Hiya! I’m Sophie.
I’m a coach for introverts, helping you create confidence, clarity and consistency in your business and life.
I specialise in working with introverted creative entrepreneurs to develop the mindset and practices to run a thriving business.
Now a Certified Self-belief Coach, I also have over seven years of entrepreneurial experience under my belt as a successful personal branding photographer.
Coach for Introverts
Watch this short video to hear more about how I support my self-belief coaching clients.
A bit about me…
🏠 I live in Bristol, England with my husband Sam and our adopted Collie x Spaniel, Otis (seen here in his happy place - the beach!)
🎓 I studied French, Spanish and Catalan at uni in Sheffield.
💻 Then I worked in digital marketing for a couple of small businesses before escaping the world of open-plan offices.
📷 My first business, started in 2016, was as a branding photographer and I worked with clients all over the UK and in Europe.
💡 In 2020, I trained as a life coach before going onto specialist coach training for working with self-doubt.
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🧡 The quiet carriage
🧡 Trying not to cry at Queer Eye (impossible!)
🧡 Reminding my dog that he’s the Goodest Boy
🧡 Having cereal for dinner
🧡 Everything Moira Rose has ever said
🧡 Botanical gardens and greenhouses
🧡 Mallorca and the Balearic Islands
🧡 All carbs, all the time
🧡 Parks & Rec, The Office US and 30 Rock
🧡 Bargain hunting on eBay and Vinted
🧡 Reading contemporary fiction
🧡 Getting right answers on Countdown and Catchprase
🧡 Early nights and slow mornings
My values
I try to live my values as much as I can (always imperfectly.) In no particular order, here’s what that looks like in practice:
When I need to hire someone to help me in my business, I first look to women and particularly women of colour. I pay people fairly and on time, and endeavour to send more business their way by mentioning their names in rooms they are not in, at every possible opportunity.
There are certain business and marketing tactics that have been normalised over recent years that I actively choose not to participate in. These include things like using my income or lifestyle to denote expertise, using pressurised sales tactics and manufactured scarcity (e.g. countdown timers), charging more for accessible payment plans, publicising my clients’ names and/or faces without their explicit permission.
I give credit where it’s due when I’m discussing (verbally or in writing) an idea or concept that was coined by someone else. For example, I learnt this feminist business practice of naming my teachers from Kelly Diels, and this values section of my website was inspired by work I’ve done with Siobhan Strode.
I deliberately prioritise reading books (fiction and non-fiction) written by women of colour and people with marginalised identities.
I divest from businesses that are not making a concerted effort to foster equity and inclusion.
I would not accept a paid contract or unpaid opportunity (such as a podcast guest invite) from a business or individual who is actively causing harm to marginalised groups. For example, anyone who shares sexist, racist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, fatphobic or otherwise hateful views.
I buy the majority of my clothes second-hand in order not to participate in the harmful practices (to both people and planet) perpetuated by the fast fashion industry. I also buy pre-loved items where possible for my home and in my business, such as things like my podcast mic and coaching training books, for example.
As a coach, I’m aware that my clients and I do not share the same worldview (because each of us are shaped by our identities and lived experience), and I’m mindful of unconscious bias that may try to make its way into the coaching container. I do not project my opinions or expectations onto the people I work with. I strive to help my clients ensure the goals they set are their own, and to understand where oppressive systems may be influencing their experience.
Where possible in my group programmes, I choose session times that allow for time zone inclusivity, and display my prices in multiple currencies or with links to currency converters.
When someone asks me for a recommendation for a business or service that I don’t provide, I make sure the list I send represents a diverse range of people with the right skills, not just people who look like me or come from the same background.
I never use face-altering filters on my Instagram stories, reels or photo posts, and try to avoid filters altogether (sadly, even the arty ones often have skin-smoothing effects built in) and I never use the “touch up appearance” settings that are offered to me on video call software. I don’t judge anyone who intentionally chooses to use these features because it feels right for them, especially if doing so helps them show up and share their message with the world. I just decided a long time ago that I felt comfortable not filtering my face and would prefer to opt out of this practice in order to not contribute to young people on social media aspiring to unattainable beauty standards (that are inevitably Eurocentric and otherwise problematic), which can be damaging to mental and physical health.
On a similar note, I reject diet culture in all its forms, because I see it as a tool of the patriarchy, designed to keep women small and deny them power.
I enable closed captions on my videos and use image descriptions and alt text to make my content accessible to those with hearing or visual impairments.
I know that practising allyship is a verb and an ongoing process, so I’m always learning.
My coaching credentials
I was originally trained by Co-Active Training Institute and am now also a Certified Self-belief Coach, having completed certification in Sas Petherick’s Self-belief Coaching Academy. These courses are both accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF), of which I am a member and whose code of ethics I abide by.
I’ve also taken additional short courses and workshops to deepen my skills, in modalities such as Internal Family Systems, practising self-compassion, and group coaching.
I undertake monthly coaching supervision with a qualified supervisor to ensure I’m delivering safe, ethical and effective coaching. I am fully insured.
I am a member of EMCC and abide by the Global Code of Ethics.
My self-belief story
You might assume, given that I’m a self-belief coach, that confidence has never been an issue for me, and that I’ve always believed in myself. Oh how wrong you’d be!
My journey to self-belief has been long. I grew up feeling like everyone else must’ve been born confident, and therefore I must be doomed! I felt very socially anxious and had an Olympic-level talent for overthinking.
It was only when I learnt I was an introvert at the age of 21, that I realised there wasn’t actually anything wrong with me. It explained why being around people felt so draining for me, whereas before I just made that mean that I was bad at making friends and that I’d never be able to succeed at anything.
The little confidence I had was shot to pieces in my second “proper job” out of uni. I went self-employed to escape that toxic environment, only to discover how critical believing in myself was going to be to running my own business successfully. And so began my deep dive into self-help and personal development!
