21 years of professional development. A lifetime of lessons.
My story does not start with a clear plan. After sixth form I applied for a Rolls-Royce apprenticeship and did not get it. So I took a job at Tesco, telling myself it was temporary. Two years later I was still there, feeling stuck in something I had never intended to stay in, unsure how to find a way out.
Then an opportunity came up at Advanex Europe, a precision piece part manufacturer. I was not convinced it was right for me. But I could see it offered something I did not have: real experience and a qualification. I took the leap without being certain, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
Six years later I joined Rolls-Royce, the business that had turned me away at the start, and spent 13 years building a career I am genuinely proud of. That journey was not without its difficulties. At one point I needed to step away from work entirely, to rest, repair, and rebuild. Returning was not easy. Rebuilding confidence after time away rarely is. But I did it, and I came back stronger, clearer, and with a far deeper understanding of what genuine resilience actually looks like.
That full arc, from feeling trapped to finding possibility, from adversity to recovery, from uncertainty to conviction, is not background detail. It is the foundation of everything I bring to coaching.
Paying it forward
I know what it feels like to be stuck somewhere you did not plan to be, unsure whether the opportunity in front of you is worth taking, and not quite able to see the version of yourself that gets out the other side. I have been that person.
I also know what it feels like to need to step away entirely. To reach a point where work, pressure, and circumstance take more than you have left to give, and to have to stop in order to repair. I have been that person too. Returning after time away is one of the harder things I have done. Rebuilding confidence from a place where it felt genuinely lost takes a particular kind of patience, structure, and self belief. It does not happen overnight, and it does not happen alone.
Getting back to a position where I could stand on my own feet again, and then go further than I had before, is something I am deeply proud of. And it is something I now understand in a way that no qualification could teach.
People helped me along the way, at every stage of that journey, and being able to pay that forward is what drives everything I do. What really matters is that people leave sessions having been asked questions they had never thought to ask themselves, and with a real plan for moving forward. Not a vague sense of direction. A grounded, structured path toward something that felt impossible before they walked in.
I want every client to feel safe enough to trust me with their story, and strong enough to carry it forward as fuel rather than weight.
21 years of real engineering, leadership and career growth experience
From a general retail job to piece part manufacture at a precision engineering firm to complex digital systems at group level within a global power generation business. The breadth is deliberate, and it is what makes my coaching genuinely different.
Tesco · The starting point
After sixth form and an unsuccessful application for a Rolls-Royce apprenticeship, a few months at Tesco became two years. It was not the plan. But learning what it feels like to be stuck, and recognising an opportunity worth taking even when you are not certain, turned out to be the most important lesson of all.
Advanex Europe
Design Technician in a precision piece part manufacturer serving automotive, medical, and pharmaceutical sectors. Built technical foundations from scratch through day release study, managing customer portfolios from initial enquiry through to production, costing, quality, and clean room compliance.
Rolls-Royce · Transfer Manufacturing Engineer
Led aspects of cross site transfer programmes for major gas turbine products. First Article Inspection authority. Began the transition from a medium sized manufacturer into one of the UK's most demanding engineering environments.
Rolls-Royce · Lineside and Support Engineering
Progressed through Shift Support Engineer and Lineside Support Engineer roles. Managed real time production issues, quality approvals, nonconformance documentation, and cross functional problem solving in a high tempo assembly environment.
Rolls-Royce · Engineering Team Leader
Led a team of shift engineers in a new product introduction context. Accountable for performance reviews, development plans, mentoring, and formally sponsoring team members through promotion. Coached individuals through some of the most important transitions of their careers.
Rolls-Royce · Manufacturing Engineer Purchase and Produceability Lead
Managed manufacturing engineering relationships with international suppliers across Italy and Germany. Supplier audits, quality compliance, cost improvement, and cross functional issue resolution. Contributed to the Ventilator Challenge UK during the COVID pandemic.
Rolls-Royce · Digital Manufacturing Systems Specialist
A leadership position operating at group level across Rolls-Royce Plc. Bridging business understanding and technical delivery. Process mapping, stakeholder management, requirements definition, and deployment of digital capability across a global manufacturing footprint.
Technical and commercial breadth
From design and costing at a piece part manufacturer to digital systems strategy at group level in a global business. I understand career progression from the inside, across very different environments.
Real people leadership
I have led teams, mentored individuals, managed performance with care, and formally sponsored people through promotion. I know what good leadership feels like and what it takes to bring it out in others.
Lived resilience
I have needed to step away from work, repair, and rebuild my confidence from the ground up before returning. I understand that journey from the inside, which means I can support it with honesty, structure, and real empathy.
Career transition experience
I've navigated the move from a household retailer to a medium sized manufacturer and into one of the UK's most recognised global businesses and building a meaningful career from there. That transition is something I understand at a deep, personal level.
Values driven approach
I do not use manipulative tactics, promise outcomes I cannot guarantee, or tell you what to do. I help you find what you already know, backed by 21 years of understanding what professional growth actually looks like.
My coaching philosophy
Clarity is a state of confidence achieved through believing in yourself and understanding that the path in front of you is simply one of choices. The moments that feel like breakthroughs are where all of that comes together, giving you the freedom to choose one of those paths with real conviction.
Nineteen years in engineering taught me that the people who move forward with real momentum are not the ones with the most talent or the best luck. They are the ones who understand their own value clearly enough to act on it. That is what I help you find.
Ready to begin?
The first step is a free 15 minute discovery call. No pressure, no commitment.