Born in London, I first came north to Newcastle University to study politics, where I was lucky enough to be taught by the late Labour MP Mo Mowlam, amongst others. I’ve lived in various parts of the UK since then, eventually settling in Northumberland with my husband Paul and our black Labrador.
I started my career in recruitment before moving into training and development within an environmental and engineering consultancy, studying part-time for a qualification with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
I’ve always been motivated by helping people develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to achieve what they’re capable of. This became a big part of my career at Northumbrian Water, where I worked across learning and development, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, educational outreach, and graduate and apprenticeship programmes.
Wanting to develop my own skills and leave a positive legacy, I trained in one-to-one and group coaching and mentoring and went on to develop an internal coaching team supporting senior leaders across the organisation.
In 2020, I left Northumbrian Water to follow a long-held ambition and start my own coaching practice, DEROR.
I primarily work with senior women leaders, particularly those working in traditionally male-dominated environments. I also collaborate with colleagues to deliver leadership and management programmes and psychometric assessments, helping growing businesses and their people thrive.
I’m a perpetual learner, so discovering the six-week POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE (PQ) programme in 2021 was a natural fit. It was there that I met the people who would become close friends, trusted colleagues and an important part of my next chapter: ERICA GIBBON of LINDEN TREE HEALTH and AARON LISTHAUS.
I’m now a PQ Master, and the skills and practices I’ve learned have become an important part of both my personal and professional life.
Life has also tested me in ways I could never have anticipated. Just weeks after launching Deror, I lost my dad during the Covid lockdowns. Then, in 2022, what should have been routine outpatient surgery went badly wrong and left me fighting for my life.
The daily practice of Positive Intelligence became an important part of my recovery. My friendship with Aaron and Erica grew stronger, and the three of us became a transatlantic support network: learning from each other, sharing ideas and helping each other develop our businesses and our lives. Our skills and experiences are different and complementary. My particular area of interest is mindset, confidence, habits and mental fitness.
Through all of this, I’ve learned the importance of balance. I feel incredibly privileged to be invited into people’s lives and to make a real difference through coaching, but I also want to enjoy life outside work - walking the dog, growing things in my garden and allotment, travelling and spending time with my husband, family, friends and grandchildren.
Mid Life Thriving, which launched in 2023, is a natural evolution of all these experiences, skills and relationships. We’ve created a community designed to help people make positive changes, build resilience and ultimately live life on their own terms.
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