About Will

I am deeply curious about how we live our lives, the choices we make and the meaning we give to the mysteries of life, individually and collectively.

I’m fascinated, and sometimes perplexed, by the challenge and apparent paradox of being open to what is here in this moment, while also exploring the unfolding invitation of life. What becomes possible when we open our minds and hearts, when we feel at choice?

Professional background

Coaches were always somebody else once!

I left school at 16 to compete and work in windsurfing, and my experiences as an athlete taught me about how our minds can get in the way of possibility.

Returning to formal education in my early 20s to study sociology, a subsequent academic career (PhD researcher, Contract Researcher, Lecturer) involved inquiring into the relationship between everyday life and the complex systems of which we are a part; always working closely with stakeholders. While I enjoyed success with an international track record of publications and high impact research with strong stakeholder engagement, I became more interested in working closely with people and how they negotiate life.

While I started coaching around 2009, I formally started my full-time coaching work in 2013.

Away from work

Most recently I’ve been honing my DIY skills in unexpected directions in renovating a small cottage where I now live in Cornwall, South West England with my partner. My adult children and step-children visit from time to time.

My own curiosity with the mystery of life is informed by meditation, yoga and other embodied practices, and I keep alive the question of what living with awareness in daily life means - living the question rather than trying to find the answer (following Rilke).

I love to be outdoors – especially in or on water – and mess about with pottery a little as well. And lots of other stuff too - I love learning!

My training and qualifications

My initial core coaching training with the Coaches Training Institute (certified in 2012) involved an in-depth experiential process that took me to my edge and still stays with me. I took this learning further with the Coaching Supervision Academy, where I learnt more about the puzzle of answering 'who am I?' and broadened my understanding of the models underlying coaching (including psychodynamics, transactional analysis, embodiment, energy management, the transpersonal, relational presence and more). I gained that certification in 2017 and am now a CSA faculty member. My inquiry into 'who am I' was furthered by Certification with iRest Yoga Nidra in May 2020, a trauma-informed approach to meditation that includes working one-to-one. The strength of all these trainings is their combination of self-inquiry with skill development.

I am a member of the Association for Coaches, abiding with their global code of ethics, and I undertake continuous professional development as a faculty member of the Coaching Supervision Academy. I also stay engaged through a series of peer-led learning events with other coaches, including explorations of stand-up comedy, creativity, singing, dancing, drag, being with death, and more.

Other qualifications include: Certificate in Coaching at the End of Life, (Coaching at End of Life, October 2017); Mindfulness Teacher (Teach Mindfulness, October 2014); ORSC Fundamentals (Organisational and Relationship Systems Coaching, October 2011); and a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring (Lancaster University, June 2009).

I also have a PhD in Sociology (2000), my thesis was entitled Complexity in the Wild: Complexity Science and Social Systems: an ethnography of collaboration in social welfare. (Please don't ask me to explain it!)

For more...

If you'd like to have a chat about how my background and experience might be a fit for you, please get in touch.

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