Thinker and Activist

I began my Thinking Environment journey in 1996 at the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in Sheffield, when I was pregnant with my son. Over the next decade or so, I had the joyful experience of training directly with Nancy Kline, as I completed my education as a Thinking Environment Coach and Consultant.

I always had a sense that Thinking Environment practices were a lever for change and now I’m seeing that happen for real in organisations and across systems. It has taken that whole time for the world to be ready to think.

I raised my boy in a Thinking Environment and, looking at the man he has become, that will always remain my proudest achievement. But I’m proud, too, of my endurance. It’s been a rocky road, as the temptation to bring role, rank and ego through the door has been challenging to resist for many people. Some even call me fluffy! Which always astonishes me as Thinking Environment practices are the most precise and disciplined I’ve ever encountered.

Lockdown proved to be the moment for Thinking Environments, as the processes shifted effortlessly online. We now have the opportunity to combine the efficiency of online Thinking Environments, with the depth and intimacy of being physically together, when we need to be.

But Thinking Cultures isn’t just about Thinking Environments, though they provide the framework for all we do. These decades of experience have brought much more to me in terms of skill, knowledge and expertise. I’m looking forward to blending Thinking Environments with other approaches to culture change, one thought at a time.

A lifelong seeker of the essential self.

Since 2014 I have trained & qualified as a Time to Think Coach, Facilitator and Thinking Partnership Teacher. This powerful approach has enabled me to transform my own life and to help others to learn the skills and tools that can transform theirs.

Since my early twenties I have studied and practiced counselling skills, meditation, Reiki and other holistic techniques which have inspired and informed my own personal development and which I have shared as an adult education teacher.

I have also been a business woman, as a senior manager in a retail organisation, as a self-employed business owner and as a finance manager for other small businesses. I bring all of those experiences and learning to my understanding of group cultures, good and bad!

I know how hard change can be. I have thrown myself into life and know that the challenges we face, with the benefit of reflection, can often be our greatest opportunities for growth. I also know the value of having the time, encouragement and unconditional support of my own, colleagues, coaches and teachers.

But whatever we are doing, personally or professionally, it seems to me that the more we actively engage in developing our self awareness and emotional intelligence, the more we discover what is important to us, what we value and who we really are. The more balance and ease we find internally, the more we are able to take that out into the world to bring about the positive changes that benefit not only our lives, but our relationships with the people and the planet that we live on.