One Thursday at 830am in the late noughties I was sitting in a Cafe Nero for a pre-work coffee with two of my fellow managers, ahead of a big fundraising event. I knew my talented events team was going to deliver. I knew I’d personally delivered events on a far larger scale, with bigger budgets and bigger targets before. And yet, I was so stressed that morning, that soya cappuccino in hand, I simply burst into tears.

Why? Because I didn’t feel trusted, I felt under scrutiny, I was attempting to shield my team from impending restructure so they could get on and do their jobs, and in that moment my confidence and my calm just cracked.

I knew from past roles what a truly supportive work culture could feel like and I vowed then I’d find it again. I left, but returned shortly after into a learning & development role where I was not only trusted, but empowered to learn and create, and I thrived. My experience of leading teams through challenge turned out to be an asset, I led on culture change projects, designed leadership programmes and by delivering about 801 internal workshops, learnt to facilitate.

Oh and I also trained as a coach! Honing my skills by coaching a diverse group of leaders from across the globe I built on my ability to cut through the noise to quickly work out what was really going on for them, and move them forward.

In 2016 my fellow fundraising manager, who had listened to me sob back in Café Nero, gave me my first freelance assignment – a team coaching job –  so off I went with my breast feeding pump in my bag and McCanna Coaching was born.

Since then I’ve worked for clients in global banks, government departments, tech start ups, private healthcare and all sizes of not for profits,  providing 1-1 coaching and leadership development which is, I hope, inspiring and practical, non-judgemental and joyful, where emotions are not only welcomed but they are encouraged, because on the other side of the tricky stuff is YOU – the calm, confident and creative leader.