Who am I?

Lizzi Larbalestier PCC

As a Professional Coach I take the business of performance development seriously and at the same time I believe that humour (or at least a lightness of spirit) has a role to play in any change process.  For me Coaching is about: awareness, choices, performance and results – and that relates to working with groups or individuals. I am “friendly” –  but let’s face it this is not “rent a friend” and a clarity of purpose underpins any disarming lightheartedness.

“A 5 minute conversation will help you know if I am the right coach / trainer for you – or not… and that is OK.  My style will not be for everybody. Expect to be challenged – Fearlessly!”

Enjoying the coaching process is important and in order to make the experience a positive one with ongoing impact for you, I am direct and often deliberately provocative in my questioning yet mindful of your well-being, encouraging you to stretch your creative boundaries, question your current thinking and patterns and explore new options.

I specialise in and advocate blue space coaching and this “Going Coastal” ethos has led to me (since January 2009) using primarily outdoor and water-centric locations to facilitate professional performance coaching and team development.

I am a “Blue Health Coach” – pro-social, pro-environment, pro-you!

I use a range of cognitive and somatic approaches with applied positive psychology to encourage thoughts and actions that are both considered and meaningful.  I am an experienced enviro/social relationship facilitator working in the field of ambiguity and awe applying often atypical methods.  My Masters thesis title “Leveraging Ambiguity for Productive Outcomes” should tell you I am comfortable working within “non-certain” space, navigating perceived risk and the unknowable, to develop progressive trajectories.

More info about NLP, applied psychology, mBraining, mBIT and additional modalities resides HERE

I am a mBIT Master Coach and was one of the first 70 mBIT certified Trainers lucky enough to train with the late Grant Soosalu.

Multiple Brain Intergation Techniques are otherwise known as mBraining a coaching modality emerging from the field of neuroscience which works with the concept of aligning multiple brains “intelligences” within heart, head and gut.

Yes… but who are YOU Lizzi?

I coach for both professional and personal development and my style is “deliberately informal”, yet of course results orientated.  I am commercially sharp and with an operations background I understand the intricacies of business systems – holding my own when strategic planning.

I am not a social enterprise but have a deep blue CSR thread meaning that I work closely with / and volunteer for a number of ocean conservation NGOs / Charities.  A link to my current Ocean Advocacy projects is HERE.

I can DO formal and will ensure tangible outcomes… that said… over-formality doesn’t excite me and I find status games pretty tedious. Emergent and high performance coaching the requirement for personal connection and skilled questioning transcends the need for power games. If you come to the beach for coaching – suits are banned and don’t wear your best shoes.

My tone? I am pretty direct and believe in creating transparent relationships, I seek to connect with the real person who is running the show rather than the many masks we can and do all wear from time to time and find that this enables the leaders and managers I work with to connect with their authenticity rather than simply paying it lip service.

I am very clear of the boundaries between therapy and coaching.  I have a broad mix of experience and development tools to choose from and a keen eye and ear to assess what approach will create the most significant positive shift for you…

I understand hierarchy and power dynamics, yet have a healthy disdain for game playing and often find it gets in the way of progress.

I find that many (not all) textbook rules are best circumvented, yet have the political intelligence to ensure that client relationships are respectful of cultural expectations, testing boundaries where it serves the clients purpose and assists towards an outcome.

So you’ve read lots of books on leadership? Well done you… Great… High Five… So how exactly are you translating your learning and how much are you applying your own insights?

In my early 20s I spent several years working in the field of animal rescue alongside a renowned and hugely talented UK animal behaviourist Angela Stockdale.  The experience I gained supporting the rehabilitation of dogs under control orders and working with feral cats and horses (among other animals) developed my ability to be “present in the moment” and was perhaps some of the most powerful informal learning I have ever integrated.

I am passionate about progressive learning and performance development. Insight is only truly integrated when it is applied.

Attending to the subtleties of verbal and non-verbal communication, were attributes I accessed during senior leadership roles within the corporate sector and these are skills I draw on within my life and current work.  I am an advocate of unconventional learning approaches, fostering creativity and curiosity through playfulness.  I am also a qualified sports therapist and yoga instructor and recognise the importance of mind / body connection when it comes to being able to perform at our best. Cognition when embodied allows us to feel grounded yet adaptable.

So how to summarise?

I’m massively curious and passionate about pretty much anything relating to personal / social / environmental dynamics.

I love people, animals, the environment.

I’m hugely grateful to run a business that enables me to facilitate and observe people learning and growing on a daily basis within a variety of contexts.

I am an ocean lover, wife of JKL, slave to several cats, currently owned by two (Pippin and Broccoli) and a guardian of a street dog rescued from Cyprus (The Goose). I Coach, I facilitate, I train Blue Health, NLP and mBIT and I teach yoga.

I am an Ocean Activist a Regional Rep for Surfers Against Sewage, a Blue Mind spokesperson, passionate about marine conservation and I spend a lot of time at the beach and in the sea surfing and free-diving.  I am a Marine Mammal Medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue… oh and I also keep bees.

Learning, laughter, awe, gratitude, curiosity and access to blue space are essential for emotional and physical well-being and the refinement of well developed social skills.”  My purpose is to assist you in developing greater fluidity in the way you see yourself and the world, to recognise you are part of nature and to work in alignment with yourself others and the wider world, so that the decisions you make and the actions you take come from a place of empathy and understanding.

mBIT Community

As I have alluded to I can certainly be challenging and whilst this is always heart centred, blended with humour and outcome focused, we all have different energy and personal style preferences.  I have an abundance mentality – there are plenty of individuals who can benefit from Coaching and just as many excellent Coaches to offer a style to suit their client needs. For this reason I do not see myself as being in competition with other Coaches and believe that it is great to have a choice in the individuals we connect with when it comes to Coaching.

The mBIT Coach community in particular is highly collaborative, I have trained over 50 mBIT Coaches and this number rises annually.  If I feel one of the mBIT Coaches I trained is better suited to work with your particular requirements I am really happy to provide introductions.  Alternatively visit www.mbraining.co.uk for a list of other equally compassionate mBIT Coaches trained by myself and other trainers.

Associates

To remain fluid and responsive to a range of projects in size duration and scope, I have a number of associates I call upon for collaboration, these valued peers are matched to each project, depending upon their availability and the core skill-set required. Bios and more information about each of these trusted professionals is made available at the project contracting stage.