Why Listening Matters

I've been coaching a lot more recently. That's not the big news – I’ve set up a coaching and consulting business, after all! But something has shifted. Something in me.

I’ve coached on and off for years – nine of them, in fact. And I enjoyed it. But doing it in-house, while also juggling a senior role, always came with noise. Even in a quiet room with just the two of you, there were other voices: the stakeholders, the customers, the colleagues you both knew. The invisible presence of politics, performance, and everything unsaid.

To really coach in that environment, you have to work hard. You have to tune out all the background interference to focus entirely on the person in front of you. And then return to your overflowing inbox. It’s possible – but it’s draining. And if I’m honest, I used to think: there’s no way I could do this full-time. Not if it meant turning up fresh, focused, and energised for every single client, every single day. It felt like too much.

But now I coach independently. And the noise is gone. What’s left is something much quieter – and much more powerful.

Now, I get to really listen. And when you really listen, your questions get sharper. The insights go deeper. And the shifts your clients make feel less like lightbulb moments, and more like something lasting.

There’s a photo I love that captures how coaching feels to me now.

It’s me, getting my kit ready to go to Glastonbury Festival, sitting on a blow-up sofa, outside.

Still. Unhurried. Present.
Not performing. Not fixing. Just enjoying the quiet before the craziness that is Glastonbury!

Because that’s the work. Holding a quiet, steady space for someone else to do their thinking – at their own pace, in their own way.

And maybe that’s why this new chapter feels so different. It’s not about carrying everything. It’s about creating space where something real can unfold.

(And speaking of real - there will be no further insight to that trip - what goes at Glasto, stays at Glasto!)

So, who do I find myself working with?

They’re usually senior leaders, people in flux. People who’ve earned trust, delivered results, carried a lot – for a long time. They’re the ones others turn to when things feel messy or uncertain.

But under the surface, they’re often holding a quiet truth:

😕 It’s lonely.
🧱 They’ve built something solid, but they’re not sure it fits them anymore.
👏 They’re proud of what they’ve done, but tired of holding it all together.
💷 They’re wondering if there’s another way to lead – one that doesn’t cost quite so much of themselves.

And most of all?
They want space to think.
Not space to perform, or pitch, or prove. Just space.
To think, feel, reflect.
To say things out loud they’ve never said before.
To be challenged in a way that feels safe – not soft.
To make decisions from clarity, not survival.

Why do they end up working with me?

Because I get it.

I’ve been in those senior roles. I know what it’s like to be “on” all the time. I know how complex it gets – the politics, the expectations, the unseen cost of leadership.

And now? I’m on the other side of that. Not with all the answers – but with a kind of presence that helps people slow down, breathe, and find their own.

I don’t do hype or hyperbole. I’m not trying to "transform" anyone.
I’m here to walk alongside you while you do your own thinking, and maybe see yourself a little more clearly.

We work on real stuff. We laugh more than you’d think. 🤭 And it works.

So – back to listening.

Now that I’ve cleared space in my own working life, I’ve become a better coach. A more curious one. A more useful one. I look forward to every session. Not because I know what will happen – but because I don’t. And that makes me pay attention

.

There are fewer distractions. Fewer invisible voices in the room. And because of that, we get further.

And what if we could bottle that for leaders?

It’s why I won’t stop including coaching in the leadership programmes I design. Because when leaders learn to really listen – to what’s said and what’s not – they change. And so do their teams.

We’ve all felt what it’s like to be truly heard. It’s rare. And it’s powerful.

That’s why listening matters.