Clare Van Der Spuy

Thinking Partner | A confidential space to think clearly about work, life and the decisions that matter

You don't have to be struggling to benefit from having somewhere to think.

Many of the people I work with are capable, thoughtful people. They're used to getting on with things, solving problems, carrying responsibility and being the person other people turn to.

From the outside, life may look perfectly fine.

But that doesn't mean there aren't things that are difficult to think through alone.

A decision you keep going round in circles on.

A situation at work that doesn't quite sit right.

A boundary you know you need to set but somehow don't.

A change you're considering but can't quite make sense of.

A familiar pattern you keep finding yourself in.

Or perhaps nothing is obviously wrong. You simply have the feeling that the way you're working or living no longer quite fits who you are.

Sometimes we need somewhere to put all of that down and look at it properly.

That's what a Thinking Partnership offers.

What is a Thinking Partnership?

I'm Clare, and I work as a Thinking Partner.

That means I provide a confidential, thoughtful space in which you can bring whatever feels important, complicated, unresolved or simply worth exploring.

You don't need to arrive with a perfectly formed goal.

You don't need to know what the problem is.

And you certainly don't need to have worked out what you want to do about it.

We start with where you are.

I listen carefully — not just to what you're saying, but to the patterns, assumptions, contradictions and sometimes the things that seem difficult to say.

I ask questions.

I might challenge something that doesn't quite add up, offer another perspective or help you separate what you actually know from the story you've built around it.

And sometimes I'll simply give you enough space to hear yourself think.

We might start with one question and discover that the thing you really need to think about is something else entirely.

That's part of the work.

My role isn't to give you the answers or tell you how you should live your life.

It's to help you see more clearly what is happening, understand yourself and the situation better, and make choices that feel genuinely yours.

What can we talk about?

Pretty much anything that matters to the way you're working or living.

People bring questions about work, relationships, decisions, confidence, boundaries, responsibility, identity, change, pressure, burnout, purpose, difficult conversations and what they want next.

Sometimes the question is very practical.

Do I stay or leave?

How do I have this conversation?

Why can't I say no?

Why am I so tired when, on paper, everything is going well?

What do I actually want now?

At other times, it's harder to name.

You may simply know that something feels off.

Work and life don't exist in separate boxes, and I don't expect you to either. What happens in one part of our lives inevitably affects the others.

So you bring the whole person, not just the professional version of yourself.

How I work

My approach is conversational, reflective and very human.

There is no rigid framework to follow and no standard programme into which I try to fit you.

Nor do I begin from the assumption that there is something wrong with you that needs fixing.

Instead, we become curious.

What's actually happening here?

What do you know?

What are you assuming?

What are you feeling before you explain the feeling away?

Whose expectations are you responding to?

What keeps repeating?

What matters to you?

And what might become possible if you saw the situation differently?

Clarity doesn't mean having certainty about everything.

Often it simply means being able to see enough of what is really going on to make a more conscious choice about what happens next.

Sometimes that leads to a significant decision.

Sometimes it's a small change that alters far more than you expected.

And sometimes the important moment is simply recognising something you already knew but hadn't quite allowed yourself to acknowledge.

A little about me

I bring more than 30 years of experience from a varied working life spanning accountancy practice, French couture fashion, energy trading, aviation and property.

I've worked in demanding commercial environments, run businesses and led global teams. I've experienced very different organisational cultures and spent a great deal of my working life around capable people dealing with complexity, responsibility and change.

That experience matters because I understand that life rarely resembles the neat models we draw on paper.

People are complicated. Organisations are complicated. Families are complicated. Decisions have consequences. There are usually competing needs, imperfect choices and realities that can't simply be "mindsetted" away.

My professional training sits alongside that experience.

I am an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), with training in health coaching, psychodynamics, Physical Intelligence and applied neuroscience. My work is also trauma-informed.

My work is supported by regular professional supervision and ongoing learning and development.

But when we work together, I'm not interested in impressing you with theory.

I'm interested in you.

Clare Vie — clear, bright living

My work is guided by a wider philosophy I call Clare Vie® — clear, bright living.

At its heart is a simple principle:

The quality of your life will never consistently exceed the quality of your relationship with yourself.

Everything flows from there.

How you work.
How you love.
How you make decisions.
How you care for your body.
How you respond to pressure.
How much peace you experience.
How much of yourself you bring to the world.

A great deal of life is lived automatically. We inherit ideas about who we should be, what success looks like, what we're responsible for and what we're allowed to want.

We develop patterns that once made perfect sense and then continue following them long after we've forgotten why.

Clare Vie is, in part, an invitation to notice.

To Stay Awake.

To pay attention to yourself, other people and the reality of the situation you're in — and, from there, to choose more consciously how you want to participate in your own life.

That philosophy informs my work, but you don't need to know anything about Clare Vie to work with me.

You just need something you'd like to think about.

Working together

I work privately with people in the UK and internationally.

You might come because something is wrong.

You might come because something is changing.

You might have a decision to make.

You might be tired of going round the same loop in your own head.

Or you might simply value having a regular place where you can think out loud with someone who will listen carefully, ask good questions and isn't invested in you reaching any particular answer.

For an hour, you don't have to perform, have the answer or be the person who knows what to do.

You can come and think.

Clare van der Spuy
ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
Thinking Partner
Clare Vie® — clear, bright living

Free introductory conversation — 30 minutes

A relaxed, no-obligation conversation to talk about what you’d like to explore, ask any questions and see whether working together feels right.

One-off Thinking Partnership session — £225

A 60-minute private session for when you have something specific you’d like space to think through.

Ongoing Thinking Partnership — from £200 per session

For those who would like to work together over several conversations. Sessions are booked as a package and shaped around you, what you’re exploring and the pace that feels useful.

Special Rates - A limited number of sessions are available at a reduced rate for people on lower incomes, young adults aged 18–30, and people working in the charitable sector. Please feel free to ask when we speak.

All sessions are held online.

What some of my clients say

"Clare strikes the elusive balance between warmth, sensitivity and empathy, alongside a practical no-nonsense approach. There is nothing floaty or flowery in working with her. She is rooted in pragmatism which is applicable in an everyday setting, but she is also skilled enough to tie that through to the bigger underlying themes where they are driving things from behind the scenes." - DCI 

"The realization that I was feeling trapped hit hard during lockdown.

Trapped by a business that I had consciously co-created and had brought me much personal growth, happiness and pride. But it had not grown into the vision I had for it. Hours were long, I had little time to see my  family and I was doing things in the business that brought me no joy. Life was out of balance. It was draining me.

I told Clare about my ideas on the discovery call, but I wasn’t sure what was possible. We explored them, and together we created a realistic plan to create a new life for me. Session by session she guided me through the different stages to bring about the changes I wanted.

Six months on, my life is completely different. I have sold my share of the business and used the funds to set up by myself. The weight of responsibility for co-owning a demanding business has been lifted. I now work the hours that suit me and my family and I have the work-life balance I so badly craved. My kids are happier, they love the fact that I'm around more. I have more time with my partner, time for exercise, time to see friends and I am even thinking of having another baby!" - NF

“I had been feeling very “stuck” for a long time in a worn out groove – unable to make changes even though part of me was desperate for positive change. I was lucky enough to have a mutual friend who introduced me to Clare and the concept of Life Coaching. Clare is very kind, thoughtful and positive – she used her skills to help look at my life and my possibilities in a different light. I learnt to reframe my thinking, let go of painful issues from my past and believe in myself. I laughed and cried and thoroughly enjoyed the process. I am still “rebooting”, still learning but now I have a new tool kit to work with and hope in my heart. Clare is a wonderful guide to the possibilities of transformation.” - Ali Adams

“I have had the pleasure of working with Clare now for over a year. She has helped me many times to gain a new sense of perspective and energy to try new habits and push through on things I’ve been putting off! Her warm, kind and understanding nature and approach helps me to feel comfortable and to open up. She is deeply knowledgeable and passionate about all things health and I’ve learned so much from her. I would highly recommend working with Clare.” - Stephanie Mary

“Clare was very professional and had great listening skills, I just knew we would work well together.

Life coaching has helped me with different areas of my life, business, relationships, health and nutrition. Every session was different and very productive. Coaching has helped me believe in myself and my abilities. It enabled me to push myself further and go outside my comfort zone. I cannot recommend Clare highly enough, she will help you achieve all you wish for yourself and more!” - Helen F

“A phone call from Clare each Thursday evening became a real highlight of my week last summer. Juggling being a single mum of a busy teenager, looking after my elderly mother and working (albeit part-time) was taking it’s toll on my health, both physical and mental. Having overdone the exercise on a weak knee in the past also means that I can no longer walk well and have put on a lot of weight in the last few years. Although generally quite happy, I was resigned to me being the lowest priority in my own life and felt there was nothing I could do to change it. Clare listened, really listened, and helped me to step back and look at the big picture, then broke it down into areas which we could work on that felt achievable. Each week we focused on different things but always with a review and a challenge to keep the big picture in focus. Clare has such a lovely manner, you feel you can truly open up and tell her anything; she will never judge, just wants to help. She also has a wonderfully hypnotic voice which transported me to a very happy place when she helped me visualise how I would like to see myself in the future. I would highly recommend Clare as a Health Coach. She is knowledgeable and caring and helped me put my life back on track.” - Debi Lumley-Edwards

“When I started with Clare I already had a good knowledge around food choices but someone to talk about how hard it is and where the barriers are is crucial. Support from someone who is knowledgeable, friendly, open and understanding is invaluable. Clare explained things in a way I could relate to and set goals I could acheive, so little by little she helped me change some of my unwanted habits. ” - Jacqui C