Clare Norman is an experienced, masterful coach, providing a confidential, brave space to think. If you want to make changes in your work and life, tapping into your fullest potential, then coaching could be advantageous to you.
What is coaching?
My definition of coaching is ‘a joint endeavour to move beyond known thinking to discover new thinking that energises the thinker to change.’
- It is a joint endeavour – a partnership and adult–adult relationship (versus parent–child or master–apprentice).
- Moves beyond known thinking – because that known thinking has kept you where you are, and will continue to do so, if you stay in that space of known thinking.
- Discovers new thinking – because this leads to new ways of being and doing.
- Energises change – the very point of coaching, which makes it different from any other conversations we might have in life.
Coaching is a special relationship, unlike any other. It is a meeting of equals, a partnership, where the coach creates a brave space for ‘the thinker’ to do their best thinking.
Our coaching philosophy:
- We (coach and thinker) are co-travellers, travelling into the unknown together, designing the map as we go, because there is no map for this person’s unique journey.
- The aim of coaching is to move the thinker beyond known thinking to new thinking.
- Therefore, curiosity is for the benefit of the thinker’s new thinking, not the coach’s understanding.
- The thinker is “creative, resourceful and whole” (Whitworth et al, 1998) and my job is to strengthen their thinking muscles, not do the thinking for them.
- We access the wisdom of multiple intelligences, not just the cerebral rational intelligence.
- We coach the person, not the problem (Franklin 2019, Reynolds 2020), meaning we focus on “who” the thinker wishes to be at an identity level, such that they can “do” things that match up to this person they wish to be, coming from a place of grounded beliefs, values and mindsets.
- To coach the person, we use a vertical (challenging old assumptions and testing new hypotheses of being) development approach rather than horizontal (building task expertise) (Petrie, 2014).
- Every coaching session is individualised to the in-the-moment needs of the thinker with whom we are working. No two session outcomes are ever the same.
- The coach’s responsibility is for the process; the thinker’s responsibility is for the outcomes.
Our coaching services include:
- Helping passionate people to live their best story in times of change and in times of stability
- Enabling business leaders with space and clarity to think objectively about goals and the direction of the business
- Developing companies to support the necessary human transitions required for change programmes to be successful
- Supervising and mentor coaching internal and external coaches to stay sharp and stay safe.
Much of our work is virtual, and we also have the great fortune of being able to offer walking coaching in the beautiful New Forest.
Non-directive coaching
Non-directive coaching revolves around the premise that ‘the thinker’ (that’s you in coaching) is ‘creative, resourceful and whole’ (Whitworth et al) – that you have the answers within you, unique answers that work for you in your context, given your personality, your values, your strengths etc.
Even if you bring the same presenting issue to coaching as another person, the way forward for you will be totally different to the way forward for another thinker, because you and your context are totally different. We partner to build that thinking muscle so you can be an independent, critical decision-maker when we’re not together, just as much as when we are.
This is why I use the term ‘thinker’. But it’s not just the head that does the thinking; the whole body is part of the thinking and all of the senses. Exploring. Making meaning. Making sense. Joining your own dots.
Coaching is not for everyone
It’s important to find a good fit between you and your coach.
If you’ve read the blog post I mentioned above, you’ll know by now that I don’t work with just anyone:
- I’m not a performance coach.
- I don’t do the job that a line manager should be doing, enabling you to be better at your job.
- I don’t do the job of a trainer, teaching you how-to.
- I’m not a mentor, sharing my experiences.
If that’s what you are looking for, I’m not the person for you.
Most of our coaching is virtual and we also offer walking coaching in the beautiful New Forest.
Coaching in action
Listen in to Clare coaching Ali
This recording was one of the two that Clare submitted for her Master Certified Credential, and it passed the assessment.
Watch a demonstration of Clare coaching
I’m a leadership and transitions coach
I work with you to identify who you are, what’s important to you, what you want to be known for, how you want to show up. What you want and need to jettison to become the person and leader you wish to be.
That means that you need to be willing to go there – to explore your true North and to move away from whatever is holding you back from reaching your full potential as a human being rather than a human doing.
I don’t want to take your or your company’s money if you are not ready to contemplate what matters most to you and to make some changes in the way you work and live to align with what matters most.
Transformational coaching
My approach to coaching is intuitive, non-directive and creative. Together, we create a partnership that allows you to pause in our breathless world of doing to think and feel with your head, heart, body and soul to access your personalised and universal wisdom and to align with a new sense of being. We create the conditions together where change can emerge naturally, often in the quiet spaces between structured effort. This gentle approach honours the unique wisdom that already exists within each person, waiting to be uncovered.
We focus on what matters most: being and becoming truly human. With love as my guiding principle, I commit to seeing and hearing you in your entirety. This means creating a relationship where you feel safe to explore your full identity—not just your professional persona, but who you are at your core. Through this heart-led approach, clients often report not only improved professional outcomes but also deeper, more meaningful connections with colleagues, teams, and loved ones. Individuals say that I help them to sense deeply for themselves; bringing greater degrees of balance and purpose to their work and life; and provide a safe environment, in which to make sometimes uncomfortable changes happen. Working with me invites a gentle courage—the willingness to see oneself fully, embrace vulnerability as strength, and lead from a place of authentic humanity rather than perfectionism.
I model and encourage a quality of presence that allows for deeper awareness and connection—both within the coaching relationship and in your daily life. Recognising that we exist in relationship to others, I help you to explore how your authentic humanity affects and enhances your relationships across all your life.
I don’t have a magic wand (nor magical answers)
But I do have powerful questions that will help you to identify what you want from the next chapter of your life and to go after that – if that’s what you want (not what your boss wants, or your partner wants or your parents want…)
To be sure that we start as we mean to go on, in a worthwhile partnership, I will ask you some searching questions about your goals and intentions for yourself, your work and this coaching.
I expect that you will probe me too, to ensure that we are a good fit for your learning and thinking styles.
This will be a mutual agreement to work together, matching your desire to become more of the human you wish to be with my very human coaching skills.
Only then, once we have decided that this is a relationship that can work for both of us, will we sketch out how to work together to get the most from the coaching, given all that we know about each other.
Be prepared for a state of deepening awareness.
This will be a mutual agreement to work together, matching your desire to become more of the human you wish to be with my very human coaching skills.
Only then, once we have decided that this is a relationship that can work for both of us, will we sketch out how to work together to get the most from the coaching, given all that we know about each other.
Be prepared for a state of deepening awareness.
Are you ready for one-to-one coaching?
- Find out what “ready” means here.
- If you are, then let’s have a conversation.
