And still question yourself

Hi, I’m Stella.

I’ve spent more than 35 years working in corporate environments and I’m still part of that world today alongside running my coaching business.

So when you tell me about the meeting you’ve replayed three times, the decision you can’t quite make or the colleague who seems far more confident than you feel, I understand. 

I know what it’s like to manage competing demands, different personalities and high expectations while trying to look as though you’ve got everything under control.

I also know what it’s like to be capable and experienced, yet still question yourself.

For years, I worried about how I was coming across, overthought decisions and spent far too much energy trying to get things right. I watched people who seemed effortlessly confident and wondered why it didn’t feel that easy for me.

From the outside, I was trusted and relied upon. On the inside, I often wished I trusted myself as much as other people appeared to.

Over time, I realised how much self-doubt can cost you. It can keep you quiet when you have something valuable to say. It can make you over-prepare, play safe and wait for certainty that never arrives. And it can leave you looking back and wondering what you might have done if you’d trusted yourself sooner.

That thought is what led me to train and qualify as a coach in 2023.

Today, I help capable managers and senior managers trust their judgement, recognise the value they bring and make clearer choices about their careers.

I’m naturally introverted and a deep thinker. I listen carefully, notice what isn’t being said and often pick up on the small comment that points to something bigger.  

My style is calm, practical and honest.  I’ll give you space to think properly, but I won’t let you stay stuck in the same loop. If I think you’re overthinking, avoiding something or being harder on yourself than the facts justify, I’ll say so.

I’m not interested in turning you into the loudest person in the room. I’m much more interested in helping you trust what you know, say what needs to be said and stop second-guessing yourself afterwards.

I want you to build a career you’re proud of.

When you look back, I want you to know you went for it, rather than wonder what you might have done differently.