Leonie Taams, Head of School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London

“Following some significant changes in my roles and responsibilities at work, I felt that coaching would be beneficial to me. I knew Robbie from a previous short-term engagement and, in 2018, after an intake conversation, we opted for a year-long coaching engagement; it was one of the best choices I have made in recent years.

Robbie is an excellent coach; he listens, prompts, stimulates, energises and motivates, but never judges. And he makes you laugh as well!

So what has changed for me? At the beginning of our work, I generally felt pulled in many different directions by what seemed to me ‘external forces’: lots of emails, responsibilities, expectations, demands and pressures, in both my work and private life. Through our coaching sessions, I learnt to define my key goals for the years ahead and how to sculpt and focus my work and life around those; I recognised what to say yes and no to, and to accept the consequences of those choices; I learnt to trust and rely on my instincts and capabilities, and – critically – I learnt not to take it all too seriously all the time. 

None of this came from Robbie telling me what to do; rather, through questions and reflections - as well as by trial and error - I started to make subtle changes in my actions and my perceptions.

I am writing this several months after our work finished, and I still feel the results of it every day. Whilst my workload is exactly the same, if not increased, I feel more in control of my time, my diary, my work, my life. Hardly a day goes by without me thinking of something that Robbie and I discussed: a quote, a tip, a way to manage a situation. I also have my treasured stack of notes, which I re-read every 6 months or so to remind me of where I started and where I am now.

To engage with a coach is a highly personal and sometimes vulnerable journey; you need someone you can trust and who can help unlock where you want or need to go. Robbie certainly was that person for me.”

Leonie Taams, Head of School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London