About Me

Chichester & online across the UK · Firework® Licensed Career Coach · Association for Coaching member · FRSA · 25 years’ experience

Who I am

 

I tend to see possibilities in people that they don’t always see in themselves.

I find it fascinating to understand what makes people tick, what matters to them and what they are capable of. That curiosity has been a thread throughout my working life, first through 25 years of teaching, training teachers and leadership development, and now as a career coach.

My own career hasn’t followed a straight line either. After my second redundancy in 2022, I had to face some fairly big questions about what I wanted from the next stage of my working life. Since then, I’ve developed my own portfolio career. You can read more about how I came to be a career coach.

Curiosity spills over into the rest of my life too. Since moving to the South Coast in 2017, I’ve taught myself how to level ground, mix cement, lay patios, prune trees and look after a 17th-century cottage.

When I’m not working, you’ll most often find me in the garden or cooking for a houseful of people.

A free 30-minute online conversation

Image of Jessica Harley, professional career coach.

How I work

 

It can be surprisingly difficult to see our own value. We get used to the things we’re good at, overlook strengths that come naturally to us and sometimes become so caught up in what we think we should be doing that it’s difficult to work out what we actually want.

I listen closely, ask questions and notice things that you may have overlooked or dismissed. I’ll support you, but I’ll also challenge you when I think it will help. Together, we work out what you bring, what matters to you and what you want next.

That might mean helping you recognise and articulate your value in an application or interview. Or it might mean exploring whether the work you’re doing still works for you.

And if you don’t know what comes next, you don’t have to know the answer before you start. We will follow your curiosity, test possibilities and learn from what happens. One conversation, application, course, introduction or experiment can reveal something you couldn’t have worked out by sitting at home thinking harder.

“Jess’s ability to summarise and recap my often incoherent rambling was really powerful and energising, I would always come away with clarity and clear actions.”

Issy, from accountant to a place on a psychology master’s

Coaching options and fees

Find out more about each kind of coaching, including what’s included and the fees:

The consultation is an opportunity for you to talk about what is happening and decide whether coaching with me feels like the right next step.

The consultation is a confidential 30-minute online meeting, with no obligation to continue.