Alison Goldie Coaching

Hello

Glad you found me. There are lots of coaches out there so I’m honoured.  Let’s start with some thoughts on coaching and an introduction to my work… 

Here are 3 ways coaching creates positive change:

1. I believe that, along with actually living (eating, sleeping, walking the dog…) life can be immeasurably improved by being aware of what we are doing – not all the time, of course, sometimes we need escapism –  but enough so that we don’t live our lives in a fog. Coaching brings awareness.
2. Humans are great procrastinators, putting off tasks or activities that fall outside our comfort zones. In this constant state of deferral we can squander our precious lives…and spend a lot of time feeling guilty about not doing what we said we would.  Coaching is a catalyst to action.
3. Some of us have lots of friends and family, some of us don’t. Whichever, it is hard to find unbiased, non-judgmental help from those we care about – no matter how much they love you, they often bring their own needs to any conversation you have. Coaching offers unconditional support.

My Specialist Areas

As a trained coach, I can coach you on most things. However, there are some areas in which I have special expertise owing to my life and work experience in these fields:

Career Coaching – Are you finding work a grind? Do you need help to be a better leader? Or a happier worker? We can discuss your individual situation and tailor coaching to it with a variety of strategies. I am currently a regular coach for multinational company Lush, and have worked within various other businesses, both blue chip and small scale, to deliver individual and group coaching sessions for staff at all levels to improve their experience of work so that they have more personal engagement in their organisation or company.

Work-Life Balance – In this age of information technology, it seems we are never free of work demands. We know that our bodies are not indestructible, and yet it is easy to be sucked into asking too much of ourselves, with resultant burn-out. Whether you have already run yourself into the ground, or can see it on the horizon, coaching can help you to slow down and prioritise your wellness over a stressed-out lifestyle.

Freelance Working – More and more of us are becoming self-employed, a state which sounds great in theory, and which in practice can be a minefield. Without a regular salary, the support of co-workers, and a boss telling you what to do, how do you motivate yourself, keep disciplined and grow your business? I can help.

Presentation Skills – How are you coming across? So many of us fail to communicate winningly, whether it be at interviews, as public speakers or when internet dating. By looking at posture, gesture, voice and attitude, I can coach you on adapting what is currently unhelpful, giving you very productive feedback and alternative approaches to more effective communication on any level.

Love and Dating – Loving and being loved in an intimate relationship is one of the most profound and satisfying experiences we can have. Yet, it can be so hard to achieve, and, when we have it, so easy to lose. What can you do that is different from your unsuccessful behaviour in the past? How do you get past the fear of failure? How do you create the conditions to make and continue a great relationship?

Art as Work – A career in the arts presents its own special challenges, and whilst its rewards can be very satisfying, the journey to triumph can be full of setbacks and punishing to physical and mental health. How do you stay sane in this world and continue to produce good work? How do you earn a living? What sort of compromises are possible?

London Living – Living in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world can make you sick and tired. The sheer effort of navigating it, the long hours of pressurised work, the needle-in-a-haystack search for a loving partner, the lack of affordable housing, the crowds, the pollution – sometimes London is hard to love. I have lived in London for 35 years, and have the strength and experience to help you find the resilience you need to survive – and enjoy – it.

About Me

I am a qualified coach with a Diploma in Personal Transformation Coaching from the Animas Institute (AC and ICF accredited). I have a BA (Hons) degree in Drama and English, and a City and Guilds qualification in Adult Education. I trained as a drama therapist specialising in psychodrama with Dusan Potkonjak.

My background is in theatre, broadcasting and teaching. My work has been largely about communication and self-expression, and along with acting, directing, writing and presenting, I have facilitated many years of courses in drama, improvisation, comedy, confidence-building, presentation skills and flirting (Flirtshops!). 

 In 2015 my book was published, which knits together many elements of my work  – The Improv Book: Improvisation for Theatre, Comedy, Education and Life (Oberon Books). This deals in the subjects of creativity, the imagination, how to say yes, suspending self-censorship and other performance skills and life-lessons. Buy here.

My Approach

Coaching is a logical development from the fields of work above. I have always been interested in self-growth and self-discovery, with the aim of living the most fulfilled and contented life I can. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than enabling others to live richer and happier lives. If I was a politician, I would help in that way; if I was a doctor or an aid-worker, I would help in those ways, but what I am is a person with unbounded curiosity in people and their potential, long life-experience characterised by some typical human challenges, and a strong grounding in the theory and practice of coaching – these are my tools.  Learning how to live better is a never-ending journey and I am a voracious consumer of new (and old) philosophies on how to live, but ultimately, it’s not about books – I believe we have to operate from where we are right now, and with what we already have.  Dreaming about being somebody else or craving others’ skills, achievements or money is largely futile as it stops us from seeing who we are. Self-acceptance is the key to productive, manageable change. I believe that by attending to our particular issues, we can learn compassion for ourselves and others and improve the lot of humanity as a whole. I love Gandhi’s dictum, “Be the change you want to see in the world” as it gives us all a chance to contribute to humanity’s progress, instead of feeling overwhelmed and impotent in the face of our own and the world’s distress. I aim to consistently treat my clients with dignity and compassion in their quest for help towards living more pleasurably and crucially, more meaningfully.