Hi, I'm Jonathan..
..and this is my story. I can't wait to hear yours, by the way!
My Life and Times (So far...)
A native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne , I've been living in the North West of England for the best part of thirty years - a little over half my lifetime by now, although I still find that hard to believe! By the time I arrived here ‘down South’ I had a degree in Modern Languages under my belt, and had earned my youthful living in a variety of settings: clearing tables in an airport; counting passengers getting on and off buses (don’t ask- I can’t remember why either!); sorting books in a library (that was way more straightforward, as they tend to stay still for longer..); and teaching English as a Foreign Language.
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This last experience- in the Spanish Basque country- was when I realised that I had a talent for helping people to learn. And while my career through the subsequent decades has taken me onwards through further settings- from secondary school teaching, on to customer call-centres, through to industrial equipment sales, then into social housing – facilitating the growth and development of people, teams and organisations has remained my abiding passion.
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It was while working in community investment with a Greater Manchester housing provider that I experienced the breakthrough moment through which I truly found my ‘USP’. Tasked with identifying the best way to support residents of disadvantaged communities to start their own businesses, I was introduced to the practice of coaching, and learnt how when skilfully deployed it can empower people to make progress on their own terms- not by just being ‘told what to do by someone who knows better’- but by being empowered to access the strengths and solutions that lie within their reach. The project I led helped twenty North Trafford residents to follow their dreams of making money from their own passions- it was truly transformative for all of us!
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From that time forward, solution-focussed coaching has become the ‘golden thread’ which has run through my work, and as I have continued to hone my expertise across the fields of charitable funding, business growth, and organisational development I’ve been privileged to help hundreds of people and teams to get over barriers (including self-perceived ones!) and fulfil their potential- whether this means starting their own business, getting their first major grant, growing their charity’s income from paying customers, or getting their full team focussed on a sustainable plan for maximum impact.
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A few testimonials from people I’ve worked with are here. If it sounds like we may be a match (for you; for your team; for your values-driven enterprise..) then I would absolutely love to have an ‘exploration call’ with you- no obligation, of course!
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It all starts with a conversation- I know it did for me; let’s see if it does for us!
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