Success stories
Alison Kirk
Head of Participation, Coproduction & Patient and Carer Experience,
NHS Trust, UK
"My coaching with Catherine came at a time when I was at a crossroads in my career, not sure where my leadership role was taking me and at a time where I had a lot of self doubt. Catherine’s ability to help me think differently in a safe and constructive way has been really impactful for me, moving me to more positive belief and confidence in what I can bring as a leader in the NHS. Thank you."
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Jolanta Thibault
Manager in learning and development, recruitment and engagement, international airline trade association, Switzerland
"I highly recommend this coaching service. It has been a game-changer for me both professionally and personally. The insights and strategies provided have made a lasting positive impact on my life.
"It helped me spot patterns in my behaviour that were holding me back and gave me strategies to tackle these challenges. Now, I feel more confident and positive for the future. What I imagined as a failure and made me unhappy, I learnt to change my perception and reprioritise few things.
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"On a personal level, it has been transformative. It’s made me more self-aware and brought a sense of relief. Understanding my behaviour patterns has allowed me to make positive changes in my personal life too."
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Nick Davies
Investment Manager, UK (wealth asset management)
"The coaching sessions with Cat have been very positive for my professional development. These have mostly manifested in two forms.
"Firstly, a focus on self-reflection, often it is hard or uncomfortable to reflect on certain professional experiences but when done constructively and with the intention of growth it can be very rewarding. Recognising where you could have done better in past professional situations and identifying missed opportunities has been very helpful. The coaching sessions allowed me to explore these reflections and isolate learning points from them.
"Secondly, discussing methods and actions to promote future growth and achievement of professional goals. Cat encouraged this behaviour and provided me with a forum to discuss what works best for me and find a better way to assess opportunities for professional development. Since using these methods I have found it easier to recognise areas of growth and improvement. During the coaching sessions we agreed action points after each meeting, which made this process more proactive and actionable. This is an ongoing process, and these skills will continue to help in my future development.
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"I found the sessions with Cat very rewarding. As long as you are willing to be open and be proactive on the agreed actions points I believe everyone would see professional growth. Her coaching style is very collaborative and is more focussed on guiding rather than telling you what to do, allowing you to come to your own conclusions through listening and thoughtful discussions."
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Oli Smithson
Health and social care specialist and Improvement Coach, UK
​"Cat coached me through a transition period as I left a long-term role and took a break before shifting my career direction. I was impressed by how thoughtfully she was able to explore and challenge my biases and concerns about my aspirations for work and life. She has a rare ability to combine careful listening with enthusiasm and passion, which made me feel both understood and motivated. Cat’s support has helped me gain a better awareness of what I want from work and a clear sense of my direction and core values."
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Bryan Jones
Senior Improvement Fellow, the Health Foundation
"Catherine Harrison has worked with me in a number of guises in recent years – first as lead of a Health Foundation / NHS Providers project on trust wide improvement, and second as an independent consultant leading a Health Foundation scoping project on public sector reform agendas. In both cases Cat has been a pleasure to work with: she has a strong understanding of the Health Foundation’s strategic needs, is a gifted communicator and has demonstrated a real commitment to partnership working and collaboration. Cat also brings good awareness of current and emerging national policy developments in relation to healthcare improvement, safety and reform and has a broad and diverse range of professional relationships and contacts across the public and third sectors. I have also found Cat to be a reliable provider of insightful, high quality analysis that perfectly meet our needs as an organisation."
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Penny Pereira
Managing Director, Q Community
"Cat brings warm energy and deep thinking to programmes we’ve worked on together. Her passion and well founded understanding of safety, improvement, the people dimensions of change, engagement and the healthcare system make her a valuable ally and asset for making healthcare better."
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Jo Lloyd
Senior Programme Manager and OD Consultant, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
"I've just finished reviewing the transcript from our discussion earlier this week and wanted to reach out and thank you again. It's absolute gold, and there's so much in it that's really made me think differently about what I'm doing, so I'm very grateful for your time, experience and willingness to share."
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Ferelith Gaze
Head of Policy and Public Affairs, NHS Providers
"Cat thinks differently. She can grasp considerable complexity and nuance, reframing it eloquently, insightfully and impactfully. She is highly articulate and deeply thoughtful. She is generous and actively interested in people and so invests in supporting them and generating better understanding. She leaves ownership with the individual but offers alternative ways of considering an issue."