From the first call to the last session
How coaching with me works
Coaching with me follows a clear path: a free call, a discovery session that maps the problem, a programme of five, eight or twelve 90-minute sessions, and an agreed end. This page explains each step, what a session feels like and how you’ll know it’s working.
Five steps, start to finish
1. A free 30-minute call
By phone, at a time that suits you. You tell me what’s going on and I tell you whether coaching is the right tool. If it isn’t, I’ll say so and suggest what would be.
2. The discovery session (90 minutes)
At 1 Harley Street, in Edgbaston or online. I map the problem with you in detail: where it shows up, what it costs you, what you’ve tried and what you want instead. You leave with a plan and a first exercise.
3. The programme (five, eight or twelve sessions)
Sessions weekly or fortnightly. Each one reviews the last week, works on one thing in depth and ends with specific actions for the next.
4. Support between sessions
Email or text me when something comes up: a meeting that went badly, a night you didn’t sleep, a moment where the old habit won. You don’t have to wait a fortnight to talk it through.
5. The end
The programme has an agreed end. In the last session I review with you what changed, what still needs attention and how you’ll keep the new habits going on your own.
What a session feels like
A session is a structured conversation in a quiet room or on a private call. You talk; I listen and ask questions until the pattern behind the problem is clear. Then I work with you on it directly: rehearsing a difficult conversation, changing how you respond to a trigger, reframing a belief that has run your decisions for years.
I use practical coaching methods and NLP techniques, and hypnotherapy where it helps and you choose it. None of it is mysterious. I explain what I’m doing and why, and you can say no to anything.
Most people find the first session a relief. Saying the whole thing out loud to someone who doesn’t judge, and who has heard it before, takes some of its weight away.
Why habits are hard to change
Your conscious mind can only hold a few things at once. Habits, fears and automatic reactions run below that, which is why you can feel motivated one day and slip back the next. This video explains the difference, and it’s the reason coaching with me works on both levels.
The conscious and subconscious mind
In this longer video I explain the difference between the conscious mind, which can hold only a handful of things at once, and the subconscious, where habits live. That gap is why you can feel motivated one day and slip back into old patterns the next.
Captions are available on YouTube.
How you’ll know it’s working
At the first session I ask what you would notice if the problem were solved. The answers are specific: presenting without a week of dread, leaving the office by seven, sleeping through, saying no to a request without guilt. Those become the measures.
At each session you tell me what changed against them. Some weeks are better than others, and that’s useful information too. If progress stalls, I change the approach rather than repeat it.
- Early sessions: you understand the pattern and start to interrupt it.
- Middle sessions: the new response starts to happen without effort some of the time.
- Final sessions: you can do it without me, and you have a plan for the moments you can’t.
Preparing for your first session
You don’t have to prepare anything. If you’d like to get the most from the first session, spend ten minutes beforehand on three questions:
- What exactly happens when the problem shows up? Think of the last time, in as much detail as you can.
- What has it cost you over the past year, at work, at home and in your health?
- If the next three months went well, what would be different?
Bring notes if they help. Some people arrive with a page of them; others bring nothing and talk. Both work.
For an in-person session, allow a few minutes to find the building. For an online session, test the link beforehand and choose a room where you can talk freely.
Coaching online
Online sessions follow the same plan as sessions in my rooms. I send a Zoom link before each appointment, and FaceTime or phone work too if you prefer. You can join from home, from a hotel room on a business trip or from another country.
Online coaching suits people whose diaries change from week to week, people who live far from London and Birmingham, and international clients across Europe, the Middle East, the USA and India. It costs the same as a session in the room. The fees page lists every price.
When coaching stops
Coaching stops when you have what you came for, at the end of the agreed programme, or earlier if it’s clear something else would serve you better. If the work shows that therapy or your GP is the right next step, I’ll tell you and help you find it.
I don’t sell ongoing retainers. If you want to come back later, get in touch and I’ll suggest what would help.
Coaching with a clear end also changes how you use the sessions. Knowing there are five, eight or twelve of them keeps both of us focused on the problem you came with.
Ending well matters. In the final session I go back to the measures you set at the start, so you can see the change for yourself rather than take my word for it. You leave with a short written plan: what to keep doing, the early signs that the old pattern is returning, and what to do when you notice them.
Choosing the right person
Whoever you choose, the fit matters as much as the method. Ask about training, check it, and speak to two or three people before you commit. In this video I talk through how I’d choose a practitioner myself.
Next: fees and packages, frequently asked questions or more about me.
How to choose the right practitioner
In this video I give advice on choosing a therapist or coach: ask people you trust for a referral, look for experience with your issue, shortlist three and speak to each by phone before you commit. The same advice applies to choosing a coach.
Captions are available on YouTube.
Questions about the process
Is coaching the same as therapy?
No. Coaching is not therapy. Coaching works on where you want to go and what stops you getting there. Therapy treats mental health problems and the past that drives them. I’m trained in both, so I can tell you which one suits what you describe.
How often are sessions?
Usually weekly or fortnightly. Weekly suits a deadline or an acute problem. Fortnightly gives you more time to practise between sessions. You can change the rhythm as you go.
What if I miss a session?
Cancel by email at least 48 hours before and wait for my written confirmation of the new date. Without that confirmation the session is charged.
Do you use hypnosis in coaching?
Only if it would help and you want it. Hypnotherapy can be useful for nerves, habits and sleep. I explain what it involves first, and it is always your choice.
Can I come back after a programme ends?
Yes. Get in touch, describe what has come up, and I’ll suggest the shortest option that fits rather than assume you need to start again from the beginning.
Start with a free 30-minute call
You describe the problem. I tell you whether coaching is the right tool and how I’d approach it. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you that too. No obligation, and I reply within 24 hours.
- You send the formName, number and a line or two about what’s going on.
- I reply within 24 hoursBy phone or email, whichever you prefer, to book a time.
- A free 30-minute callYou decide afterwards. No obligation, no follow-up pressure.
Still deciding?
“I highly recommend Stuart. 10/10 experience. Right from the beginning he made me feel so comfortable and he seemed to genuinely care about what I had to say.”