Noo Coaching

A gentle breeze, the sound of the sea lapping onto the shore.

Calm, peace and sunshine. I can't think of a better place to be writing my book.

I've just finished Part 2 - this is where my readers start to realise what's lead to the erosion of their self-trust.

This month I have a little break in my consultancy work, my coaching clients are having their holidays and I'm taking the opportunity to focus on writing 'Exhausted, Not Broken'.

A few years ago I'd have been worrying about work. Now I trust myself and my work enough to go with the flow.

You can pre-register for my book - link in bio

More often than not, the leaders who come to me for coaching cry during their first session.

They apologise.
They feel embarrassed.
But they also feel an enormous sense of relief.

Relief that, often for the first time, they can say out loud how they are really feeling.

They don't need to protect their team, reassure their manager or maintain the appearance that they have everything under control. They have a confidential space to stop, reflect and be honest with someone who understands the reality of leadership.

The need for that space is clear.

The risk of burnout remains stubbornly high, with 91% of adults experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure and stress during the past year - the same level reported in each of the previous two years.

Yet people are not becoming more comfortable talking about it at work.

More than one in three workers said they would not feel comfortable discussing high or extreme stress with their manager. In fact, that discomfort has slightly worsened.
(The Burnout Report 2026)

This means some of the leaders who appear to be coping may be struggling far more than anyone around them realises.

Coaching gives them somewhere to talk, reflect, recover and rebuild before sustained pressure becomes burnout, absence, poor performance, disengagement or the decision to leave.

I know what happens when that support comes too late because I have lived it. Now, I help leaders recognise what is happening and find their way back so they don't lose themselves.

If you know your leaders are carrying more than they say, don't wait for the impact to become visible.

Message me to discuss how coaching could support the leaders in your organisation to rebuild their confidence, protect their wellbeing and lead effectively again.

Have you ever sat in a leadership meeting and found yourself staying silent when you have so much to contribute?

You're not alone.

In this months Insights into Leadership edition, I talk about the challenge that many leaders are facing, yet others no nothing about, until it becomes visible and that's when it's often too late.

Link in Bio

Thousands of people from infants to the elderly gather together on the streets of Pollença, Mallorca every year on the 2nd August.

Half of them are respresting the Christians who defended the town from an invasion of the Moorish Pirates in 1550 (the other half of the town).

Divided in allegiance but joined by purpose.

In 35 degree heat at 7pm the battle commences and lasts a few hours.

Here's the thing I find quite wonderful - amongst the organised chaos lives true community and inclusion.

Families are divided and even as tourists, we are invited into the celebrations.

I'm not sure I've ever witnessed such an inclusive culture anywhere else.

Don't worry, I escaped my captors and still available for my coaching clients 😅

The mind is such a powerful tool. Nothing has taught me that more than sport.

I'm at the end of week 10 of my 10K training plan, and this morning we completed 8 miles on a run/walk schedule.

A few months ago, neither of us would have believed we could do that.

What made the difference wasn't suddenly becoming fitter overnight. It was our mindset.

We stopped thinking about the whole distance and focused on the next mile.

One mile at a time.
One small increase at a time.
One step at a time.

Big goals have a way of feeling overwhelming when you look at them as one enormous challenge. But when you break them down into smaller, manageable steps, something changes.

You build confidence and momentum and eventually you look back and realise you've achieved something that once felt impossible.

Leadership is no different.

If you're looking at a goal that feels too big right now, don't focus on the finish line.

Just ask yourself:

What's the next small step forward I can take.

❤️

I used to apologise for who I am, and to be honest, still catch myself doing this sometimes still. However, not as frequently and I now recognise what I'm doing.

The voice in my head was always telling me that I was boring, not exiting enough.

But the very thing I labelled as boring - being logical, reflective, systematic, calm, deep thinking - are the very things others value in me.

I thought to be valued, I had to lead like everyone else.

Suppressing who I was meant my work was adequate - to others I looked capable.

But inside, it left me feeling like I wasn't good enough.

When I started owning my strengths and who I am, something shifted.

I started doing my best work, I felt valued for what I did, and finally loved the work I was doing.

Are you owning your strengths or apologising for them?

How often have you found yourself replaying your day and consciously focusing on everything that you thought you could have done better?

The thing you didn't say.

The thing that could have been said differently.

The piece of feedback that you took as criticism.

No one else notices, it's just a silent monologue you can't press pause on.

You're not alone.

You tell yourself it's perfectionism. But it's years of sustained organisational pressure.

Your brain is in survival mode. It's prioritising safety. And over time, this becomes the norm.

You're exhausted, not broken.

Next time you catch yourself scanning for negatives, try to challenge those thoughts and instead look for what did go well.

And see what happens to how it makes you feel.

I was going to write today about how exhausted I feel (mentally and physically) this week.

That I had found it hard to find the mental capacity to work on Exhausted, Not Broken, and how knowing there are people on the waitlist, stops me wanting to push doing this back to a ‘better’ time.

And of course all of that is true.

But when I started to reflect on what I had done this past week, I realised that this was just a version of the truth I was telling myself, and not the whole truth.

And that’s one of the crazy things about our brains - they’re wired to protect us, so will usually jump to the negative as a default. Learning to recognise that and challenge it, is more powerful than you probably give credit for.

Our brains fascinate me, and you’ll find lots of insights on how they work against us and for us in our work and lives, and how to shift that narrative, in the book.

When I reflected on this week, I realised I had achieved a lot.

On Monday, I met with another author, someone who I have known for many years, who has written and published multiple business, leadership and fiction books.

He taught me about using the ‘story arc’ in my book, as well as practical things such as tools and resources to use when writing it, sharing his approach to it, and how to go about publishing it.

His name is Michael Heath if you’d like to look him up. I’m currently reading his ‘Miss Smy’ series of books and highly recommend them if you like a good old fashioned murder mystery.

So, here’s the real truth about my progression this week.

I’ve:

- learnt about and created my story arc for the book
- built out more of the outline
- and started the manuscript.

So yes, I am exhausted, but I’m not broken.

What one negative thought can you challenge today?

I'd love you to join the waitlist for 'Exhausted, Not Broken' here:
https://noo-coaching.kit.com/8d4df586ca

I fell into a spiral of listening to 'experts'.

Everywhere people are showing up telling me how I should be running my coaching business.

Slowly, without noticing it, I drifted away from how I want to show up and do things.

So I stopped and went back to my authentic self.

And guess what?

More people are listening, resonating and joining my little world of Noo Coaching (a part of Noo HR Ltd).

And here's the irony.

I learnt the hard way, that showing up authentically is where everything falls into place.

I now guide others to do that.

Yet, there I was, navigating a new direction and losing who I am on the way.

Knowing something and doing it are two very different things.

I was reminded recently to recognise my uniqueness.

And that's what makes the difference.

What do you know you should do, but you're finding yourself avoiding it anyway?

❤️

You can now find me on Substack

https://substack.com/Leadership Recalibration Coach?utm_source=notes-invite-friends-item&r=6kjuw8