“A profound effect on my professional identity, my business plans and my overall confidence”
Safeguarding consultant Nicola Wendel shares her journey from overwhelm to clarity, through communications coaching with Eleanor Stanley.
When I first set up my consultancy, adjusting to running my own business was a huge learning curve. I was fresh from a safeguarding leadership role at a large, national charity. My experience spanned strategy and governance, regulation, policy, learning and development and business development. I really knew my stuff. But when it came to developing all this into a business, I was struggling to find my voice.
When someone suggested working with Eleanor, I wasn’t sure how coaching would work alongside communications techniques, but I needed some clarity and accountability and she understood my sector, so I just decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did!
First meetings
When we first met, it was clear that Eleanor was incredibly knowledgeable – but she was also really lovely. She helped me feel comfortable and think through what I wanted to get out of the coaching. She’d shared some questionnaires in advance to help me start to structure my thoughts, so I already had some ideas about what I might want to focus on.
From that first session, I felt I had the direction I’d lacked. Eleanor helped me explore and reframe my ideas and challenge my assumptions. She was so calm and warm, I quickly felt it was a space where I could be honest. I appeared in each session with a head full of overwhelm and she helped me break it down into structured, manageable tasks.
How we worked
A lot of our time was spent talking or using tools to get an overview or see things from a different perspective. Then, together, we’d test out messages and approaches (sometimes working together on a Google doc in real time) until I felt really clear about what I wanted to say.
Each session we agreed on a homework task. This meant I could put my learning into practice and gave me a clear focus for the days ahead. Within just a few weeks, I was feeling comfortable in my professional identity, with messaging and structures in place, ready to take on work.
What I learnt
Key things I learnt included breaking tasks down, finding my voice, understanding what I want to say, and the importance of consistency. We developed my online presence, voice and messaging and wrote some copy together in real time. By the end of the programme, I had all the wording ready to describe my offer and approach, for my social profile and website but also for bids. I’ve sustained that learning – I can do those things on my own now.
Having the broader coaching alongside communications advice worked really well. Before we could do the practical tasks, we needed to do some big-picture work. Pinning down my values helped me know I was communicating authentically. And it was reassuring to know she had the knowledge and experience to manage that work within professional boundaries.
Biggest changes
Through the months, I’ve re-learnt how to think about communication. I realised that I’d been thinking that I ‘should’ sound a certain way. I found my own voice and I shifted my focus to the people I’m writing for and what they will find helpful.
I also realised that I can be creative and take risks without fearing failure. Eleanor showed me the value of experimenting. If something works, then great and if it doesn’t, never mind. It takes away the pressure.
Unique to me
The real value of this approach was that it was completely tailored to my specific needs. Initially, I’d been immersing myself in advice: from friends, books and google. But none of it was completely relevant for my situation. With Eleanor, the work we did was perfectly developed around me and my capacity. We did no less, but no more, than I needed. We developed a long-term plan built around my audience but also my own personality, values, priorities and schedule.
It wasn’t all easy. For example, I never imagined I could feel comfortable posting on social media – my fear was too ingrained. And tackling that meant stepping out of my comfort zone. But it’s what I needed so I could grow. And Eleanor managed to encourage me through, in a way that felt good. It felt healthy.
When I finally wrote a whole post on LinkedIn announcing my new consultancy, I got supportive reactions from more than 100 colleagues! Seeing all those well-wishers helped me overcome a massive hurdle. I realised there was a lovely community of people ready to support me.
A profound impact
Working with Eleanor was brilliant. I expected to learn the communications tips. What surprised me was the profound impact on my business plans, my professional identity and my overall confidence.
In particular, working on my narrative was transformational. Something has shifted in me. Now, when I tell people what I do, I don’t even slightly hesitate. I know who I am and how that links to my business. I’m clear about how I want people to see me and what my values are that underpin all that – not just in writing, but face to face too.
With Eleanor, I gained the confidence and skills I needed to start this new part of my life. Today I’m up and running and all this work is ‘business as usual’. I was so terrified at first. Now I honestly love it.