Outdoor coach, facilitator and systems thinker
Like most of the world, our house has spent the weekend absorbing the theatrical phenomenon that is Hamilton. Stories are important. It is certainly an impressive work of theatre. The music and staging is awesome. And the central message that Alexander Hamilton (and I challenge you to say that without the musical motif playing in…
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She says that she realizes she has been so busy trying to be brilliant and perfect that she has been missing the opportunity to learn, to not know, to make mistakes, and to be on an equal footing with her peers. Speaking as if from the voice of her painting she says, “I am your…
Read MoreYou’re not really sure what you want from your career but you’re pretty sure it’s not this. You’ve invested so much time and energy, actual years of your life have been devoted to your research and your teaching but the reality of working in the 21st century university is slowly grinding you down and you…
Read MoreCW: grief and death. This crisis has been very informative of what employers really think about their staff. I think we need to try and treat this period of lock down and social distancing as a hibernation: a chance to withdraw and quietly consider possibilities. Now I know that most of us are going to…
Read MoreIt’s the last day of the holidays. The day has vanished under the weight of of last minute homework, bag packing, laundry and tidying away Christmas. Alongside a heavy dose of the Sunday night fear for 50% of us. The day has also vanished under a chorus of “mum” “mum” “mum” “mum” “mum” “mum” peppered…
Read MorePamela is a senior academic who had four sessions to work through some questions around career crossroads. What hesitations did you have about working with [Maxine]? I had no hesitations. Partly because I felt that I needed to speak to a professional and you were one. It was a huge bonus that you understood the…
Read MoreSometimes working with a coach is hard. This morning my husband was a royal pain in the butt, in that way only someone you’ve spent nearly 20 years with can be. I was angry but then I asked myself about the story I was telling myself. I was definitely, absolutely, 100% right and he was…
Read MoreOh hi. So what do you do? Hi, my name’s Maxine and I’m a coach Oh wow, lovely, who’s your target market? I work with brilliant women in academia who are ready to take the next step [eyes dart nervously around the room, voice lowers to a whisper] actually I’m on a secret mission to…
Read MoreMy favourite way to coach is to work with the metaphors and narratives we carry with us and through which we experience our lives. It feels creative, working with the more abstract side of our thinking. I don’t seek to smash stories down and rebuild new ones in their place. I prefer to shine a…
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The stories we tell ourselves about writing We all have stories about writing and about ourselves as writers. Often, these stories stand between us and our finished writing. But they are just stories and we can tell ourselves more helpful stories if we choose. My own story about writing is that I’m not a good…
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