ABOUT MANDY

I certainly didn't arrive at midlife with everything figured out.

I've had businesses and careers, raised a family, lived in four different countries, changed direction more than once, had adventures, made mistakes and had plans that worked beautifully — and others that life completely rewrote for me.

I've also experienced one of those changes you don't choose. My husband Pete died from colon cancer in December 2022, and I had to begin making sense of a future that looked very different from the one I'd expected.

So when I talk about midlife as a time of change and reassessment, I'm not suggesting that every woman reaches a certain birthday and suddenly needs to reinvent herself.

I know from experience that sometimes we choose change. Sometimes change chooses us.

And sometimes nothing dramatic happens at all — we simply reach a point where we start looking at our lives a little differently and asking, what do I want now?

LIFE OUTSIDE WORK

I've lived in six different countries, travelled to plenty more and had some amazing adventures along the way. I'm mum to a teen, stepmum to three grown-up children and step-gran to three grandchildren.

Home is in Wiltshire, where life also includes two (and sometimes three) dogs, plenty of walking and the occasional attempt to escape in a tent. I love travel, new experiences and doing things that push me slightly outside my comfort zone — although I've discovered there's a significant difference between outside your comfort zone and this was a terrible idea! Personally I find the terrible ideas may bring significant challenge in the moment - but also bring the most growth!

Like most women by midlife, I've collected a fair few different versions of myself along the way. I don't think we need to discard any of them. They're all part of what we bring with us into whatever comes next.

BEFORE I BECAME A COACH

I've had what you might politely call a varied working life.

I was an entrepreneur before anyone knew what that was, running my own businesses (some better than others) before moving into senior management and leadership roles.

I've opened businesses, turned around struggling ones, led large teams, managed major change and spent a fair amount of time dealing with situations and people where the next move wasn't immediately obvious.

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And, despite what LinkedIn might have us believe, careers aren't always a beautifully planned progression from A to B. Mine certainly hasn't been.

What has been remarkably consistent is my understanding of people. I've always been able to get a sense of what makes someone tick; to understand their challenges, but also recognise their abilities. I've found that a little support and belief can help people thrive in circumstances that previously engulfed them.

When my life took some of its own unexpected turns, life coaching seemed a natural progression. It's another version of something I've been doing in different ways for years.

I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

And I'd be deeply suspicious of anyone who claimed they did.

I see coaching as a conversation, not an instruction manual. My job isn't to tell you what your life should look like. It's to ask good questions, notice things you might have missed, challenge you when that's useful and help you create enough space from the everyday noise to hear what you actually think.

Sometimes that leads to significant change. Sometimes it leads to surprisingly small changes that make life feel considerably better.

And sometimes the most useful discovery is that quite a lot of what you've already got is worth keeping.

WHY MIDLIFE?

I trained as a Certified Life Coach because I wanted to use all my life experience and knowledge to help people make sense of their own lives.

Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to midlife — partly because I'm living it, but also because I think it's a fascinating and often misunderstood stage of life.

There's so much emphasis on what we're supposedly losing as we get older. I'm much more interested in focusing on what we gain.

By midlife, we've accumulated experience, relationships, responsibilities, successes, disappointments and probably a few decisions we wouldn't make again.

That gives us an enormous amount of information about ourselves — if we give ourselves the opportunity to stop and look at it.

At the same time, our lives can be unexpectedly complex; brimming over with both stagnancy and change, forcing us to make unwanted decisions and adapt to new circumstances.

It's easy to lose sight of yourself amongst all the demands of life — in midlife.

That's really what my work is about. Not starting again, but using what you already know to help you decide what comes next.

I'M NOT A SUPERHERO

BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP ME TRYING!

I genuinely get a huge amount of satisfaction and pleasure from helping people make sense of their lives.

There's something incredibly rewarding about a conversation where someone starts off feeling overwhelmed, confused or unable to see a way forward and, somewhere along the way, things begin to look a little clearer. Watching a client experience an ‘Ahaaaa’ moment as the fog clears around a feeling or perception that may have bothered them for years is almost better than chocolate!

I don't need to swoop in with the answers — and I couldn't even if I wanted to. Your life, experiences, priorities and decisions are yours.

But I can listen, ask questions, help you untangle some of the thoughts going round in your head and sometimes help you see strengths, possibilities or choices that are difficult to spot when you're standing right in the middle of it all.

No cape needed. Although apparently I already have one if required.

What People Are Saying About Our Courses:

"I loved the small day to day tips that have made a difference to me. They have been something that I have been able to put into practice when I have stepped out of my comfort zone."

Michelle

"It's really user friendly, easy to access when you have time to yourself and can concentrate. Lots of insights, information and advice, together with exercises and challenges so that you can work towards your goal."

Sasha

"Mandy is a friendly face and you'll immediately feel that she can help. Thank you so much, I definitely didn’t realise how much I needed the course."

Nicky