Passionate about empowering high-achieving neurodivergent individuals to thrive in the workplace or their own business. With a proven track record, I've worked extensively with diverse professionals, including business owners and public sector leaders – from Civil Servants to Social Workers and Teachers/Head Teachers.

Working with Small Business Owners & Executive Leaders on a Lloyds Bank funded project. Therapeutic coaching is an innovative blend of counselling and coaching designed to help individuals to reach their potential as a business owner or leader whilst considering the impact on mental health. The project has been developed by Lloyds Bank in partnership with Mental Health UK and is designed to provide coaching and support for improving mental health and building resilience to help set individuals and their business up for success.

Working as an Associate Coach specialising in:Career Transition - Maternity, redundancy, retirement & returning to the workplace after a break Business Coaching - For small business owners, individuals looking to set up a new business, business developmentPerformance Coaching - Seeking promotion, support in a new roleBusiness Coaching - For small business owners, individuals looking to set up a new business, business developmentPersonal Development - Identifying purpose, values, working towards a goal, seeking a better work/life balanceExecutive Coaching - Leadership & Team Building - especially in the Education & Charity Sectors

Providing access to books and inspiration for reading for everyone through a social enterprise. Working with schools, home educators & not-for profit partners to provide access to activities and books. Partnering with Bournville Bookfestival for a Virtual World Book Day author event.

I developed and set up this new business in 2016 which closed in June 2020 due to the economic climate on the high street due to a 3 week period of flooding & the Covid pandemic. During this time I grew the business & just as we closed we had won Independent Bookshop of the Year Award (Midlands). We ran events with high profile authors, worked in partnership with Universities & other not for profit organisations. In 2020 we provided every looked after child in Shropshire with a free book. At the time of closure we had a team of 9 staff & were known as a key destination in Shrewsbury.

Working as Director of Programmes to design & deliver programmes funded by government. During this time I:• Ensured the successful delivery of 16 reading programmes to budget and time with a team of 30 working across England, Northern Ireland and Wales• Secured ongoing funding from Department for Education (England) for £6m working closely with CEO. Developed & delivered a new programme targeting 2 year olds to improve literacy outcomes later in life. • Worked with Welsh Government to address low levels of numeracy amongst adults by developing a new strand of work. • Secured ongoing funding from Northern Ireland Government to continue work• Developed a high level strategic partnership with Pearson UK & Pearson Foundation to expand and continue Corporate Social Responsibility work – setting up a new programme with primary schools – Read for My School.• Worked closely with the Head of HR and CEO to review the structure and workflow across the organisation.• Set up a new programme with Arts Council England Funding – ACE Stories Tour working with charity partner – Prisoners Advice and Care Trust.• Secured funding from DfE & Education Endowment Fund to evaluate a summer literacy programme.

Working as a senior manager to introduce an outcomes based approach to programmes I:• Developed a strong and credible research team.• Worked with Head of Sector Early Years to develop Bookstart Corner intervention maximising impact with social & economically disadvantaged parents.• Undertook and disseminated the findings of a Social Return on Investment in Colombia, at EuRead in Amsterdam, at The Third Sector Impact Conference• Led an organisational response to a range of government consultations including – Tickell, Nutbrown, Frank Field, Graham Allen Early Intervention & DoH review• Participated in an organisational restructure, working with CEO and SMT to review organisational objectives and set staff objectives• Brought together staff and Stragic Advisors to develop a range of new targeted programmes with DfE funding.• Worked with a range of academic institutions to ensure that a robust, evaluative approach to all of our programmes was undertaken making changes as appropriate to increase the effectiveness of interventions.• Worked with Pearson Publishing on introducing a benchmarking framework to tie into London Benchmarking Group• Acted as a research advisor to the Poetry Society, Ministry of Stories & a number of Local Authorities.• Developed and managed a range of pilots for SEN, Pupil Referral Units, a bespoke book and a community language pilot.• During my time as Head of Public Policy & Research I developed a series of interventions targeted at schools in deprived areas. IoE have just evaluated the secondary school intervention & have said: “There is sufficient evidence to suggest that this intervention does improve reading and comprehension performance with students when their schools use several of them. Given the nature of the target group, we suggest that Beyond Booked Up makes a significant contribution to improving the literacy skills of some of the lowest attaining groups of students. It should therefore continue to be supported.”

• Secured funding from Informal Adult Learning Fund to the value of £700,000 to run a project over an extremely tight timescale with two new external partners.• Recruited a team of 6 staff to work under a matrix management structure to deliver programme and directly managed 2 members of staff.• Successfully delivered Bookbite project to time and in budget using project management techniques.• Devised and developed an Adult Learners Week Award – Booktrust Power of Reading• Devised, developed and project managed a Quick Reads pilot in 2 Local Authorities across 45 settings in partnership with NIACE. • Explored and developed innovative ways of working with groups of parents including: Gypsy, Roma & Travellers, Prison & Young Offenders, Family Intervention Projects, Refugee & Asylum Seekers, families where English is not the first language.• Developed and managed project with HomeStart funded via Early Learning Partnership Project (DfE) – subsequently rolled out nationally.• Worked with 23 Local Authorities to ensure engagement in Booktrust gifting programmes increasing percentages for Bookstart packs gifted to average of 2006/2007 across all 3 packs 95%• Implemented new Key Success Framework tool with 100% of Local Authorities completed within deadline.• Developed working relationships with a range of regional partners including Together4Children, Foundation Stage Advisors, National Deaf Children’s Society, • Provided consultancy and expertise to Local Authorities to develop new ways of working with reading for pleasure as as focus.• Ensured best practice was highlighted locally and collected for sharing both regionally and nationally.

• Preparation & delivery of training to Neighbourhood Nurseries and Primary Head Teachers on how to identify parents and carers with low levels of literacy skills. • Supported staff who had self-identified that they had low levels of literacy.• Rolled out the programme to Headteachers and staff at both public and privately funded nurseries and infant schools. • Worked as researcher on national evaluation of Phase 1 of the training delivery.

Key responsibilities included:• Project managed 9 local training & education projects securing European Social Funding with a combined total of approximately £5million delivering training & education to 700 students.• I managed & supported a staff of 20; set up the college as NVQ Centre of excellence for Childcare; Care of the Elderly, Customer Service & Workplace Basic Skills. At the end of European Social Funding I put together a case to mainstream the provision using Further Education Funding so that education in disadvantaged areas could be offered at a minimal cost. At the time I left I had created an IT in the Community programme which was offered at 33 different venues with around 500 students; NVQs in the Workplace were offered to all local employees for a registration fee only & Basic Skills in the Workplace had been developed to offer a range of courses for business.