You take your story everywhere. Here's Mine.
I'm a leadership coach for leaders who want to start leading from who they are. I work at the intersection of emotional honesty and strategic credibility because I know that effective direction, cohesive alignment and long-term commitment are only possible when leaders know how to work with trust.
I believe that fear of emotion is a real leadership problem. Every time a leader avoids a difficult conversation, shrinks from risk or stays in their head during a moment that requires their whole self, the organisation loses something measurable — in decisions, in talent and in trust. My work is to help leaders recover the intelligence they lose when they stay afraid of feeling.
Your feelings are your strategy.
I know what it means to keep showing up when everything has changed.
In 2024 my husband, Mark, was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. He was a healthy 46 years old man, a pioneer, a wonderful father and my best friend. He died nine months after diagnosis. We'd been together for 20 years, raised three children and built a life full of adventure. He taught me how to be bold, generous and spontaneous. He left me peacefully, while I held his hand.
I've chosen to share my story here because it sharpens everything I've always believed about leadership.
My Leadership Story
Who I Am
Through solo parenting my three children and developing other brilliant leaders, I'm helping more people learn to lead from the inside. I've noticed that the difficult truth is often the most under-used advantage for leaders who are managing uncertainty. My experience has taught me that when inner trust shows on the outside, it can create something indestructibly precious in our relationships.
I believe in our relationships, with ourself and with others because they are how we live. Beyond any role or job title, I think a whole-person, intelligent human form of leadership is the only kind worth building.
Time is finite - that's not an abstract claim for me. It's a hard fact that my husband only got to make half of the impact he wanted. And I see that his legacy is lasting. If you're about half way through your professional career there's still enough time for you to personally make a difference. That's why I'm here.
I don't want any brilliant talent wasted. Not yours, nor mine. The work I do matters to me now more than ever.
Senior Editor, Global Newsroom, UAE
"Rachel has a way of cutting through the bulls%$# that will echo in your mind, and hopefully in your actions, long after a session has ended. She does this by hardcore challenging your assumptions about yourself, asking terrifyingly perceptive questions and by shaking up the script. No two sessions are the same. But you will always arrive at a more honest place with yourself and always feel challenged to grow. That is the biggest gift of any relationship."
About My Work
I've spent more than a decade working with senior leaders at moments of real consequence. I've helped them at career crossroads, during organisational change and through the kind of decisions which keep people awake at night. I've worked with leaders in political movements, global organisations, lean start-ups and self-started enterprises.
Before coaching, I spent 15 years as a senior leader in the consumer goods industry. I've created business strategies, brand identities, innovative products and commercial-scale results for Fortune 500 companies. I've led large teams, delivered high-stakes projects and made the kind of decisions I now help others to navigate.
I left the corporate world to become a part of the solution needed in our world. I specialise in inclusive, transformational and compassionate models of leadership. When I'm not at work you'll find me walking in the Surrey hills, travelling on adventures with my kids or practising Ashtanga yoga.
Successful Partnerships
Present and Previous
I work as an associate coach and facilitator in established leadership consultancies. I'm currently proud to be affiliated with Sounding Board Inc (a BTS company), The Hobbs Consultancy and Token Man Consulting. In partnership with them I deliver coaching and leadership development programmes for well-known global employers. Details of these engagements are held in confidence by my partners.
Previous collaborations I've led independently include coaching, facilitation and consultative leadership development work with AllBright London, LeanIn, the Women's Equality Party UK, Electric Woman, innocent drinks and other values-driven organisations. These coaching programmes, facilitation and leadership development initiatives have always held forward-thinking, inclusive leadership at their core.
I've worked with over 300 senior leaders across a wide variety of roles and sectors. With more than 1,500 hours of coaching experience, I can tailor my approach to support each unique individual and organisation.
Accreditations From International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Certifications
Professional Certified Coach (PCC) An internationally recognised accreditation for experienced coaches from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). It signifies substantial practical experience, mastery of coaching competencies and proficient application of the code of ethics. Requires +125 hours of professional learning, +500 hours of paid coaching experience and ongoing mentorship.
Hogan Personality Assessment and Hogan 360° Assessment Globally validated self-awareness for leaders to leverage their strengths, avoid behaviours which get in the way of their success and gain insight into the culture they create for teams, based on who they are. Robust, objective data which aligns a leader's inside understanding with their outside reputation. Including actionable 360 feedback to level-set performance in-role with a reliable global benchmark.
Co-Active Training Institute - Coaching Professional (CPCC) A world-class ICF accredited certification programme, with +125 hours of experiential learning and +100 hours of practise. Based on transformative tools which help clients to see situations from multiple angles, break through binary thinking, use emotions as a gateway to change and bring together intuitive intelligence for powerfully personal choice.
Centre for Creative Leadership 360° Benchmark Assessment A powerful personalised resource to help individuals recognise their strengths, identify behaviours for improvement and set meaningful goals. Using globally validated data to compare performance in-role against competencies required for organisational leadership. This feedback provides a thorough evaluation around the whole picture of success to enable growth.
Co-Active Training Institute - Leadership Programme Graduate A cutting-edge, 10 month, ICF accredited training experience to facilitate the difference between “doing” leadership and “being” a leader. In-depth professional learning based on vertical development theory and transformational capacity for navigating volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations, including conflict and ongoing challenge.
Physical Intelligence Institute Coaching Currently in training to work with physiology and neurology in the, including body, breath and movement techniques to access enhanced performance and superior outcomes in coaching.
Organisation and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) An ICF accredited training programme on systems-inspired coaching, which revolves around the simple yet revolutionary idea that each team or system has its own intelligence and we can interact with that dynamic. Intermediate level expertise in Relationship Systems Intelligence (RSI™) work to change networked connections between people, in any context including teams and partnerships.
Psychology BSc from Sheffield University