After following Steve Allman on LinkedIn for a year or so and enjoying his relevant and funny posts, I decided to bite the bullet and book in a coaching session before starting a new job role - my second charity leadership job.

I wanted to start as I mean to go on, and talk through some areas I didn't feel as confident about. From the start of our session, I felt comfortable and able to be open/honest. I'd informed him in advance of my accessibility needs as a deaf person which he had prepared for and checked that everything was ok (lighting/picture/ sound quality etc).

I felt listened to and understood throughout. Steve's questions were insightful, and were a real eye opener as to some of my thought patterns. He provided useful analogies, tips and strategies and positive feedback which left me feeling much more confident and ready to get started in my new role.

He has the knowledge, experience and insight to understand and comment on the unique features, challenges and benefits of working in the charity sector.

As I'm self-funding sessions, committing to a package wouldn't have been right for me so it was great to be able to book a one-off session - although it won't be my last!

Claire Baldwin, Joint Senior Manager, Manchester Deaf Centre

Steve has been a brilliant source of support for me over the last year and a bit. After seeing some of his Linkedin posts, I was interested to find out more about the coaching he does and felt it was going to be important in my development as CEO in a small charity. From the start, that proved to be the case, and I have saw real personal growth in my development. Steve has a brilliant way of helping you find the answers, and providing you the base to develop them further. If you are considering developing in your role, I would highly recommend getting in touch with Steve.

Chris Paul, Founder & CEO, Man On Inverclyde

I reached out to Steve last year for coaching support, having caught my eye with his always-honest, often-brutal observations of leadership in the charity sector.  I’d recently finished my PG Cert and as part of the reflective practice element, had graduated with a ‘to do’ list for self-improvement, including the recognition that I had early signs of professional burn-out and felt a bit stuck in a rut, wondering ‘what’s next?’.  I was getting itchy feet to do more, not less. 

As it turned out, over the weeks that followed, we ended up ignoring this ’to do’ list.  Instead, we worked together to find the areas of work and home that gave me energy and help me to thrive, alongside having to do ‘business as usual’. 

Steve helped me to see (literally in my diary) there are only so many hours in the day, and that it is my right and within my gift to put some boundaries back in for things I enjoy.  Together, we uncovered the importance of creativity, being an advocate for causes I love, high levels of trust, responsibility and freedom, and time spent outdoors. 

I’m still learning, adjusting and certainly have blips and bumps in terms of priorities, but I very much value having this new list to return to, focused on my strengths and preferences, and not my weaknesses.

Kirsty Telford, Deputy Director, Ministry of Stories & Hoxton Street Monster Supplies