I reached out to Steve for coaching during the lockdown as I had previously come across several of his brilliant LinkedIn posts (If you haven’t come across them already, I urge you to do so, they’re guaranteed to raise a smile!).

Our introductory conversation generated plenty of self-reflection before we even got into the coaching discussions and being able to benefit from Steve’s vast knowledge and experience was invaluable. 

Steve’s ‘real’ understanding of the sector with all its opportunities and challenges was evident, and it was a great relief not having to explain some things in detail as Steve clearly understood and ‘got it’ having been there himself. It helped that the sessions also came delivered with an amazing sense of humour!

I learned a lot about myself and admittedly it was not always easy. There were some difficult conversations to be had and reflections to face up to, yet Steve handled those sessions with compassion and sensitivity whilst being challenging and not afraid to ask those tricky questions. 

Coaching with Steve was a great investment and an absolute joy. I would totally recommend working with Steve if you get the opportunity.

Janet Meehan, Partnerships & Development Manager, Carers Trust

I’d been following Steve Allman on LinkedIn for a while. His posts were funny but also brutally honest about leadership life in a charity. I bit the biscuit and have just completed 6 months coaching. I thought I had a big question about my future - I felt I couldn’t cope being a parent and a charity CEO and was doing neither well. Turns out I needed to address my exceptionally unhealthy work ethic, pace and boundaries. Fast forward 6 months and this so-called biscuit guru has got me to the point where I can mostly coach myself. I’ve also got a stack of practical tools to help me manage myself and others better. The most important lesson though was that you can’t have a home brain and work brain. Something I’d convinced myself was possible. I had not addressed some personal life stuff and it was influencing all my relationships. I was second guessing my own gut instincts and obsessing about the perceived impact on others putting my own feelings, time and happiness last every time. And the harsh reality is that there are those that will take advantage, even in a charity. I never thought I’d have a coach let alone one that made me both laugh and cry in the same hour, Being a CEO can be lonely, the sense of responsibility you have for your team, beneficiaries and community is intense. It’s rare anyone checks in on you. Steve has been in it, seen it all and reads between the lines like no other person can. Having space and time to be listened to, supported and guided is game-changing. To all those charity CEOs or leaders out there, get a Steve.

Lucie Muir, CEO, Wildscreen

I’ve been a client of Steve Allman's for the last six months, with our sessions being immensely helpful to me, both in terms of unpacking and reframing historical challenges and experiences (which I didn't know I needed to unpack, but absolutely did), but also exploring how I think about myself in my current role, and helping clarify my future career choices and options.

Steve's relaxed approach, challenge of my thought processes and emotions, as well as laser like focus on getting to the heart of the matter, has helped me immensely and I'm now equipped with healthier thought processes and effective coping mechanisms.

I've worked with many coaches in the past, and Steve will be my 'go-to' in future. I'll definitely work with him again and can't recommend him highly enough.

Matt Wynes, Director of Fundraising (Interim), Myeloma UK