being stressed is a choice and you CAN change. 

​

I have worked hard to dig deeper into my training in brain health, cognitive function, impacts of stress, sleep and trauma on the body as well as neurodivergence, somatics, anxiety management and so much more. I've also developed my much needed network of badass women so I have the support I need too.

(Boy what an impact real support has!)

​

I invested in my own coach. Became more confident in my own boundaries. Let go of the relationships that were not serving me. I made my own rules unapologetically.

​

So now I work less, I work deeper, I earn more, I am valued, I am healthier and I am happy.

​

Now I truly put my wellbeing first. My career, my relationships, my daily life have all improved as a result.

The challenges of life don't stop. But they way I handle them is so different.

​

And now, finally, I am using this experience to coach others who know what it's like to not be seen, to spend a lot of time giving, doing and pushing forwards and living in chronic stress, but can't seem to find happiness.

​

It is possible to build on what you have, to find the balance you need and live an incredible life,

if you know how.

​It took me over a decade to learn these tools and now I get to condense all of that learning, that resilience and my perspective into a simple process, specifically for other people who need space to be vulnerable, need to stop, to be confused, to feel all the feelings, to plan what is next , to question openly, to take action, to not be judged, to pivot and to put their needs first...

I get to help people just like you.

​

​​​