MENTAL FITNESS COACH
ABOUT ME
My decision to become a life coach has much to do with the skills I learnt after managing to turn my life around after facing a mid-life crisis 12 years ago.
Raised in London, I worked for 25 years as a successful, award-winning documentary filmmaker. I've travelled around the world making films for broadcasters including BBC TV, HBO and Netflix. I married in my mid 30s and had two children, continuing my career. To many, I had the dream life.
In 2012 my world came crashing down as my 'perfect' marriage fell apart and ended in divorce. Sleepless nights caused me to go to the doctor for sleeping tablets. Instead he gave me an antidepressant. I had no idea I was one of the small percentage of people who have a life-threatening reaction to these pills. I became psychotic and ended up in hospital where they gave me more pills. Over the course of a year I became catatonic, put on four stone, and lost everything – my job, my kids, my home. It was luck that I got better when I went to another hospital who decided to cold turkey me off the seven drugs I’d been put on. Within weeks I was better.
I set about publicising the fact that whilst antidepressants can be helpful for some, for others, like me, they can be catastrophic.
I wrote a best selling book - 'The Pill That Steals Lives: One Woman's Terrifying Journey to Discover the Truth About Antidepressants', which was serialised in The Times and the Daily Mail and I spoke about my experience on TV and radio shows around the world. I became an advocate for prescription drug safety and collaborated with medical experts to set up an international campaigning website, antidepressantrisks.org.
I rebuilt my life from scratch. I trained and ran a half-marathon losing the four stone I’d gained in hospital because of the drugs. Post divorce, my ex husband and I formed a genuinely loving and supportive relationship as we co-parented our kids. Being a single mum turned out to be more rewarding than I ever thought possible - I'm proud that my kids have turned out to be kind, well-balanced and successful young adults.
My training as a coach and journey to discover alternatives to medication have given me powerful tools to transform the lives of others as well as having a huge impact on my own life.
Finally my journey took me to train in a programme that has taken my coaching to a new level. The ‘Positive Intelligence’ course was created over 20 years ago by Stanford University Lecturer and New York Times best-selling author Shirzad Chamine, and since then it has been taught in over 50 countries worldwide.
As a Positive Intelligence Fitness Coach I can lead clients through the groundbreaking, 6 week Positive Intelligence foundation program.
Positive Intelligence is the measure of how much of your time your mind is serving you in a positive way rather than a negative way.
I use Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness tools to help clients move from a negative to a positive mindset and remain calm, laser-focused and stress-free, even in the midst of handling life’s greatest challenges. I can help you identify the fear-based inner ‘saboteurs’ that are stopping you from living a fulfilled life. I’ll support you in learning how to activate the wise part of your brain so you will stop ruminating over things you can’t control and instead move forwards into creative action .
I now realise that much of what we feel is caused by what we think, and that changing our mindset can change our life.
My life now is not perfect, but it's richer than I could have imagined. Looking back, my marriage breakdown and subsequent hospitalisation turned out to be a gift.
I’m passionate about bringing everything I’ve learned to help you on your journey.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
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ICF Accredited Coach
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Level 3 qualified personal trainer
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Freelance journalist for national newspapers and magazines
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B.A. Hons, Theatre Studies and Dramatic Arts
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Emmy nominated and award-winning documentary filmmaker
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Drug safety advocate and founder of antidepressantrisks.org