Meet the calendar gymnast who took a break from watching three budget editions of the hit musical, Annie, to tell us more about her training career and work with inspiring women.
While she’s kind, funny and keen to seize the day, beware: there’s a sting in her tail!
Where are you now?
I’m at home in Bath, Somerset, where I live with my husband and two children.
My son is aged eight and my daughter is in the final few days of primary school, where she’s been performing in her school’s production of the musical, Annie.
How did you become a trainer?
I graduated from Bristol University and started my career in sales, through a graduate role with Procter and Gamble.
I soon realised that sales is just talking to people! I then found I enjoyed telling other people how to have a sales conversation and really liked the learning and all of the fun stuff that goes with it.
When did you become freelance?
I moved around the UK with my husband, doing different sales and training roles with different pharmaceutical companies. When I came back to work after the birth of my daughter, my employer had restructured and was outsourcing training.
Going freelance was absolutely terrifying at the time, but I have been doing it for a decade now. It gives me flexibility, lets me work, lets me be a mum, and I’ve discovered lots of fascinating stuff outside pharma too.
What do you like best about training?
The magic of the connection and how you can bring people out of themselves by listening to what they say. I also enjoy forming a group, working together and ultimately having fun. You can see the impact of learning if you get it right.
I also like how it surprises and challenges me and I love knowing that I don’t always have the measure of things.
How did you hear about OTD?
I saw a Linkedin post last autumn and it felt like it was the right fit for me. Some freelance training is soulless, they have a customer and they parachute you in to deliver to them.
I spent a week in Birmingham and it was a real trigger for me, I wanted to work with OTD.
The business chooses its associates well, it’s a great company that delivers training in a way that absolutely speaks to me.
What projects have you been involved in so far?
I’ve worked with Katarina Sovic, Karen Thornton and the outcomes team, so I’ve had the opportunity to play a role in three or four projects already.
And what have you enjoyed most?
Although my preference is being in the training room, I have done some coaching in the past and Carpe Diem has been a revelation to me.
Coaching is obviously a different type of interaction and I’ve always found that it demands more work than training does but 15 minute bursts are just amazing, you really get that connection.
I’m pretty good with calendar gymnastics, so I’ll have to find enough consecutive days available to deliver it!
Tell us about your role with Women’s Work Lab:
Women’s Work Lab offers classroom training, work placements and career coaching to women who want to boost their confidence and employability skills – it’s my absolute passion project!
I train 14 sessions over 12 weeks and it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been involved in.
Typically I work with mums who have not been in employment for a time and try to empower them and show them that they’re worth something. They receive access to high quality, corporate level interventions, their confidence grows and they realise they have talent, skills and so much to offer. They then take that into a four-week work placement.
I’ve just finished the latest programme and 8 out of the 13 women are already in employment. You can make such a big impact through quality learning.
Who or what inspires you?
I am unbelievably inspired by individuals that can take something heartbreaking and create something positive. A very good friend once said to me: “When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what is happening”.
Give us a meal that we should try:
I met my husband over a deep fried scorpion meal in Vietnam, so I would always recommend that you indulge in that particular delicacy if you have the opportunity.
It tastes like bacon frazzles (for ref. that’s a variety of crisp/potato chip) without quite the same texture!
The world would be a better place if …
We have two Underwood ‘school rules’ for our minis: be kind and try your best.
I often think that the world would be a better place if everyone could aim for the same. And if something is stopping you trying your best, be kind to yourself and try to understand why.