My Story

When I work with my clients, I approach it from a ‘whole person’ perspective and one of my first questions is ‘tell me your story…’ So, here’s some of my story… 

Born in North Wales, UK, with a mix of Welsh, English and Irish ancestry, I grew up in a family where Mum made multi-tasking look easy. She was strong, compassionate and demonstrated beautifully how to balance all the important things in life. My parents always encouraged me to reach for the stars and believe that I could be whatever I dreamed of. Writer, lawyer, travel, whatever it was…!

I had a passion for travel from an early age, which inspired an interest in learning languages. Post Uni, I decided a career in Advertising or Marketing was more ‘me’ than teaching languages so I moved to London to pursue my dreams and entered the corporate world. I worked hard, got promoted and spent a few years, travelling the world, with high stress levels, weaving through the politics of corporate life.

Life taught me the power of pausing to regain balance in my life. It took a life-threatening illness (leukaemia), 25 years ago and subsequent health complications to make me stop and think about what really matters. Some lessons which I have never forgotten… 6 months in hospital, in isolation, has a way of making you think about what’s important to you… particularly when I had just got married and we had dreams to move to the country and start a family. It changed our lives for ever. We learnt some valuable lessons – who your true friends are, how little acts of kindness can transform someone’s day, to be truly grateful for what we had and that life is short so don’t waste a moment of it…

Reeling from my treatment and subsequent health challenges, I went back into the corporate world but my experiences had changed me – I just didn’t care enough about making money for invisible shareholders and for the brands that I had once loved with such passion – I was no longer willing to get so stressed that it impacted my health. I knew I wanted more – to make a difference in the world. Having watched the doctors and nurses, in hospital, make such a difference in people’s lives every day, I struggled to reconcile a corporate career with what they did.

I was so inspired by my experience that I changed career and have now been a coach for over 15 years. I found it the single most valuable piece of development that I experienced in my career. It fuelled my passion to work with others and help them grow and fulfil their dreams. 

The years rolled on and our next big adventure began, in 2005, when we packed up our bags, headed for Australia and landed in the beautiful Northern Beaches, Sydney, which we still call home. We knew what really mattered but with no jobs to go to, our family and friends thought we were mad! We knew that you get one chance at life so make it a great adventure! The past few years seem to have flown by – we have settled into life here and it feels like home. We have watched our son embrace an Aussie upbringing, now in University and my husband and I have both settled into the rhythm of business life and creating a circle of friends. In 2018, we finally became Aussie citizens!

In my down time, you’ll find me walking our ‘loopy’ Labrador, Roxy, by the ocean, standing at the side of a rugby pitch cheering on our son (that Welsh passion for rugby never far from the surface!) or enjoying a glass of wine with family and friends! Boundaries around my life/work balance are still important to me. As much as I love my work, family comes first for me… ALWAYS.

So many of my clients seem to be caught in the dance between external success and creating a sustainable home life: it’s tough to navigate at times but there’s always a choice to be made and a trade-off to be had. I just love that question ‘If you say Yes to this, what are you saying No to…?’ and often use it with my clients…

So why did I call my business, Sunflowers and Soul? It was time to step back into a space that represents heart, positivity, sunshine and creativity. For me, sunflowers represent happiness and positivity and evoke memories of sun-baked fields in France and Italy, a blazing sea of yellow, set against a brilliant blue sky.

Working in a positive heart space, helping people feel inspired, re- discover what’s important in life or navigate change is what Sunflowers and Soul is all about.

I am passionate about helping people live & lead authentically, supporting them to lean into life’s challenges, to dream big and reach for the stars.

Whatever the need, I approach my client work with positivity, creativity and curiosity, underpinned by a strong belief in your potential to achieve sustained change.

My personal purpose is to make a difference in the world by helping people reach for the stars and believe they can truly fly and I feel very privileged to do so each day…