“Working with Sam helps you plan ahead and set intentions for your return, and have someone to talk to when challenges inevitably arise. It feels like Sam always has your back! Beyond this, Sam really holds a mirror up to you, helping you understand your own feelings about being a working parent, and helping you understand not only how to balance working and parenting, but to grow and be the very best you can in both contexts. Coaching with Sam could not have been more helpful. Sam really helped me to be intentional about my return to work, and to come up with practical solutions to putting boundaries in place. She also acted as a real cheerleader and it was so lovely feeling that she really had my back as I stepped back into work. Despite balancing a challenging job with wanting to be a really present Mum, my work-life balance actually feels better than ever. I’m so grateful to Sam for this and recommend her to all new and future mums I meet!”

Beth, Associate Director, Renaisi

Float Back client

"A very worthwhile investment in yourself and your career. She is great at putting structure to my unnavigated thoughts and has a real skill for asking pointed insightful questions. Sam was extremely helpful in helping me navigate my return to work. She gave me the space to sit back and take stock at a time when, in the throws of navigating parenthood and work for the first time, I had very little bandwidth to do this myself!"

Jess, Research Director

"Coaching with Sam is one of the best investments in myself that I have made. When I first got in contact with Sam I was feeling a bit stuck, but the sessions we have had together have truly been transformative. From working through day-to-day tricky situations in a way helps me find my power, to gaining clarity about my future career and what’s important to me, I feel I have learnt so much about myself and my values in the process. Our sessions have increased my self-confidence and resilience and given me helpful tools and frameworks for navigating challenges and making wise decisions. Sam’s approach as a coach has been central to this. We quickly built an extremely trusting coaching relationship. She makes me feel heard and understood, she is able to untangle what I’m thinking and feeling, draw out what’s important and reflect that back. Sam gives astute observations and thoughtful questions, delivered with kindness, in order to really make me think and help me grow."

Maddy, Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager

"Sam got me. She’s also a working mother and understands the tension between professional life and parenting. Sam is insightful and has a lovely gentle way of questioning you and nudging you in the right direction that feels comfortable. She doesn’t tell you what to do, but rather guides you to think another way about your situation and reframe the negatives. I came to Sam feeling very stuck in my thinking around my professional situation. Through a series of conversations and exercises she prompted me to define my values and helped me to reframe my thinking. This has helped bring clarity and propelled me forward in the direction of where I want to go with my career."

Creative Director

"Sam creates a welcoming and safe space to share your difficulties and help you navigate the best way forward. I was feeling overwhelmed and mixed up in my session so it may not have been the best timing but you still really helped me to realise what I needed the most - to take a break :) In this single session I got some clarity on the way forward and some helpful practical exercises which I think will help me regroup and make clearer decisions following redundancy."

Communications officer, Macmillian Cancer Support

"I approached Sam during a time of professional reflection/change and in just a couple of sessions she really helped me to gain clarity on what it is I actually want to achieve in my career, and how to get there. She has helped me to open up my ideas, order my thoughts, and to come up with a plan of next steps. Her warm and easygoing persona put me at ease right away, and she has given me the confidence to pursue my goals. If you feel a little stuck and are considering career coaching, I would say it's definitely money well spent, and I'd 100% recommend Sam for the job!"

Almas, career coaching client

"Returning to work after having a baby is a huge rollercoaster and having a series of sessions with Sam over this time (before, during, after my return) made a huge, huge difference. It undoubtedly made my return to work easier and more positive, as well my decisions and actions around my return more intentional and considered. I can't recommend it enough. Sam provided a supportive, understanding, empowering space to productively work through my thoughts at a time where I was experiencing a big change, but also having very little time outside of sessions to think about myself. Sam's expertise in supporting through this return to work transition shone through and allowed me to bring my whole self to sessions (rather than just my professional self, something I think was vital to me at this time). Huge thanks Sam!"

Ema, Campaigns Manager

"I'd describe coaching with Sam as friendly, understanding, provides helpful exercises to help you think things through, and crucially is not afraid to hold you accountable! I got the permission (from myself!) to take regular time to focus on thinking about my career. The time and encouragement to do so. Accountability to actually sit down and to the things I know I need to to move my ideas forward. A renewed sense of focus and optimism about how I can make some positive changes!"

Isabelle, Digital Service Designer

"I would highly recommend Sam to anyone heading back to work following maternity leave. A warm, compassionate and extremely effective coach, she understands the issues that surround the much-anticipated return to work on both a practical and holistic level, and provides the valuable thinking space to explore any issues that may arise. Sam asks the right questions and is excellent at facilitating conversations to aid you in setting your personal goals. I felt so ready to return to work following our sessions and am so very grateful for her expertise."

Leila, Digital Content Editor

"Sam coached me as I started a new job in a new industry and took on a major project. I found our conversations really cleared things up. They were part project planning, part motivational and part emotional support - and it never felt heavy. We just chatted and worked out a plan as we went. Sam has loads of tools and ideas to help work through different issues. Her coaching helped me start my new job with purpose and set the boundaries that were right for me. I recommend Sam’s coaching."

Matthew Patrick, Senior Policy Manager at Ofgem

"Sam facilitated a departmental away day for us and did a marvellous job. Not only was she organised and methodical in supporting the planning of the day - she had loads of creative ideas to get the most out of people. Sam’s facilitation on the day was perfect - warm and friendly, with lots of thoughtful probing questions, but also firm in keeping to time. And the follow up summary notes of the day were spot on too! Thanks Sam."

Lee Betts, Head of Stakeholder Enquiries, Financial Ombudsman Service

"I have trained with and been coached by Sam during several sessions and can wholeheartedly recommend her. Sam is passionate about coaching, and has a wealth of personal and professional experience to bring to her clients. She is a great example of the benefits one can gain from her coaching sessions and an inspiration to me! If you want someone who is calm and challenging, compassionate and honest, authentic and adaptable, go with Sam."

Nina Pattani, Director and Superintendent Pharmacist

"Worth every penny."

Carmen, Communications Specialist, Wellcome

"Coaching with Sam has given me a greater sense of clarity for my next steps. I knew the answers all along but having a sounding board really helped to put a strategy into place. Sam was open to my way of working ,asked some insightful questions and it has yielded results already."

HH, career coaching client

"A really useful 'power hour' which challenged me in how I think about myself and gave me some useful food for thought as I navigate my return to work from maternity leave."

Emma Anderson, Marketing manager, Transport for London

"Sam is a warm and empathetic coach who brings clarity in her sessions. She has a calming, supportive presence that really enabled me to be vulnerable about challenges I wanted to work on. I highly recommend working with Sam!"

Impress, the press regulator

"I really enjoyed my coaching with Sam and came away much better equipped to achieve my longer term goal, having generated new ideas and prioritised the ones to focus on as well as having shifted my perspective to feel much more positive about where I am and where I am headed. Sam has a warm and relaxed approach to coaching. She gave me plenty of space to think and asked questions designed to help me focus on what I wanted the end result to look like which was really helpful as I was not sure exactly what I was aiming for. She was great at reflecting and summarising in an insightful way and good at holding up the mirror and challenging appropriately when I demonstrated behaviours during the coaching engagement which i'd identified might be getting in the way of my goal. A really lovely coach who I would be happy to recommend."

Rachel Fletcher, coach

"I have known Sam for about a year. We participated in the ICF accredited Barefoot Coaching virtual cohort that completed in 2021. I had the privilege to be coached by Sam on several occassions throughout the programme and on a further occassion in 2022. Sam is someone that has a kind way to co-create a psychological and supportive space instantly. She has this brilliant way of helping me get to the core challenge/ problem I am facing, ask powerful questions with curiosity, and create a thinking space to help find my own answers with a gentle coaching touch to help along the way. if you're seeking a coach that is positive, has an attitude to support you on your journey, help ask questions that help you get to where you need to be then look no further: I highly recommend Sam. She co-created many magical thinking moments for me and I am grateful for this, and she's not afraid of making time with short notice too to support you. I look forward to continuing in the coaching circle with Sam."

Haroon Khalil, Executive & Business Agility Coach

"Coaching with Sam was an excellent way to prepare myself for going back to my paid job after doing a very different job for 12 months! In particular, Sam was really good at drawing together my rambly thoughts, and mapped out a rough plan of themes we could focus on based on what she heard from me in our first session. Not all coaches can do that. The conversations we had were really useful, and helped me to a) make some clear requests for my re-induction period, and b) work out how to put boundaries in place with my team. I’d recommend Sam in a heartbeat for any new parent preparing to go back to work, or for anyone who’s stuck in a work rut and needs a bit of help finding their way."

Becca, Save the Children

"By asking the right questions, Sam really helped me to define my thinking and identify clear next steps. I left the call feeling excited about the future and keen to implemet what we'd discussed."

Amy Nussey

"In just the space of one hour with Sam I came away with practical and focussed next steps to some problems I'd been struggling to unpick myself. Sam is a really skilled listener and coached me to see new perspectives on what I want next for my career. It was great to work with someone who understands the challenges of balancing work and being a mum, and felt like a space I could be really honest."

Sally Weatherall, Charity Leader

"I had a session with Sam and it was absolutely amazing! I love my job but after maternity leave life I was having major back to work wobbles. Sam's practical and friendly approach gave me the tools to navigate this huge transition. And I'm now enjoying being back at work and doing what I'm best at. Thank you so much Sam!"

Kerry Secker, Sleep consultant, Care It Out

"Sam’s coaching style is both professional and personable, combining to get the most out of every session and leaving you with thought provoking and actionable insights to take forward into your everyday life."

Karl Henley, Senior Finance Manager, Screwfix

"She was really helpful explaining Fair Play my partner and I. She helped us open up the conversation and it felt really relaxed so we were able to chat freely."

Amy holdsworth, Cardiac Technician, Barnsley hospital, and Little City business owner

"Sam is a wonderful coach and I am very grateful that I have the chance to be her coachee!"

Stavrini Catselli

"Sam creates a calm, supportive space that makes the sessions feel really relaxed. She helped me to better understand my strengths and where I could challenge myself and my thinking. She has a wealth of knowledge and really shows up in your corner. To have space to reflect, to better understand what was the drive behind some of my behaviours and to have accountability in how I show up when I return to work."

Alicia Bainbridge, Head of campaign engagement, Oxfam

"Sam gives you confidence to implement your ideas and carries a huge tool belt of handy tips and techniques to support you along the way.Choosing to have Sam as our coach gave us dedicated time and space with a professional to explore the fair play method and find better ways of managing our household. The work/children/home juggle is real and although my husband and I are a great team we knew we could find better ways to tighten our ship. Having Sam coach us was essential as it meant we were accountable rather than just reading the book and leaving it to collect dust on the shelf. Sam brought the book to life in an easy and digestible way and helped us to adopt it as a part of our routine. She checked in regularly and provided helpful tips when we encountered any blocks."

Atosa Stedman, Hypnobirthing Teacher, Doula, Kent Hypnobirthing

"I worked with Sam during a period of change in my career and she was consistent and reliable, always listening to my challenges and giving me the space to dig into the details but also think bigger picture. I actually really liked when you said you were going to remove your "coach hat" and just gave me some super valuable personal careers advice! What did I get from the coaching? Thinking time! Time out from the day-to-day to reflect and think very deliberately about my career development. It was a good time for me to think about future aspirations and goals. I enjoyed the practical stuff like looking at leadership styles, tackling my worries with the different 'hats' and the task of asking 5 people 5 things about me - I enjoyed that way of learning about myself and found it really useful to frame how I was feeling about change and uncertainty within my career. "

Career coaching client

"Sam is very easy to talk to, kind and supportive but also asks the right questions and challenges you at the right moments. It was really helpful to think through the return to work as a self-employed person especially juggling childcare, work and other commitments and having a staggered return. I was still holding onto lots of values and beliefs that had worked really well for me working in an organisation and pre children but weren't necessarily working for my new reality. It was also useful to think through some practical steps I could take to support myself transitioning back to work and to clarify what kind of work/life/childcare blend I want to have and what kind of boundaries I can put in place to support this (mainly with myself, rather than clients!). I really appreciated having some headspace to think and talk all of this through and Sam provided some really useful tools, exercises, concepts and ideas to support this."

Emily Balls, Monitoring, evaluation and learning consultant (international development/humanitarian sector)

"Sam is super friendly, easy to communicate with and really helpful. My head felt a lot clearer and I knew some practical next steps having had her coaching. Coaching with Sam gave me the space to think about the different aspects of my life, what areas I wanted to prioritise improving as I prepared for returning to work. I was feeling overwhelmed with all the feelings to process, as well as all the practical things. A really practical thing she helped me think through and implement was discussing with my partner how to plan the week, now that we're both at work and need to more equally share all the various tasks related to nursery, baby, our own time for exercise and socialising etc. This has helped returning to work and settling the toddler into nursery a smooth process. Thanks Sam!"

Emma, Save the Children

"Sam provided a warm and welcoming space, that allowed me to work through some challenges in a supportive environment. I would highly recommend working with her! I appreciated the various tools, frameworks and strategies that Sam shared. It was a great mix of having space to talk things out, and practical exercises to help re-frame my thinking. I feel much more confident in myself, my strengths, and in tackling work challenges."

Charlotte

"A really useful investment of time to work through the opportunities and worries of any situation and find your own solutions and next steps. A space to put all of my hopes and fears about returning to work post-baby; a mix of practical exercises and resources, personal reflections and empathy, and concrete next steps. I got a really clear sense of my values and priorities on my return to work and some practical ways to bring them to life. I had such a successful return to work and my conversations with Sam were the starting point for setting boundaries and making practical requests that made the juggle easier."

Rachael Sweet, Head of UK Influencing, Save the Children UK

"A safe space to discuss challenges at work, a fresh new perspective on your life, challenges and success at work. Keep the homework coming – I liked having exercises to prepare for the sessions, and it added structure to the sessions, too."

Jenny, Head of Content, Paired

"Sam creates a welcoming and safe space to share your difficulties and help you navigate the best way forward. In this single session I got some clarity on the way forward and some helpful practical exercises which I think will help me regroup and make clearer decisions following redundancy."

"Sam is a fantastic coach and she has really helped me to boost my confidence through all our sessions together. I recently started a new job and I was worried about whether I would fit in and whether I was good enough for my new role. Sam helped me with a number of exercises to put myself in the shoes of my new colleagues and to see how they would perceive me…only to realise I am fitting in to my new team just fine and that I’m probably performing at the standard expected of my level / a new employee. Sam also made me realise that I should not be scared to ask questions of my new colleagues (where I was worried about sounding inexperienced and/or not intelligent to them, which meant that I was avoiding seeking help when I probably needed this most). Sam encouraged me to ask questions and to realise that I can learn lots of things from my new colleagues by asking these questions. I particularly liked when she shared her own experiences and examples during the coaching sessions – this brought our sessions to life and made me realise that I was not alone. She also went above and beyond to provide me with additional exercises to work on outside of our sessions and podcasts to listen to."

Sophia, Lawyer