My four coaching sessions with Gilly were very impactful. They came at a time when I was unhappy in my medical career and in real need of support in making career decisions. Because of the stress, I was experiencing in my current work I was finding it very difficult to assess my needs, skills and values in a balanced way. Gilly immediately struck me as someone with whom I could be very open; she has wonderful interpersonal skills and quickly put me at ease. I found her very encouraging but at the same time objective. Gilly supported me to bring new ideas to the table and contributed suggestions only where necessary and in a very neutral way. She made observations based on my input that were valid and fair and often sparked new thinking.

From the sessions I was able to identify my core values and skills and to understand which aspects of my current work were and weren’t working for me. I was able to explore future career options and to realise that I needed a break from my current work that would make me feel valued, which I found in the form of a 1 year fixed-term teaching job. This work allowed space for further reflection and I went back for a final session with Gilly many months later to explore career options from a different perspective. This last session allowed me to create an action plan with which I felt confident.

Gilly’s sessions were incredibly powerful in giving me space and permission to listen to a voice that had been buried and to understand and validate what I need in a career in order to gain long-term work satisfaction. As a result of the sessions, I was able to understand myself better as an individual, to confidently name my skills and to identify a career path about which I am now optimistic.

The sessions also enabled me to understand that I have choice in my career – something that often feels like it’s not the case in medicine – and to understand that should things not go right the first time round, there are plenty of things that can be done to use this unforeseen time in a valuable way. It was empowering to realise that I had lots of these ideas already within me – they just needed bringing to the surface.

I will use elements of these coaching sessions when faced with difficult decisions in future and feel that they have afforded me skills that I can use to help myself to find solutions.

I have met GIlly Freedman at three stages of critical transition in my career as Head of Applied Linguistics, and Reader in Education with a learning and teaching leadership role. The first stage entailed recovery from redundancy. Gilly significantly supported me in identifying new roles and strategies for professional development, as I moved from a teaching to a leadership role. The second stage entailed support in the management and development of a complex staff team. Gilly was able to recognise the deep structure behind the dysfunctionality of the group, and the ways in which my own management style needed to evolve to respond to this. The outcome had significant impact both on myself and on the team, as we made root and branch changes that were transformative. The third stage has been my current transition within the organisation, as I move from complex leadership, to a researcher role on the professorial promotion route. Gilly’s deep engagement with both the key issues in my situation, and my own personal needs are a rare combination, and at each of these stages have offered inspiration, support, and deep insight which has led to real change, both for myself and others.

Gilly has coached me with great empathy, understanding and compassion. This in turn makes it easy for me to open up and be frank with her. Due to the coaching, I have been clearer about what I need to do to be an effective member of the executive team. I have also been through a very difficult time with my team which I am grateful is now behind me. Gilly gave me some very useful strategies during this stressful time and now that the team is on an even keel again I find the strategies continue to be useful in my daily interactions with the team. This has allowed me to work in a more productive way and I also believe it has allowed the team to do the same.

Gilly Freedman coached me in strategies to transition from working in the hire and fire and performance driven world of the city as an investment banker to the people management and leadership skills for managing teams in the public sector.

She taught me strategies to approach difficult conversations to address under- performance in team members which raised the morale and alleviated pressures within the team.

She taught me approaches towards managing collective team performance through strategy to identify different patterns of behaviours, and provided support feedback and insights to help me manage up in a hierarchical culture to be seen as both a supportive team player but not a doormat!

Through the coaching, Gilly has been very supportive and understood the issues which arise when dealing with both investors and tenants. It has enabled us to view these issues from a variety of perspectives. As a result, we have much improved relations with our interested parties which has led to improved company profitability.

Gilly helped me understand and articulate the past experiences which had helped me reach the profession I am now working in as a self-employed psychotherapist. A job which I love. However, due to personal circumstances Gilly helped me see how I had become somewhat isolated and helped to prepare me and develop the insights I needed to plan the next phase of my career.

I have now agreed a professional partnership with a colleague and friend where I think, we both compliment and enhance one another’s skill sets. We are close to completing our new website and have developed a range of ideas to expand our professional services.

Being coached by Gilly during the pandemic also helped me gain insights into how working on-line with all my clients has both helped me develop new skills but also accept and understand that it is a different way of working with a better awareness of what the limitations can be.

I worked with Gilly for almost 6 months and it was a superb way to be able to stand back and take stock of where I was with my work and where I needed to take it. She combined truly listening to me, challenging and giving advice when I asked for it which enabled me to take my work forward in a stronger way which had positive benefits on my clients.