"Barbara successfully facilitated 3 events for my service over a 9 month
period. In April 2009 I took over managing a small team of Children's
Independent Reviewing officers, each had within their role specialisms, for 3 staff these were unique and not undertaken by the other staff. Due to historical line management issues this team was also fragmented and understood little about each other roles/functions/workloads etc, they needed to be brought together to think and work together as a team whilst still retaining their current and unique roles.

I appreciated planning the sessions in order to team build but due to
workload pressures Barbara also gave a clear commitment to me that these days would also achieve a certain amount of output on areas where we had been 'stuck'. Sessions were planned around identifying the 'needs' of the team and the needs of the service, resolving tensions/conflict from within by getting the team to understand roles/responsibilities and by giving a SMART framework to the team in which to affect change.

At the follow up sessions progress was checked against a list of goals set from the previous session. The team found these days insightful, challenging but thought provoking, functional in that they were achieving change from within and motivational, we achieved several goals that had been outstanding and gave thought to exploring other issues as a team in the future. All left with an 'I can' 'we can ' attitude, it has genuinely made the team function better as a unit, further sessions are to be planned."

Ruth Kingdom
Children's Safeguarding Unit
East Riding of Yorkshire Council

June 2010

"Through the six sessions of coaching I received from Barbara I came to realise, at a time when my health was in danger of being affected by the pressure I was under, why I am driven in the way that I am.

Recognising this helped me to identify changes I needed to make in both the shorter and longer term, not only for the sake of my health but to improve my work/life balance – something I had been unable to achieve to date, despite numerous vows to do so.

Barbara assisted me to identify goals and an action plan to "get me through" in the short term and longer term goals that will assist me in achieving a permanent change of lifestyle. I intend to continue using her help to ensure that these longer term goals are achieved."

Sylvia

April 2008

"Life Coaching has helped me find a direction in my life. As I write this mid way through my sessions I feel confident that by the end I will know where I want to be and have the tools to achieve it.

Barbara has helped me to break things down into sections that I can manage to deal with I feel in control of my life for the first time in many years.

Thank you Barbara."

Jane

October 2007

“I approached Barbara for coaching as I was struggling to motivate myself in a new career change. Through our coaching Barbara challenged me far more than I would have ever challenged myself whilst at the same time supporting and not judging me. This was something that I needed, looking back she was fantastic not to have told me to pull myself together and hang up the phone!

Instead, through her questions I realised myself what I had to do. The thing that I found the biggest surprise was that as a result of the coaching, examining myself in a challenging but supportive environment, I realised that the career change wasn't what I wanted. I don’ t think that I would have realised this (or admitted it to myself) had it not been for Barbara’s coaching.

So, thank you Barbara, your sessions were invaluable, you helped me discover my true path, working for myself and spending more time with my baby boy, a path I had never considered or felt confident enough to consider and a path I now LOVE.

I would recommend your coaching to anyone and found you to be an excellent coach and friend along the way!!!"

Clare Baylis (www.prettymummy.co.uk)

June 2007

“I found Barbara to be an excellent Coach – clear about her role, empathic, focussed and very professional with an ability to empower and enable.

She also demonstrated an immense patience as I was (on reflection) clearly not only ambiguous about effecting change in my life but confused about what I wanted. She used all the above skills to enable me to draw a conclusion with which I felt comfortable.

Given Barbara’s personal resourcefulness, her imagination, and her organisational and teaching skills I have no doubt she will be a highly successful coach at both a corporate and personal level."

Catherine

May 2007

“I have found the coaching sessions really useful. It has allowed me to realise my future goals by dealing with each issue separately.

I have become more motivated to realise the goals rather than just continue being unhappy with the situation I am in. The positive thinking aspect has really helped.

Barbara always helped me to state my negative thoughts into positive terms. The open structure of the sessions allowed me to focus on issues that were pertinent to me each week gently moving me towards achieving my longer term goals.”

Amy

December 2006

"I am delighted to recommend Barbara Cobbold as a Life Coach. she has been brilliant in helping me to lose weight by giving the right support and encouragement to stick to the diet.

I had lost confidence in my ability to lose weight but with her coaching skills Barbara introduced me to positive tools I could use such as visualising how much better Iwill feel when I have reached my target weight, how I can motivate myself with affirmations and reward myself when I achieve certain goals.

I am so grateful to her for her positive and practical attitude towards helping me set myself clearly defined goals and actions plans which have meant that I have managed to make excellent progress.

I would like to thank her so much for being my coach and supporting me in turning my life around."

Sybilla

November 2006