I went to Antonia looking for direction with my creative business and she began by establishing a place in which I could see myself more clearly, a space in which I was able to express myself more easily. She sometimes reflects back to me questions that I avoid confronting; stuck places are acknowledged and like knots, are worked loose or unravelled. This all helps me become alive to my core strengths, which Antonia uses as reference points, enabling me to discover for myself, ways to move forward both on a practical level and psychologically.
Always, at the end of a session with Antonia, however uncertain I feel at the beginning of it, I walk away with a confirmed sense and often a new understanding of my bearing. This is integral to my ability to keep centred and on track.
I saw Antonia for six short sharp sessions during a period where I was feeling lost. Spending an hour a week talking about ‘me’ to someone who actively listens helped me process my tangled thoughts and I always woke up the next morning feeling clearer about stuff ! Antonia doesn’t go easy on you. Her direct questions allow you to safely explore why, what and how you found yourself in her company. She’s an accomplished coach and a master at finding the answers to your questions which, of course, you already know you just need help working them out!
Antonia finds out about your life, pulls it apart and then discusses what is important to you and why. She can be compassionate but will also help you face up to the issues. Each session looked at different areas of my life and without exception something significant came out of each one. I put in place some of the action which helped to clear the depression/fog/burden (whatever you want to call it) in my life. Don’t go along to Antonia if you just want cosy chats, be prepared to have your life changed. My journey has not finished but life has certainly improved.
Antonia is very attentive in her listening. She encouraged me to explore my strengths, not by suggestion but by realisation, and also to realise that some of my perceived weaknesses were perhaps not so.
Antonia is very approachable and professional in her dealings with clients and gets right to the heart of a subject, saying just a couple of words that make you think, giving you feedback that hits the spot, throwing into the conversation an astute observation that you might have been ignoring for years.
During Life Coaching sessions with Antonia, I have become illuminated to myself in a way that does not easily translate into words. I expected some gentle probing on her part and considering on mine. Antonia’s insightful and incisive questions elicited keen feeling responses. I have the sense of a deep shift occurring. I started the sessions with the aim of becoming able to identify my skills. Something beyond that is happening; I am now beginning to identify myself. I am moving towards claiming (or perhaps recognising) a ‘me’ shaped space in the world. Antonia is totally present, allows silence and shows humour and empathy. There is always a feeling of having time and space.
Coaching with Antonia really helped me at a time when I was feeling lost and overwhelmed. Her approach is a powerful combination of insight, intuition and compassion which really helped me clarify the changes I needed to make in my life. I felt she provided the space to reflect without letting me get lost in the mire! I would highly recommend her as a coach.
Antonia tangibly helped me with figuring out some fundamental questions in my life. The sessions were challenging, at times, but always rewarding … I came away with a new insight each time. Antonia achieved this by taking my views into account, and her approach, excercises and follow ups felt custom tailored to me. For convenience I chose to use telephone coaching which is never going to be as good as a face to face conversation, but the sessions were still insightful and rewarding due to Antonia’s skills. Anyone curious about the potential should try a session, I am confident they won’t regret it.
I quickly realised that I wanted Antonia to coach me regularly as a client. I really love our sessions together. She is very patient and extremely perceptive. Whatever issues I have brought to a session, I have left feeling supported and much lighter and happier, often with a clarity and purpose that was lacking previously. As a coach myself, I am fully aware of the benefits that coaching can bring. I have found that Antonia is brilliant in particular at listening deeply and observing and commenting on patterns of speech. By reflecting accurately and asking unexpected questions, she has facilitated the unpicking of some knotty practical and emotional issues for which I am extremely grateful. I can’t really recommend Antonia highly enough.
There’s always a million reasons to not do something and most of them are good reasons. Somehow I need to imagine my way past them. Coaching with Antonia takes me into a bigger picture, another perspective, to reconnect with what I’m really good at; the things I feel clear and passionate about. Once I get back into seeing and feeling that, the million reasons shrink. She’s a companion who’s sympathetic, believes in me and will provoke me, so I have the courage to see farther. It’s also good to have support in noticing my habits of thinking, feeling and acting. Once spotted they often seem funny; they become less absolute, and I have more choices.
Embarking on the coaching process was quite nerve racking as it marked a deliberate move on my part towards change from the situation I was in. Antonia has been very supportive throughout and I really appreciate her non-judgemental approach. I like the way she brings a little from her own life and experience into the sessions, it helps me to think of her as a real person (possibly with challenges of her own). I feel that the coaching process has allowed me to make some real changes to my outlook and the way I see the world and my situation.
I saw Antonia regularly over a period of nearly 12 months to support me in making the transition from leaving an established career to setting up on my own as a creative freelancer. It was helpful having a fixed time in the diary – not only as something concrete to work towards, but also because it made identifying objectives and keeping up to date with progress easier. Antonia is very organised – she takes full notes of each session, which she regularly refers to during subsequent sessions. There was ample time to explore many different areas throughout the sessions – the format was never fixed in stone, so it could evolve. However Antonia made sure the sessions were relevant and directed. The approach varied each session depending on the objective, and this variety of approach helped identify and unlock other areas for investigation. The sessions were always constructive and positive, working on many levels – from the practical to the conceptual. I finished the sessions with a clearer sense of my own identity and abilities, and a clearer sense of direction for the future. I would definitely recommend Antonia to anyone searching for positive ways forward in whatever situations they find themselves in.
I recommend life coaching with Antonia. I was sceptical about life coaching. How could some coaching possibly help me I wondered? Gradually, I realised this indeed is possibly what I needed, to help clarify a few things in my life. After some hesitance I went along to an informal taster session with Antonia and was struck by her sincerity and listening skills and decided on regular sessions. I had no idea what to bring to a life coaching session at first. My mind was fishing for all those unfinished or never begun plans, then I realised my present dilemma was indeed the place to start. Things begun to unravel through Antonia’s sharp observations of my body language. I found I could put words to these feelings after some probing. I always come away from each session with some kind of task to resolve, with tools to help. My decisions and thoughts are now manifesting in a more cohesive way. I find the sessions quite intense in a positive way and from each session I get a sense of progress. It’s not a quick fix! I look forward to more coaching.
I would say that I am a fairly self-aware person, and pretty practical but the time with Antonia helped me more forward with much more confidence about the road ahead – the road I wanted to create for myself. I had been moving in a direction for a long time which was fulfilling in many ways but it was often tied in with feelings of needing to support others and helped them move forward. Working with Antonia wasn’t just about visioning a different life, it was about looking at the steps to make that life happen. I remember on one of the sessions coming home and feeling like a cork had literally popped out of my head and my creative thoughts had started flowing again. Antonia brought me back to what my values were – what was really important for me in life – and how crucially, I had the power to choose in many ways what the next move was. It was much easier to do now that I could peel back all the ‘what if’s and look at what was and what could be, by simply choosing a path and take responsibility for that decision.
Antonia is warm, empathetic, professional and unafraid of helping you move into new territory at your pace or in my case, just peeling back everything I was trying to solve and reminding me of what was actually important and who I want to be. I would highly recommend Antonia to anyone feeling at a crossroads, or who may feel the they are stagnating, or who needs some courage to make some changes or who wants to explore whether they are moving on a path that is authentic and about them and their talents. Good luck!
I decided to book a consultation with Antonia back in August 2015. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with my career path and needed clarity of thought to help me move forward and feel happy again. I felt immediately comfortable talking to Antonia and this feeling of ease has remained during the past seven months. During this time Antonia has helped me face a number of barriers that seem to be preventing me from seeking happiness. Antonia has patiently and gently supported me work through these knots and with the use of simple yet hugely powerful strategies, she has shown me my own negative patterns of behaviour and how they have at times shaped my thoughts and hang-ups. I cannot thank Antonia enough for being a blanket of support and kindness whilst I struggled with the idea of changing jobs. Here I am seven months after meeting Antonia with a new job and a real sense of acceptance and happiness in myself and my closest relationships. I really feel connected to Antonia and I have really valued our fortnightly sessions. These sessions have given me confidence to move forward in my life.[
Before attending my first session, I was apprehensive as I didn’t quite know what to expect or how I would gel with Antonia. I had never embarked on sessions like this before but after meeting and talking to Antonia, I found her easy to talk to. Antonia is very calm and patient and has an ability to put you at ease very quickly and dispel any fears.
Prior to attending the sessions with Antonia, my thoughts were muddled and I felt quite pessimistic. I had just come through a long-term illness which had brought on mild depression and polarised my already present high stress levels. Antonia provoked thought and self-challenge of current behaviours which allowed me to think about why I behave the way I had. This had a positive effect on me as I made conscious efforts to think differently which enabled me to deal with my stress and make steps to change my situation for the positive.
Through working with Antonia, I am in the process of changing career but she has enabled me to enjoy my family life and think towards the future and not to compare myself to events in the past. Also you realise that when you are feeling the most emotionally vulnerable, you are still strong.
Antonia and I worked on a specific business case over 6 sessions. She is articulate, robust in challenging and a great listener. She helped me to think clearly in articulating my business issue with the result of achieving positive outcome. She helped me to keep the bigger picture whilst being flexible enough to support me in exploring many areas. I can highly recommend Antonia as coach and also as a mentor coach.
I met Antonia to start Life Coaching, not fully understanding what to expect! I thought I knew a lot about myself having deep self awareness already, however I am always up for a challenge! Through exploration, Antonia challenged my intentions of remaining in patterns of behaviour, and with further supportive challenges, Antonia helped me understand and identify that these were limiting my potential for further personal growth. I have experienced real life change with Antonia’s clear direction, accepting now that it is I who holds responsibility for my future outcomes in life, not my perceptions of what others think.
After six years in a full-on, challenging job, my body and mind suffered ‘burn out’. I blacked out one night of a particularly tricky weekend and, when I woke up the next morning my hearing was impaired and over the next few days loud tinnitus developed.
I struggled on in with this for six months, feeling increasingly worn out and demoralised. When I finally handed in my notice, my hearing improved literally overnight, but I was still experiencing strange noises and sensations in my ear, I felt wrung out, shattered and very low. I felt that I had failed. I had loved my job and felt defined by it, but was also terrified that my energy levels (always so high) would never come back.
I needed someone to help me come to terms with what had happened, to help me explore what to do next. I needed someone to help me recognise who I was now and who I might become. I found Antonia. She described herself as someone who had sympathy with creatives and that resonated with me.On my first visit, Antonia pointed out, I sat hunched over on the chair, constantly fiddling with my ear. Tears readily fell and I felt miserable. On my last visit, about four months later I was relaxed, gesticulating and smiling, feeling that here was someone who cared, in a very professional way and who had helped me to slowly come to terms with what happened, had some pointers for the future and, more importantly the belief that I could take ‘time for me’ and explore a future.
It’s not like counselling – which is quite a lot of navel gazing I found, and allowing yourself to be sad. Antonia challenges, asks really well thought out questions, really perceptive questions that have you thinking “that’s a good one!”. She sets ‘home work’ – just small tasks, quite fun tasks sometimes. Once we did a visualisation, and another – a ‘being in someone else’s shoe’s’ role play which my heart dropped at – but it was actually really good at seeing things from the ‘problem person’s’ point of view. I found myself really looking forward to the sessions – a metaphorical hand holding.
You might think a life coach will be a super smooth, intimidating person but Antonia is not like that. Sure, she has her head screwed on the right way and seems to be happy in her own skin; but she has lived and has had her own issues to deal with – making her really empathise with you. Oh, and she has a lovely cat!I now have a great mix of paid work, voluntary work, quality me and family time …. I have my energy back, most of my enthusiasm (still early days)– and my ear is much, much quieter![/vc_testimonial][vc_testimonial author=”Tim”]I saw Antonia for six short sharp sessions during a period where I was feeling lost. Spending an hour a week talking about ‘me’ to someone who actively listens helped me process my tangled thoughts and I always woke up the next morning feeling clearer about stuff. Antonia doesn’t go easy on you. Her direct questions allow you to safely explore why, what and how you found yourself in her company. She’s an accomplished coach and a master at finding the answers to your questions which, of course, you already know you just need help working them out!
I reached a point in my life where the path that I had always expected I would follow proved to be the wrong option for me. I had to decide what to do next. I realised that the wrong way to approach this was to just think about alternative careers. What I really needed was to understand who I am and what drives me – and from that position of knowledge, work out what to do with my life. Antonia stood out as someone who is able to help the whole me, and she has proved to be an excellent listener, questioner and mentor. Her sessions have enabled me to identify so many new things about myself, and open new doors and ideas. I now see that one of the key drivers in my life was in fact a destructive influence, and I had based it on little or no logic. I now recognise a number of my personal qualities and characteristics (that I always thought of as weaknesses) are the strengths that set me apart and make me valuable. And I now feel that I can talk to friends, colleagues and others as a far more authentic person. I used to slip so easily into talking about the life I thought I should be living rather than the one that I felt in my heart was real. In sharing this with friends, I realise that I am not unusual. Almost all of them want to know more, feel more certain, or feel they have a choice
I initially contacted Antonia because my life had reached a crossroads and I was unsure of which path to take and of what aspects of myself I would need to draw upon in order to move forwards. I would say that I am not usually the kind of person who seeks help and advice about making important decisions and how I live, so initiating a meeting was a bit daunting and outside my comfort zone. Antonia quickly understood that much of what we were exploring and the way we were exploring it was new to me and did not come naturally. She never pushes, only suggests different approaches and ways of thinking. In this way, I have been gently encouraged to think about entrenched ideas in many imaginative and sometimes surprising new ways but all very lightly, hugely sensitively, and, where appropriate, with a sense of humour. Antonia listens incredibly carefully and does not let a stray remark pass without challenging it; this opens up explorations of the way you think and the obstacles that you put in your own way, just in the language of your own thoughts. She has helped me to see and address aspects of myself which hold me back. I have learned a lot about how I respond to individual situations as well as to more general aspects of my life. And I have learned a lot about my default positions and automatic assumptions about myself and others and how I might adjust and change. It has been a challenging and fulfilling process and Antonia’s thoughtful, creative guidance and generosity of spirit and person have been remarkable. I would warmly recommend her to anyone in a similar position to my own.
I went to Antonia because I could not see my way ahead. I had got into a circle of thinking ‘I could, should, ought, can’t’ and I was going round in circles! I went with a degree of apprehension as I do not find it easy to talk about myself. However, Antonia put me at ease and is a great listener. Through gentle questioning and exercises we explored the reasons why I was thinking as I did, and the barriers stopping me from moving forward to a more fulfilling future. Antonia has been so helpful in this process and, working together, I am clear about my way ahead, am able to to choose what I want to do and confident to do so. And, above all, happy!