THERAPY
LIFE COACHING
THERAPY
“When I contacted Mark I had previously had several series of therapy over the last decade with other therapists or group therapy. These had always felt a bit like a sticking plaster. They had been enough to get my head back above the water and cope again but I felt like I fell back into old habits or maybe that I’d always just have periods of high anxiety and that would be my future. I decided last summer, when I was actually in an okay place, that I didn’t just want to get my head above water but I wanted to swim the channel (metaphorically!) and make a permanent change. My previous therapy had been through work or the NHS but I felt by paying privately I could, with Mark, dictate the timescales and I also wanted to invest in myself. Within only a few sessions Mark was able to get to the bigger issues that were preventing me having that inner calm that had evaded me pretty much my whole life. Since I’ve worked with Mark I am genuinely in such a better place, my internal voice has completely changed, I am resilient, I understand myself so much more clearly and most importantly I know I don’t have to and won’t live a life dictated by my anxiety. It is hard to explain but I now like and back myself, which I realised I never had before. I still have the occasional tricky day, but I understand that this is normal, bad moods are part of life and it certainly doesn’t send me into a tail spin like before. The reason I chose Mark is that I read the reviews and I appreciated it when I read he would challenge me. He will not just say what you want to hear, which is what I need. He is warm, encouraging and you can tell he is truly proud when you make progress. I am extremely grateful he was able to identify the key barriers that were preventing me make long term progress before, even with CBT, and I feel positive about the future now. I have recently faced some significant life and health challenges and not only coped but quickly moved to thriving, so the proof has definitely been in the pudding!” Sophia
“Mark is fantastic and well worth the money. I starting seeing Mark once a week in October 2020 after my fiancé passed away in November 2019. I had seen therapists prior to Mark and wasn’t getting anywhere, I needed someone to give me some guidance on how to deal with all the emotions and anxiety I was feeling (as all of this was very new to me) and Mark gave me exactly that. He gave me tools on how to deal with my anxiety which in turn went away after the very first session with him. Mark opened my eyes to the possibilities of the future where before all I could see was darkness and depression. We have just finished our “final” session and I couldn’t be more happy with how I have turned out. I’ve begun to see things in a more positive light and can now fully deal with my emotions and everything doesn’t seem as completely dire as it did when I started. I cannot put into words how much Mark has helped me over the previous months and how much of a changed person I am because of our sessions. If you’re unsure of getting help please don’t wait, contact Mark and get started as I promise it will be 100% worthwhile. Thank you Mark, for everything.” Alexa Heacock
“Mark is an excellent Therapist. He brought me from a point of tragic low self esteem to a state of reflective confidence which I can never thank him enough for. I have had therapy sessions with Mark for over a year now and I feel that every session brings with it more well being as I strengthen my core sense of self. Lovely guy, engaging encounters, I’m going to continue using his knowledge to help progress and I know there’s loads more to come.” Phil
“After three sessions with mark I was able to clear a lot of demons from my past and have a clear vision of my future and what I wanted in life. Being able to talk to someone who doesn’t judge and helps you see who you really are really frees your mind of the negative things you hold on to.” Adrian
“Mark always provides an environment where I feel safe to discuss whatever is on my mind. His counselling has enabled me to take great leaps forward and provides practical strategies that I can use in day to day life which have enabled me to become the best version of myself once again.” Rhys
“What I like about Mark is that he is very pragmatic and offers practical solutions to problems. He is very concise and clear in his thought process and I am very grateful for his help in enabling me to be better equipped in overcoming my personal challenges. He is also very flexible regarding his session times and even has counselling sessions on Saturdays! There is no obligation on the frequency of sessions, unlike one of my previous counsellor who insisted I paid them money to reduce my sessions with them! His rates are also very reasonable and I would highly recommend working with him.” X.L.
“I’ve been meeting with Mark for the last few months to work on some deep rooted PTSD and anxiety. Due to the current coronavirus situation deeming meeting in person impossible at present, Mark offered the opportunity to continue our work over the telephone or face to face via online (Zoom). I very much benefit from the visual element of therapy, so we switched to online, which has been extremely positive and straightforward to set up. Mark is very accommodating and these sessions have offered much needed flexibility during this extraordinary time. Our appointments continue to be hugely helpful, and his guidance and expertise invaluable. I highly recommend exploring this option as a way of doing what I can only describe as life-enhancing work, thanks to Mark, who is extremely passionate and focused in helping me to grow to where I need to be.” Isla
“Mark has helped me out massively over the time we’ve been having sessions, I went to see Mark in June last year with a few troubles I was having, depression, low self esteem, eating disorders. After the first few sessions I understood more about the mind and how it works and I can honestly say that over the past few months I’ve been in such a better place and I feel so much more in control of everything. I can’t recommend Mark enough, he is very easy to talk to and a real genuine person. Thank you again Mark it’s been a pleasure.” Kieron
“I’ve recommended several people to Mark – friends, an employee – and I tell them what he has done for me. Last March I didn’t want to live anymore. My marriage was failing. My business was in debt, not because it was unsuccessful, but because clients weren’t paying me. I was eating so much to escape my unhappiness that I was quite literally buying new clothes each week. I can’t believe the turnaround. I am no longer in my unhappy marriage and instead am with someone who makes me happy. I have not laughed so much in a long, long time. My weight has come down as my happiness has increased, and I’m now back in the clothes I was wearing before. I got my motivation back and took some bad debtors to court and got my money back.
Mark has made such a difference. His ability to offer therapy, support for eating and an appreciation of business, was the perfect combination. I can’t recommend him highly enough.”
Stephen
“I have suffered with depression and anxiety for several years so I decided to look for a therapist for some help. After my first session with Mark it was very clear that he had a real passion for helping people. In just a few short months I had started to change my thinking patterns to be able to deal with day to day life again and I am now coping much better than before. Not only did Mark help me with my mental health but he also coached me for an interview for my dream job which I now start in March! I cannot thank him enough for all of his help and support during this tough time and I would definitely recommend his services to anyone struggling with their mental health.” Gareth Kavanaugh
“I contacted Mark as I was experiencing a bad period of depression, social anxiety and low self confidence, which had slowly gotten worse over a period of a few years. Mark helped me to realise the root cause of my problems and how to overcome them. Mark was able to offer a better perspective, which helped me to realise that things in my life were ultimately okay, but the way I was thinking and perceiving things in a negative way was keeping me in a depressed state. Over the course of a few months, I started to perceive the world in a different way which led to a decrease in my depression resulting in a genuine love for life again! I now have much more self confidence, energy and motivation. I would not be where I am today without Mark!!” William
’Thank you Mark for your professional counselling over these past few weeks. I really felt you did not judge but helped me to deal with my anxieties and listened to me air my grievances. I now understand that I need to appreciate ‘ME’ more than I realised and to make more time for ‘ME’. This is the best I have felt for a very long time and should I need any further help in the future I will not hesitate to contact you.” P.W.
“Mark, thank you for getting me back to where I need to be. You’ve helped me immeasurably. I will recommend you in the future.” Dave
“I was really struggling with anxiety, and it was seriously affecting my happiness and the strength of my business. Mark first taught me some techniques to deal with anxiety which helped in the short term and gave us space to deal with the underlying causes. Mark is smart and compassionate, and I would have no hesitation in recommending him.” Chris
“I contacted Mark, so that I could explain to a professional person the challenges I was facing after my divorce. I wish I had done this much sooner as Mark’s advice has given me the means to deal with the negative thoughts that occupied my mind, feeling a weight had been lifted. Mark has helped me achieve significantly more piece of mind in six weeks than I’ve been able to do in six years. His help has allowed me to come to terms with and accept the past. He has given me the means to handle situations more confidently and enhanced my self belief. I have a lot to thank you for.” Rob G
“Coming to Mark I was struggling to control my low moods and eating habits. In a small number of sessions we managed to attack the route of the problem much better than other types of therapy I have tried before. I feel much more in control of my emotions and rarely find myself over eating. A real difference to talking therapies and CBT that I have used in the past. I cannot recommend Mark enough, a genuinely nice guy with a lot to offer.” Rob Harrison
”Before I started therapy with Mark I was carrying severe emotional baggage that was seriously preventing me from living my life.
Having been exposed to mental, physical and financial abuse in my home, I reached a point where I could no longer carry on living my day to day with a ‘normal’ piece of mind. My anxiety and self esteem was so severe that I was too scared to speak my mind and enjoy the everyday laughter. Despite having completed a Masters from a top university and securing full time employment in a competitive field, I didn’t believe in myself, in my capabilities or that my family or friends around me even loved me.
I was severely ashamed of being female and of my ethnicity because of the cultural negativity that I had been witness to much of my childhood, something I never admitted to a single soul until I started working with Mark. I was at that point where I was even afraid of spending time with my own mother, because the trauma that I had experienced was all too alive and well despite being far away from harm. I didn’t trust myself, nor did I trust my ability to interact with others and without sounding too cliché, life just didn’t seem to be getting any better.
Words cannot truly articulate how incredibly talented a therapist Mark is. I genuinely have worked through my anxiety, guilt, shame, fear and trauma to the point where it genuinely does not affect my everyday living at all, I am in full control of myself and more than able to handle the challenges of everyday living. What the human mind is capable of is truly amazing and there are skilled people like Mark to bring that out in us. Despite the challenges life may bring, the human body and mind is truly able to restore and it is people like Mark who are there to help us along the way.
I cannot recommend Mark enough and hope that more people start investing in themselves and in therapy.
Lots and lots of warm wishes, Fatimah
I went to see Mark at a time when my eating habits were out of control. I had been a serial yo yo dieter for years and had gone back and forth to various popular dieting clubs but always ended up putting any weight I had lost back on. I realised that there must be a reason why I felt the need to eat excessively, sometimes in secret, at times and longed to establish a normal relationship with food which I could sustain for life.
I feel that I have gained so much from Mark in such a short time and find myself being much more aware of the pressures I put on myself as well as those pressures I allowed other people to put on me. I have also come to realise that some of those pressures were unnecessary, particularly when I felt some negativity creeping in and as a result I have managed to make some positive changes in those areas. For example I now know that trying to please people all the time meant that I had little time left for me and that I had no focus on what my needs were. I clearly wasn’t happy when prioritising other people’s needs over mine and this led to me comforting myself with an excessive and obscene amount of “treats” and junk foods.
Going back to a conversation we had in our first meeting Mark raised a point that sometimes people have a “fantasy” about the person they are or want to be and I recall at the time that I did feel a little aggrieved by that comment but I actually think he hit the nail on the head. I have given this concept a lot of thought since then and have come to realise that there is a part of me who enjoys the idea of doing certain things more than the actual execution of it and actually, it is that part of me that sets the unrealistic and unachievable goals which then has a knock on effect with my poor eating habits and leads me to be unhappy and so the cycle continues. I am now learning to do what I actually enjoy doing, when I am able to do it and will focus on that for the time being.
I am feeling very positive about the future and a lot more content with myself than I was just a short 3 sessions ago and I have Mark to thank for that life changing clarity.
Emma
I arrived at the practice in a ball of insecurity
My sessions with Mark where decisive and constructive not only drawing out all my unspoken fears and buried emotions but allowing me a safe hour to reflect on the day to day decisions that where blocking my ability to react in positive and growing manner. Thank you for the impactful and constructive words thought what was a very painful and confusing time.
I now will continue with a sense of self and new found confidence
Thank you again
Ruth Lindsay
Hi Mark – Long time no speak, which I suppose in my case is a good thing. Just thought I would drop you a line to say thanks for all your help. It has completely changed me as a person and put me on a new track in life. I’m now working as a teaching assistant and enjoying every minute. So out of my comfort zone working with 11 year olds, but it’s great. Anyway, not going to bore you with all the details, but just to say thanks for everything you have done for me.
Bruno
Mark offers a professional, reliable, and safe place in which to discuss painful issues. He responds calmly with compassion and appropriate validation of feelings, and explores possible ways forward. H
‘Hey Mark – I just wanted to thank you for seeing/ helping me for counselling. I just wanted you to know how helpful the sessions were; I can now look back and think about how worthwhile the sessions were and how glad I am to have attended. I feel in tune with my emotions/ feelings, this has been a big help because I can know identify and relate to peers a bit better. Which means whenever am going through something I don’t feel as though am being punished, ’cause everyone goes through the same stuff just different times. Understanding what’s going on in my head, has meant experiencing fewer to no headaches. From time to time I think about my auntie. Each time I think about her, I find myself wishing her well and hoping she’s ok, which breaks my heart immensely but its a process. With my aunties passing. I feel as though she helped me confront and accept myself. Which I felt needed to be done, however I had no clue as of how.
I feel settled and am enjoying my life. Thank you :)’
Anthea
Dear Mark – Hello this is Petra. I just wanted to say thank you so much for your help with the counselling. I know I didn’t attend the last session as I felt that things were getting much better. I also wanted to let you know that I’ve finished my degree and I got into graduate fashion week. So thank you so much! I don’t think I’d be where I am now if I didn’t go to counselling and had the support I’d received.’
Petra
Dear Mark – Thank you for your email. I would like to say thank you as I was amazed how beneficial your counselling sessions were for me. As you know I has been going through a very emotional time since suddenly loosing my dad in February this year which was completely unexpected. Following our sessions, remarkably I felt completely different about things and have been very productive now for months. Almost all of what you were saying sounded just like me and the way I have allowed my mind to control me with negative thoughts. I am very keen to continue with counselling in the future as I do not want to return to anxiety medication again. Thanks again.’
Fred
LIFE COACHING
“Hi Mark – hope you are well. I just wanted to say thank you for the support and coaching over the last few years and an update as to where I am now. I am super proud as I achieved a 2:1 overall for my degree, which I really didn’t think I would. I also have just secured an internship at an investment management company, which I am really excited about. I met them yesterday and they have said there may be opportunities for employment at the end. I am sure that the work I have done with you has made a huge impact and helped me to achieve these things, so thanks again.” Cameron
“When I first met Mark, my life was like a mess and I could not face the changes that I had in my life (changing the environment as I moved from the UK to Iraq, and change in my personal life status to be a mum with a little boy and carrying his responsibilities alone). Mark was the coach who supported me to be a strong person to face all these difficulties in a calm way with self-esteem, self- peace, and to appreciate myself (always). I learnt lots of strategies to deal with difficulties in life and all bad experiences with a hopeful future. Now, I am achieving my goals in life with a smile on my face 😊 and I am the person that I would love to be. Really appreciated these sessions. Honestly, I would highly recommend contacting him for life coaching as he is a highly skilled coach in his field.” Dhuha
“Hope you are doing well and though it is a mad time to be living in, thriving in the circumstances! I wanted to write to you to express my sincere thanks for the work we did together earlier this year. It seems a long time ago but our pre-lockdown sessions were hugely beneficial to me and really helped me to find a happier, healthier and more sustainable path. I am in a great position in my life now, having completed my Masters and potentially looking at doing a PHD. I am also in a stable and wonderful relationship, which is something I struggled to find before working with you and re-evaluating my motives and wants from such things. This year has been tough for a lot of people naturally, but I have looked to turn challenges into opportunities and believe I have done so very successfully. The biggest change and enabler of this I think is how I look at myself, view my place in this world, the places and people from whom I derive my value and worth, and what is important and what is not. Though I have brought these changes into my daily life, there is no doubt in my mind that this would not have been possible without your support and professional guidance. For this, I really want to express my gratitude. There are still challenges, as there are for everybody. Travelling is still something I want to work on (even more difficult in a Covid world!) and public speaking may too be something I seek some guidance on in the future. There are naturally going to be ups and downs along the way, but that’s all part of it! Thanks again Mark and all the best!” Sean
“I have been attending monthly coaching sessions with Mark for the last 18 months. In that time, I have found Mark to be an excellent coach and I measure this by the improvements I have made in both my personal and professional life. The work we have done together has allowed me to unearth/tackle recurring issues and feelings I have had most of my adult life. I now feel I understand myself more and also have a greater skill set to not only lead a happier life but also be a more fulfilled and successful person.” Chris White
“My conversations with Mark have been hugely valuable for me and have been a key factor for working on my own self improvement as well as personal issues. Mark’s approach has always been professional, whilst still feeling as though our conversations are personalised for how I think and work best. I have found a natural transition from therapy into beginning a more coaching based approach, which shows the effectiveness and progress I have made whilst working Mark. I therefore look forward to this continuing and would recommend him to people looking for important valuable changes in their life.” Cameron
“Working with Mark is an investment that is worth making. What is more valuable than your own well-being, happiness and fulfilment? Nothing is more important. Everything else follows. I started working with Mark because I had become stuck, held back by anxiety and low self esteem. After being burnt by a succession of challenging work situations, I had begun to question myself, my ability and my own worth – a scary place to be! I was having anxiety attacks and finding myself unable to focus at work or at home with my family. I was lost. Working with Mark has quickly and dramatically helped me to see my world through fresh eyes, restoring my self-belief and confidence. I had spent months trying to solve my problems in my own head but the reality is that it’s not possible to do it by yourself. Mark is a great, non-judgemental listener. I have been able to open up about my past and share things that I haven’t dared to speak about before. He has helped me to accept life as it is and introduce more flexibility into my thinking. As well as being a great listener, Mark is a fantastic coach. He understands the theory of how psychology works and can use this to unblock our problems. I’ve now realised that I had been ignoring important messages from my brain commenting on how I had been living my life. I am now on a journey of change. I want to grow as a person, be my best self and achieve personal and professional goals. My work with Mark has been invaluable in helping me to change. I know that our work is going to unlock the best of me and help me to achieve balance and fulfilment in my life. If you feel like you are unhappy, unfulfilled or not achieving your potential, then speak to Mark now. Don’t delay, problems don’t just go away!” Paul
“What a truly empowering experience! I started the sessions with Mark feeling very unsure and unconfident with where I was heading in my professional life. I knew I wasn’t happy with where I was and needed clarity with where I wanted to go. After only a few sessions, I felt confident to take action as Mark coached me through how to envisage my goals and steer towards them. I took something to work on from each session. Mark listened and encouraged me not to sweat the small stuff, leading me on to making big changes in my career. I now feel much more in control of my career and am on a much more fulfilling pathway. Not so scared about what might happen next, I’ve taken a step in the direction I want and with Mark’s coaching can already feel the impact this is having on me, both personally and professionally. Thank you Mark; a pleasure to work with.” Heena
“I came to Mark with a lack of direction, a lot of anger and a sense of being very lost. In our six months of fortnightly meetings, after initially recognising I needed to work on my low self esteem, I slowly started to turn my thought processes around, making small but crucial changes to the way I approached my life. By the end, I had a realistic plan for the future and better relationships in my marriage and with my work. I realised that the things I was angry about were largely out of my control, and could manage those I was in control of. By subtly changing my perception of them, I noticed a huge change in how I interacted with others and how I perceived myself. I now feel I have the tools to move forward with my life. I’m so pleased I took that crucial leap into coaching and learn to balance my thoughts and emotions in this way.” Brian Stephenson
So happy to have the opportunity to share my review!!
I sat in a café one day stuck & knowing I couldn’t become unstuck on my own! I discovered
Geri
‘Dear Mark – I am writing to you because I have finally achieved the goal that I came to you see about. I am now a qualified counsellor. It seems unimaginable now that I once worked in advertising and marketing. You never said at any time that it would be easy and I think on reflection that this is what I came to appreciate the most about my life coaching with you. Your relentless focus on setting realistic, achievable goals (that S.M.A.R.T. model), which initially I found hard to accept because I wanted things to happen quickly, has served me well both personally and, now, professionally. I particularly remember our early conversations around finding meaning and purpose. It was at this time that I was able to make sense of my unhappiness. You never stopped believing in me and supporting me through what we both know were difficult times. You once said to me that if we are to make a difference to our clients then we have to be able to look them in the eye and say ‘I know what you are going through.’ I will never forget this insight. I look forward to collaborating with you as a fellow professional. Kind regards.’
Theresa
‘Hi Mark – it’s LY. Remember me? This e-mail is to tell you about my first year in control of my eating. I no longer see food as a means of escaping myself because now, amazingly, I actually like myself. I thought I ate too much because I was greedy, but you showed me that it was because my self-esteem was on the floor. I still don’t really understand how life coaching works. I have stuff I want to do in life. My family say that I am much more fun! And I am now a good role model for my children. As you know, I don’t have a lot of money and your willingness to reduce your fees was such a generous act. I am sure I will stay in touch. All the best.’
Lilly
Business
“Mark has been a great help for me in establishing a much better work/life balance. He initially identified the issues and we set about working together to change. He helped me establish key indicators to concentrate on and to look out for any warning signs.” James Brown, Channel Controller – OOH at Mission Foods
“Mark really helped me to break down various issues, both personal and one’s related to running my own business. Being able to speak to someone that understood the business side was really important for me. Mark is a great listener and makes you feel at ease. I won’t hesitate to reach out to Mark again if I need to talk things through with someone.” Mark Callaby
“I have been attending monthly coaching sessions with Mark for the last 18 months. In that time, I have found Mark to be an excellent life coach and I measure this by the improvements I have made both in my personal and professional life. The work we have done together has allowed me to unearth/tackle recurring issues and feelings I have had most of my adult life. I now feel I understand myself more and also have a greater skill set to not only lead a happier life but also be a more fulfilled and successful person.” Chris White, Key Account Manager, Zip Water
“What I’d like to say to anyone who is in business and who has both personal and work issues to work through is this: Mark is proactive, he actually helps. He doesn’t sit and ask “what do you think?” he gives practical, useable solutions, while being supportive, caring and generally brilliant and I can’t thank him enough. His sessions were incredibly helpful and really gave me clarity on the things that were bothering me. Very many thanks.” Sarah
Hi Mark I meant to send this when I got my notification, but things got away from me a little bit. I graduated with my MBA and I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Before I came to you I was (unknowingly) depressed about my present and (knowingly) anxious about my future but even though we didn’t really have that many sessions (thanks to a certain pandemic) just talking to you helped me so much, honestly I don’t think I would’ve graduated without you so this degree is as much for you as it is for me. You’ve just helped me so much and I’ll forever be grateful to you. I hope you’re well and thank you again” Vincent
“Hi Mark – please find my testimonial. A month ago I reached a really bad place indeed. My addiction to spending money on things I don’t need was discovered by my partner. I was presented with a choice – sort it out or my marriage was over. This was not the first time I had been caught. Today, after my final session with Mark, I can honestly say I have kicked my spending habit to the point where I do not even think about it anymore. The trust my partner now has in me, means I am involved with family finances and investments. These were previously off-limits. The ripple effect has been significant both at home and at work. At work my employee engagement has increased dramatically. Before, I only had time for my problems and their concealment. Now, I am actually noticing my staff and that they have problems, too. My H.R. Department has never seen so much of me as I look to find ways to support individuals in trouble. I will be recommending Mark to anyone I talk to who is in trouble. He very quickly figured things out for me. Three hour-long sessions is all it took. Mark said he will always be there for me and that feels very reassuring.” Tom
“Professional counselling and coaching can create a lot of value for professionals at times of extreme change like this (coronavirus), but is this compatible with “social distancing”? I’ve had a professional coach for several years now and this has been of tremendous value to me, both in the good and the more challenging time. We meet monthly for an hour by telephone and I find this just as effective as face-to-face meetings. I’d encourage those of you interested to reach out to coaches like Mark Evans at Conversations with Impact to explore virtual/remote coaching, it could make a big difference to you over the next few months.”
Stuart Donald
Head of Operational Services at Kinapse
“10 years ago my business failed, I lost my house, cars and was unemployed for over two years. It was a life changing ‘disaster’ for me and truth be known I couldn’t get over the shame and guilt I felt for putting my wife and teenage kids (as they were then) through what was a massive change in circumstances. At the time I thought I could ‘get over it’ and correct matters – I’m a middle aged man – there’s a thing! The reality was I wasn’t making any progress and 10 years later that ‘trauma’ was still with me. It got to the point where I was drinking far too much and I was sent off to see Mark by my daughter. Mark was a friendly face and I immediately felt at ease, and in what was a ridiculously short time of counselling with Mark, he said his work was done. I have always got the option to go back if I need to but as things stand I feel great, and couldn’t be happier to be writing this testimonial for someone who has helped me as he has.”
James.
“Mark has been my professional coach for about 3 years. We have had monthly meetings throughout that time. Mark’s coaching has been hugely beneficial to me, particularly during periods of change. His style of challenging my thought processes, without being pushy, has opened up new ways of thinking about my approach to work. This has had a significant impact on my professional effectiveness and therefore has had a positive impact on my organisation. I would highly recommend him as a coach.”
Stuart Donald, Head of Operational Services, Kinapse
“I was really struggling with anxiety, and it was seriously affecting my happiness and the strength of my business. Mark first taught me some techniques to deal with anxiety which helped in the short term and gave us space to deal with the underlying causes. Mark is smart and compassionate, and I would have no hesitation in recommending him.” Chris
“Mark is an outstanding coach and without question is someone to meet and work with should one be looking to develop personally and or professionally. I have known Mark for the majority of my time in Higher Education to date and he fast become a go to person for me to network with, share ideas and collaborate. Mark and I have worked together on various pieces of work, but most notably as ambassadors of our institution at a major conference promotion how we work to develop potential into talent with HE. Mark is great to work with and kept me on my toes. His insight and challenge usually translated to me as him being well ahead of the conversation in asking the real questions and exploring the true matters at hand. Its quite a skill to observe. He possess a fantastic ability to help draw out what is needed and isn’t frightened to speak honestly no matter what the agenda. In my career in meeting coaches he is quite unique and serious professional practitioner with tools and skills to match. If you are looking for a coach to keep you in your comfort zone and prepare a light touch environment to scrape the surface of the topics and issues you face, then look elsewhere… However if you are serious about change and are wanting to properly stretch yourself then Mark is a clear choice for an outstanding coach, worthy of the investment and with track record to back it up. Recommended.”
Andy Morris, Employability Mentoring Manager, De Montfort University
“I met Mark during a difficult time when everything in my life was unknown and volatile. Through several sessions I was able to utilise the guidance provided to eventually find my way through the unknown and come out a much happier and successful person. A great professional with a charming personality, he made our sessions something I looked forward to. His therapy and coaching experience enabled me to implement changes throughout my life both on a professional and personal level.
Mark played a key part in rebuilding my confidence and no doubt I wouldn’t have gotten where I am now without him. Mark is incredible at what he does!” Hayley O’Neill, H.R. Consultant
‘This has been my first real experience of coaching in a work-based context and I embarked on it with an open mind, but unsure of the value it would bring to me. Looking back I can see that each session was valuable and provided practical insights. I think the value only increased with each session as the coaching relationship developed and I gained confidence in the areas of my professional life that could benefit from Mark’s input. Without the coaching my levels of stress would have been considerably higher, more significantly impacting my ability to be effective in the work place. Coaching allowed me to remain strong even in the face of adversity.’
Philip, Management Consultant, Pharmaceutical Industry
‘There was real value for me in talking things through, but more than that coaching was like ‘magic’ as if the simple act of talking should not be capable of giving rise to the changes I have undergone. The differences between my presentation in earlier coaching sessions and my last one are significant. These changes manifested themselves in between sessions at work and home. Coaching has made a real difference to my self-confidence and I no longer felt the need to ‘justify’ myself and my actions. Mark’s ability to challenge me and his timely provision of psychological information and coaching models were very much appreciated. Perhaps most important of all was Mark’s belief in and commitment levels to me. I lacked gravitas and authority as a leader before coaching, but according to my CEO I now possess these qualities. I will be referring two members of my management team for coaching with Mark as I want them to gain from it too.’
Jackie, Director, Social Housing Provider
‘I began coaching in a period of organisational change and my situation was uncertain. As far as I knew there was a reasonable chance I would be found a role elsewhere or made redundant. Despite the odd anxious moment I have been able to handle this time positively and coaching was responsible for this. I have learned through coaching that I can adapt to new circumstances, be they within my current organisation or another one. Coaching has been a highly significant experience for me and it has led to substantial changes in both my personal and professional lives.’
Rebecca, Manager, Social Housing Provider
‘I was really glad that Mark asked me what I wanted to discuss in our coaching sessions and that I was able to lead the discussion to the topic straight away. I appreciated his alternative perspectives and his challenging style. Mark kept me focused and made me feel at ease because he was able to understand me and my dilemmas. He offered so many insights, nuggets and pieces of wisdom. Coaching has had a direct impact on my performance and development and I have felt so much better and feel my self confidence in my every day job has improved already which is amazing.’
Geoff, Academic Course Leader, Higher Education Institution