My story
Career change is not new to me. Over three decades, I have transitioned between salon owner, teacher, recruiter, enterprise coordinator and coaching psychology practitioner. For somebody who previously had a spiky relationship with change, I seem to embrace it when change inevitably presents itself.
I spent years doing work that was competent and meaningful in parts — but never quite aligned. I knew something was missing, though I couldn't always name it. That gap eventually became the question I couldn't stop asking: what does it actually mean to build a life around your values?
In all of my careers there has been a golden thread that has somehow unconsciously weaved itself throughout my professional life. This golden thread unites all my careers with a bigger overarching theme — of service, giving back, and guidance.
But my story is not only one of professional reinvention.
Life has also brought me losses that no amount of professional training could have prepared me for. I have navigated divorce, single parenthood, the quiet grief of an empty nest, and the profound loss of my second husband to cancer. These experiences did not break me — though at times they came close. They taught me, from the inside, what it means to sit with grief, to rebuild an identity from the ground up, and to find, eventually, that what felt like an ending was also a beginning. I do not bring these experiences into the room to make our work about me. I bring them because I want you to know — truly know — that when you arrive carrying something heavy, you will be met by someone who understands the weight. You will be safe here.
At 44, I went to university for the first time and studied psychology. Not as a detour, but as a direction. My dissertation research focused on women in mid-career transition — how they navigate identity, meaning, and change. It was, simultaneously, the most rigorous academic work I'd done and the most personal. I was studying, working full-time, and going through my own transition at the same time.
I graduated with First-Class Honours, quit my job, and flew to Southeast Asia. I have been travelling slowly ever since — immersing, reflecting, and building something that feels genuinely mine.
Fénix is that something. Named for the Phoenix — the bird that does not merely survive fire, but is transformed by it. The Spanish spelling honours my heritage. The Phoenix on my back honours the journey.
Why I coach
I know firsthand how transformative the right kind of conversation can be. Not advice. Not direction. But a space where you can hear yourself think — where questions open things up rather than close them down.
My research gave me academic grounding in what individuals navigate during transition. My life gave me something harder to quantify: earned authority. I am not coaching from theory alone. I am coaching from the inside of a life that has asked the same questions my clients bring.
As a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society and a practitioner committed to the ethical frameworks of both the BPS and the International Coaching Federation (ICF), I hold myself to clear professional and ethical standards — standards that protect you, and that I believe are non-negotiable in any practice that works with human vulnerability and growth.
"I create calm, reflective, and growth-oriented spaces where people reconnect with their inner wisdom, live in alignment with their values, and move toward meaningful, sustainable change — through compassionate awareness, embodied practice, and deeply empathic dialogue."
Ethics & Practice
Coaching works with the most intimate territory of a person's life — their identity, their doubts, their becoming. That demands more than good intentions. It demands a clear ethical framework and a genuine commitment to your wellbeing above all else.
My practice is guided by two internationally recognised ethical frameworks:
BPS
British Psychological Society
As a Graduate Member of the BPS, I uphold its Code of Ethics and Conduct — grounded in the principles of respect, competence, responsibility, and integrity. This means I work within the boundaries of my training, pursue ongoing professional development, and place your dignity and autonomy at the centre of our work.
ICF
International Coaching Federation
The ICF is the world's leading professional coaching body. Its ethical guidelines govern how I contract with clients, maintain confidentiality, manage conflicts of interest, and ensure that the coaching relationship remains boundaried, safe, and genuinely in your service.
What this means for you in practice: Everything you share within our coaching relationship is held in strict confidence. I will always be transparent about the limits of coaching and will refer you to other professionals where appropriate. I will never work beyond my competence, and I will always prioritise your wellbeing — even when that means a difficult conversation.
What I believe
My five values — love, connection, health, growth, and curiosity — are not aspirational. They are operational. They guide how I work, how I listen, and how I show up in every conversation.
Love
The foundation of how I meet every person I work with.
Connection
Real coaching happens in genuine relational contact.
Growth
Not performance — slow, honest, meaningful evolution.
Curiosity
Questions are more powerful than answers.
I believe in depth over superficiality. I believe in honouring complexity rather than flattening it. And I believe that most people already know, somewhere inside them, what they need — they just need the right conditions to hear it.
That is what I offer.
