Coaching has changed my perspective and made me realise that I have all the answers on how to get to where I wanted to be, I just need a steer and a push in the right direction to get them moving! I’m also less self-critical. It’s always easy to look at the short term and think you’ve not made a change or succeeded in something, but when you think longer and look at what you’ve achieved and done to get to that point you realise just how much you have accomplished. Those steps should not be forgotten. My biggest breakthrough was realising and pushing myself to understand that not all changes occur overnight. Sometimes you push yourself so much to see instance changes and then get disappointed when you don’t see all the progress you want straight away. My greatest learning has been to change my mind set to understand that small steps in the right direction all add up and they are still progress and something to be proud of. Melanie has been a great support and at times I’ve felt so stressed at the start of a session I’ve just wanted to cry. By talking to her and putting a plan together I would leave the session feeling motivated, less stressed and ultimately strong to know I could achieve what I wanted.

Our coaching sessions helped me expand my professional network very quickly by building confidence, momentum, accountability and structure to kickstart my international job search.

Melanie’s coaching helped me to recognise what my main focus was at the time of our first session, quickly ascertaining my key objectives and to set myself a plan with deadlines to achieve them. She helped me to identify the resources I had available and in doing so I was able to set myself an achievable project plan with key milestones. The segmentation of my plan made it easier to work one step at a time and I was successful in achieving my goal

During our coaching sessions, we have approached a wide range of topics, each instrumental in achieving the level of life satisfaction & contentedness that I am now experiencing. Each time I tackle a topic during coaching, my confidence in my ability to achieve other goals grows. It has heightened my awareness of my inner resources, skills and experience, and increasingly I can identify ways in which I can use these resources to address development needs in other areas of my life. Throughout our coaching relationship, you have always stayed true to my agenda – giving me space to work through my own thoughts and feelings on a particular topic, and asking purposeful questions to help me gain deeper insight. Even when I have been touching on difficult, emotional, or seemingly irrational thoughts, you have remained completely non-judgemental and given me the freedom to access my inner wisdom to come up with solutions to my own challenges. It feels almost trite to state that this is life changing stuff, but it really is!

After an unsuccessful internal job application and struggling with professional studies, Melanie and I started our coaching relationship. I needed help to get back on track with my study and I really wanted to finish what I had started. I have found those coaching sessions very beneficial for me, as it has helped me to have a more positive approach to my current studies and I ultimately completed my AAT level 3, which was a huge challenge for me. To see and to realise that every task/issue can be broken down into manageable components made me realise it’s not so hard and scary to reach the end of the task. It is just simple planning and sticking to it. I have very much enjoyed these coaching sessions with Melanie and I will continue using these skills I have learned in my daily tasks and in the future.

“Melanie supported me through a number of challenges from helping to find work-life balance, through job change, participation in ad hoc projects and caring for my own well-being. Most topics we discussed ended in a successful resolution for me – I got accepted for a new role, ad-hoc project, developed a learning plan and created a routine to find time for myself & sports. Having someone supporting along the way added additional motivation and importance to my projects. I became much more confident in a professional and personal life as well as more at peace with myself. I feel happier and spread better energy around me. People see that I cope well with the many professional and personal projects ongoing in my life. My relationships at work and outside improved as I don’t feel overwhelmed and am more at peace despite the busy agenda. Coaching with Melanie exceeded my expectations, because it brought me tangible results and changed my way of perceiving challenges. In addition, having someone to “report to” on my personal & professional development goals made me more motivated to work towards them.”

“One of the biggest revelations for me through our couching sessions was how frustrated I was with my work situation. Coming to realise that frustration, exploring different potential ways to change that situation and then pursuing a well thought-through plan has given me a sense of empowerment and excitement about what’s coming next. I would wholeheartedly recommend coaching sessions with Melanie!”

“The coaching sessions helped me in the following ways: – take a step back and revisit the driver behind what I am trying to achieve and align them with my long-term objectives. – validate my assumptions around things that are in my control and that are not. – raise my awareness about the importance (mainly to me, not to other people such as family members and colleagues) of the activities I am doing – review my operational values and motivations. Finally the sessions helped me to slow down and let some of the less important things in my life go. Thanks, Melanie!”

“I have enjoyed my sessions with Melanie. I think the greatest benefit for me is that I have been able to focus my mind on subjects that have needed addressing. And in so doing, I have taken steps to resolve quite a number of issues. “

“Great coach! If you are looking to overcome a challenge, or need help to focus on what’s important, Melanie will definitely help you out. She asks the right questions and helps you define your plan in a way you can act on it and succeed!”

“The coaching sessions I’ve had with Melanie have impacted me more than I could ever have imagined. My coaching with Melanie has not only helped me strengthen my ideas and plans of growth for the business but she has also helped me set my goals and targets, making sure I commit to complete them. I feel mentally refreshed and have so much enthusiam back for my business. I now have a refreshed vision and a contrete plan to take me and my business forward. I can really see the powers of coaching and Melanie’s techniques and skills of listening are beyond impressive. She has also challenged me and kept me accountable throughout.”

“Melanie’s gentle style and structured approach has enabled me to get clarity on all areas of my life and to make sense of it all. Through the coaching I have been able to let go of areas which are not supporting me and make decisions about the direction I want to go in. I now feel I have a clear path to follow. I intend to continue with Melanie as her support and encouragement keeps me on track.”

“For me the coaching has been amazing and exactly what I needed. Melanie also taught me to reaffirm what had been good since our last session so that I could see that I was making tracks with the business and myself. It is amazing to see how far my has progressed in this short time. The coaching has also been really helpful as I suffer greatly with imposter syndrome and going through what has been good in between our sessions as well as discussing what types of work I have undertaken builds my confidence more.“

“Melanie has been such a support during the last 6 months in my business. Assisting me too see my strengths and things I needed to build on. Being accountable to her made me do the things I needed to get done. Coaching has given me more motivation and the opportunity to reflect back on the achievements when I have felt very overwhelmed. To anyone starting out in business i would highly recommend blue diamond as an addition to your business to allow things to be clearer and work on the important stuff to get the job done. Thank you.”

“Melanie coached me through a very demanding time in my career. For a while, I seemed to have a different challenge to work through each month. Melanie is very flexible and was able frame our conversation appropriately for that particular moment. Just one “million dollar question” from her made me realise that my goals weren’t as far off as I’d thought. I’m very independent-minded. More often than not, I already know the answers to my challenges. But it’s one thing to know what you need to do and another thing to make it happen. Coaching sessions create a sense of accountability. Working with Melanie jump-started me into action, so I can get to where I want to be professionally, personally and financially in just a few years from now rather than a decade or more.”

“Melanie is a great coach and I would recommend her to anyone that is looking to challenge their existing life and career for the search of something better and more fulfilling. She asks the right questions and challenges your thinking so that you can go higher. I would definitely recommend her!”

“Melanie is a gifted coach who used her skill to tease out those little changes that added up to a real lifestyle improvement. I would recommend her to anyone that is looking to challenge their existing life and/or career, or if you are just looking to validate the path you are on. She asks the right questions, challenges your thinking and helps identify and bring into a habit those little changes that collectively make a real difference. I would definitely recommend her!”

“Melanie has a very gentle and calming persona, making you feel comfortable enough to discuss any aspect of your business. Melanie is very knowledgeable and has a way of helping me to think outside of the box. I have also attended Blue Diamond’s Confidence and Work/Life Balance Workshops which I found extremely beneficial and would highly recommend. For anyone who needs some support and guidance with their business or career, I would highly recommend using the services of Melanie at Blue Diamond.”