About Fi
My story
After years of feeling like a round peg in a square hole, I finally found my niche in life - and now I spend my time helping others find theirs.
There’s nothing worse than not feeling comfortable in your own skin, not knowing where you fit in the world, feeling like you’re somewhere you don’t belong.
For me, it was years of being formed by the expectations of others that led to engaging in a ‘conventional’, ‘safe’ career in teaching, despite my true passion for creativity and freedom, and made me feel more and more alienated from myself.
At home alone following the birth of my son I fell into the trap of shopping to feel better and find an identity, and started running up credit card bills.
I hit rock bottom.
I could no longer ignore the growing chasm between who I was being in the world, and who I really was deep down inside.
As scary as it was, I realised it was time for a change.
I began by getting in touch with myself, who I really am and what I really want, with filling that sense of emptiness with a connection to myself.
For many people discovering and living a life that is true to your ‘essential’ self is a terrifying prospect. Ironically, as I found, when you do it, everything becomes much easier, and it has a ripple effect on everything else – including the choices you make, the way you present yourself and the way people respond to you, all of which can have a profound impact on every aspect of your life, from your personal relationships to your professional success.
At the critical moments of choice that define our lives, we rely on our own inner compass - our knowledge of our essential selves - to guide us to create the life we want. Too often our inner voice is drowned out by our “social self” that tells us who we “should” be, what we “should” do, and before we know it we’ve taken a path that leads us further away from our true desires.
“Bloom where you are planted” - Proverbs
Wherever you are on your journey, it’s never too late to recognise who you are and where you are, and start to work with the life you’ve already got, and build on it to create the life you really want.
My lesson has been that there’s nothing more important than living an authentic life, a life where what I do is in line with who I am, where the choices I make are based on my values, where I am free from the “rules” that previously limited my decisions.
So for the past ten years I have been bringing my professional training, my passion for creativity, and my belief in living an authentic life together to work with other people who long to find their unique place in the world – and flourish!
My philosophy
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." - James Oppenheim
Change happens from the inside out – and vice versa!
Changing your image – can change the way you feel, and changing the way you feel, changes the way you think, act and behave, and influences the decisions you make that shape your life and the way people respond to you.
I believe in working with people in a holistic way, to build a strong sense of who you are, to communicate effectively, and create an authentic personal image so that you can have the freedom to enjoy your life, whatever your status or situation.
My work with women is dedicated to inspiring you to be all that you were created and intended to be.
“Fi is all about creating the right solution for the problem, and never about making the problem
fit an existing solution. She likes to take action, create movement, be in motion, and to help
others to do the same. She is about moving forward, about getting unstuck and going with the flow
of life.
Fi works with people to help them understand who they are, and what’s important to them. She
helps people to celebrate their uniqueness, to build confidence through self acceptance and action.”
- Natanya Smith (IDPC)
Skills and experience
I began my career as a teacher of drama and English. Later I developed an interest in psychology and training that took me on to a Master’s degree course in Educational Management and Counselling Psychology.
I became responsible for the development of pastoral care in school and for delivering in service training. I went on to a government post where I was responsible for developing a new role - initiating and managing projects in health associated with young people and professionals throughout England. Here I managed a budget, oversaw the development of training manuals and developed and managed relationships with associates both internally and outside of the organisation from commercial and charitable sectors.
I subsequently retrained as an Image Consultant and four years ago successfully completed an accredited course with The UK College of Life Coaching to become a Professional Life Coach (IDPC – International Diploma in Professional Coaching). I am licensed to deliver the Firework Career Coaching Programme, have completed further training in Group Mastery and Non-verbal Behaviour and am currently completing further training in Personality Typing.
Training materials I have written include topics such as:
- Success
- Work-life balance
- Motivation
- Confidence Building
- Communication Styles
I occasionally work with other professionals (such as HR training managers and business psychologists) to develop courses for specific needs.
If you’re interested in working in collaboration on training or course materials, get in touch!
Qualifications
Masters Degree in Education
Professional Membership
| Associate member of The Federation of Image Consultants |  |
| Accredited Coach the Open College Network |  |
| Whealth Associate |  |
| Licensed Firework Career Coach |  |
