Meet Cate
If we were meeting in person, I'd probably make us a cup of tea and offer you a chocolate biscuit first.
It might sound like a small thing, but I think it says a lot about how I approach coaching. Creating a space where someone feels welcome, comfortable and able to be themselves matters to me.
Although our coaching sessions happen online, I've learned that physical distance doesn't prevent genuine connection. We may be sitting on opposite sides of a screen, but for our time together we are truly present – having a conversation that gives you the space to think, reflect and explore what matters to you.
If we'd met twenty years ago and you'd told me that one day I'd leave my career in marketing, move from England to Italy, become a coach and join a choir, I'd probably have smiled politely and assumed you had the wrong person. Joining a choir was one thing – singing a solo was quite another! It's still one of the things I'm most proud of because it reminded me that courage isn't about feeling fearless; it's about doing something that matters despite the butterflies.
For a long time, my own life looked exactly as I thought it should. I had a career I enjoyed in many ways, everything seemed to be going well and yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. I didn't know exactly what needed to change; I just had a quiet sense that there might be more.
Looking back, I don't think coaching changed my life overnight. Instead, it gave me something much quieter. It gave me the space to slow down, question beliefs I'd carried for years, understand myself more deeply and begin making choices that felt more like me.
Some of those choices felt huge. Leaving my job and moving to another country certainly did. But they didn't happen overnight. They were the result of lots of smaller steps, each one making the next feel a little more possible. It's only when I look back now that I realise how far those small steps have taken me.
Those small steps eventually led me to a life I could never have imagined when all this began: a new home in Italy, work that genuinely lights me up and, these days, life on the Tuscan coast – a sentence that still makes me smile every time I say it.
Perhaps the biggest change of all, though, has been my relationship with change itself.
I used to avoid it wherever I could. Even when something wasn't making me happy, I'd often stay where I was because it felt familiar and safe. Over time, I realised that meaningful change doesn't have to be dramatic. It can happen one thoughtful step at a time. Not because change is always the answer, but because staying still isn't always the answer either.
Coaching hasn't simply helped me make different decisions; it's changed the way I approach life. I spend more time listening to myself, paying attention to what really matters and making choices that feel aligned with who I am and how I want to live.
That's why I coach.
Not because I believe I have the answers, but because I know how powerful it can be when someone has the time, space and support to discover their own. It's a privilege to walk alongside people as they begin to hear themselves more clearly and make choices that feel right for them.
A little of my background
Before becoming a coach, I spent over 15 years working in marketing, product management and purchasing. For more than a decade, I've also run a business English coaching business, supporting international professionals from around the world. Those experiences have given me a deep understanding of the pressures people can face at work, the loneliness that can sometimes come with responsibility and the importance of building genuine relationships across cultures.
I'm currently completing the ILM Level 7 Diploma in Executive and Senior Level Coaching and am an EMCC member, working towards Senior Practitioner accreditation. Ongoing learning is important to me, and I'm committed to continually developing my coaching practice so that I can offer my clients the very best support.
A few things about me...
-
I believe some of life's biggest breakthroughs begin with a good conversation.
-
I think humour has a place even in difficult moments.
-
I love seeing the moment when someone hears themselves differently.
-
I don't believe people need fixing.
-
I make a very good cup of tea... even if we'll probably be drinking it on opposite sides of a screen (chocolate biscuit optional, but highly recommended!).
Whether you're feeling stuck, curious, excited, overwhelmed or simply wondering whether there might be more, I'd love to hear your story.