Who am I?

Lizzi Larbalestier PCC

As a Professional Coach I take the business of facilitating client outcomes 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!”

I want everyone to fall in love with the Ocean.

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.

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 – don’t wear your best shoes, and be prepared for a three way conversation where blue space is part of the process!

My tone? I 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… I am more interested in 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 am an Ocean Advocate – everything I do is to support ocean health.

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

I love people, animals, and the water.

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 the 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 an Advanced 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.

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.