Meet Helena

Where it all began

The first thing you need to know about me? I’m a geek at heart.

I started my career over 30 years ago as an educational psychologist and psychotherapist, with specialisation in how adults learn, play and work better in groups or teams. As a university professor, I taught graduate courses in Consulting Psychology, Career Development, Leadership Development, Communication, and Group Dynamics. Today, I bring that expertise and up-to-date research to the boardroom—blending academic rigor with real-world strategies to help leaders and teams perform at their best.

“Beyond Coaching”

In 2005, I recalibrated my academic and therapy tools into coaching and training corporate leaders.

I have developed a few tried-and-tested approaches, such as “Beyond Coaching” and “Fear-less Leadership,” which take leaders beyond the average executive coaching to include self-psychology and relational intelligence. 

As a Coaching Psychologist, I combine the practicalities and proactiveness of coaching with the science of psychology to move leaders to the next level of clarity and agency. By shedding light on patterns, conditioning, and strengths, I first help them retool and recalibrate their existing skills, then build on those to develop and practice new ways of knowing and leading.

My clients describe our sessions as tailored masterclasses and a form of advanced self-coaching and self-leadership. The fringe and organic byproduct are practical tools for coaching and leading others.

Coaching philosophy

Leadership is fuelled by weaving professional and personal elements with the 7 C’s.

Professionally, work is where you hold your purpose, achievements and satisfaction. On the personal front, it involves meaningful relationships, values, and happiness in life and work. Both operate on the 7 C’s of Leadership and Relationships: Connection, Contribution and Confidence, fuelled by effective Communication, wise Conflict management and Clarity. The central C’s and supporting C’s are optimised if you genuinely Care about learning and growing yourself and others. I specialise in facilitating better, stronger and happier leaders across life and work by implementing emotional and relational intelligence. 

My clients

In the last 17 years of coaching and training, I have worked with leaders from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, UBS, JP Morgan, London Stock Exchange Group, Fujitsu, The Royal Mail, Astra Zeneca, Medable, The National Gallery, Anson, Horta, Hays, NHS, Undo, Cambridge Angels, Bolton Business Ventures, i2i and the University of Cambridge, Baxter in Belgium, and the U.S. Air Force.

I also run the Action-Learning@CJBS, an intensive personal and professional success coaching and training service for MBA students and alums at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

“Soft Skills for Hard People”

I wrote and published a best-selling book during the Covid lockdown. 

A toolkit for busy leaders, SOFT SKILLS FOR HARD PEOPLE, is a rational take on the demands of emotional intelligence written especially for sceptics, stoics, and pragmatists grappling with the elusive people skills often recommended by experts and organisations. It hit #1 in 3 different categories in business and management (2020, Amazon). 

Leadership & Relationship Intelligence

Today, I use my unique blend of experiences as a Coaching Psychologist and Executive Coach

to help leaders transform the quality of their leadership and personal & professional relationships. 

If you would like to supercharge your leadership or relationship intelligence, get in touch by using the button below.