Louise Wheeler

2 Oxford Road Farmoor Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 9NN View map
01865 596771 / 07786925969 http://www.coachingoxford.co.uk/ Click here to Email me

Profile

Specialising in career, business and executive coaching, Louise is a qualified and experienced coach with a solid professional track record working at a senior level in the commercial sector.

Coaching can help you to identify where you want to go and helps you to do this quicker and more easily than if you were working on your own. Louise uses a person-centred approach to coaching which means that the person being coached is firmly in control of the agenda for each session. This approach relies on mutual honesty, non-judgmental acceptance and empathy. It is, of course, completely confidential. Coaching is a temporary process that normally begins and ends within a period of six months, sometimes much less. However, it is possible to re-contract if you wish to work towards new goals or want to have a periodic 'check-in' to keep things on track.

It is often particular experiences or aspects of our lives that block our awareness of what we are capable of or the range of choices we have. Stress can be a key factor in preventing us from slowing down enough to think clearly about what we really want. Sometimes we find ourselves heading in a direction that we believe we have not actively chosen. It is at these points that we can benefit from getting some new perspectives on our now in order to take control of our future.

As a coach Louise can help you to take a step back and consider how satisfied you are with the various aspects of your life and work in a safe space. You can choose to work on one or more area that you feel you would like to change in some way. Rather than offer advice, she will provide 'sign-posting' and sometimes challenge your assumptions in order to help you identify your goals, consider all your options and build an action plan.

Louise's description of the coaching process: "The coaching takes place, primarily, face-to-face and begins with a session of 30-45 mins which is free of charge. This allows us to meet to discuss how the coaching may be of use to you and for me to explain a bit more about the coaching process. Prospective clients normally have quite a few questions at this stage and I welcome the opportunity to answer these in full. It is at this point that we will agree, or not, for the coaching relationship to go ahead.

I can provide telephone coaching if face-to-face is not practical athough I always aim to meet with my clients in the early stages of the coaching. I use email to follow up on sessions and to check in between meeting, when appropriate. Some clients like to have some tasks or actions to work on before their next session. Others prefer a less structured approach. You can decide what works best for you.

I do not ask clients to commit to a definite number of sessions but I advise that four to six sessions are often a good number. Coaching, by its very nature, aims to promote self-sufficiency in the person being coached and for this reason it does not promote dependency on the coach themselves. You can cease the coaching at any point if you do not feel it is helping or if you feel you have achieved what you need to. So, there is flexibility in the arrangement."

Training, Qualifications & Experience

Louise is a qualified coach with a MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice from Oxford Brookes University (2007) and is also trained to use Nancy Kline's Thinking Partnership approach to coaching and facilitation. She is a registered occupational and ability test user for the British Psychological Society with access to some excellent personality psychometric tools. These can help inform clients' career and life choices. Louise's first degree was in Hotel and Catering Management and she has a wealth of experience in the commercial and business world. As a Commercial Director, at GfKNOP in research and performance measurement, she worked with private and public sector clients and managed large and successful client-facing teams. She also specialises in delivering training and facilitated workshop sessions to promote learning and build skill sets. She is the Director of Research at Insight Oxford which offers research and coaching consultancy. Louise is continuing to develop and broaden her independent coaching portfolio and enjoys working with a balance of individual and corporate clients. Adhering to the European Mentoring & Coaching Councils code of ethics Louise can provide professional references on request. She is a full member of the Association for Coaching, the Oxford Brookes Coaching and Mentoring Society and the Market Research Society. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Portsmouth on the European Business Programme and an active member of ROBIN (Responsible Oxfordshire Business Involvement Network).

Areas of life coaching I deal with

Fees

Negotiated on an individual basis, flexible around income and coaching needs.
'Pay As You Go' standard rate £47 per hour + VAT. Discounts available when blocks of 4 sessions or more are booked. Please contact for more details. Initial 'no strings' 30 minute session free of charge.

Further Information

Here are a few examples of what some clients have achieved:
- Became more self-confident when presenting and contributing to meetings
- Reached the next step on the career ladder
- Re-located to follow a chosen career path
- Increased self-belief in order to make a new career move
- Addressed issues around work / life balance - more life, less work!
- Overcome difficult issues with staff / colleagues
- Moved forward positively from redundancy

News - Coaching for Female Motorcyclists
Are you a 'would be' female motorcyclist or have you passed your test but want to develop your confidence to get out on 2 wheels and enjoy the ride!

Motorcycling has traditionally been a man's world which can be intimidating and alienating for women who would like to own and ride a bike. Whilst some in the industry are making real efforts to welcome women there is still work to be done and some of the changes need to come from women and their own self-perceptions.

Initial research tells me that one of the main hang ups for female motorcyclists is the physical aspects of handling their bike confidently - often when they are not actually riding it - for example, manoeuvering them at slow speeds or while not sitting on the bike. Getting out of parking spaces, turning and handling your bike in small spaces, the fear of dropping your bike or toppling over -  this is completely normal in fact men stress about it too they are just not always quite as willing to admit it!

I have ridden motorbikes for over 20 years and would love to see more women not only passing their tests but using their bikes regularly with confidence and self-belief. My theory is that most of the issues come from our thoughts and beliefs about what we can and can't do; that with a positive mental attitude we can overcome the "bike is too tall" "I am not strong enough" mentality - this is not a criticism - I've been there! Honestly, it is almost all about having a confident mindset and and developing some practiced techniques that work for you.

My approach to coaching will encourage you to explore and identify your own techniques and tools that will help you to get the most out of your biking.  This will enable you to continue to build confidence and skills once the coaching has finished.

I work with new or returning motorcyclists. Coaching can be provided prior to starting formal training (e.g. CBT or DAS) or after you have completed it.  It may be that you have your bike licence but have not yet done much riding on your own.

Whatever your circumstances, I will work with you to build your confidence and self-belief to help you get on 2 wheels and enjoy the ride. Drawing on my experience I can also provide hints and tips to help you navigate this rather male-shaped world which, on the whole, is extremely friendly and welcoming once you are in a postive frame of mind!

If you are interested in this area of my work I would love to hear from you!

Online, email or telephone life coaching available
Face to face life coaching available