James Baxter

About me

Hi there, I’m James. Thanks for taking the time to view my profile.

I'm a warm, compassionate and highly effective life & career coach, with the depth of knowledge and breadth of expertise to best support you in overcoming challenges and achieving goals.

In these uncertain times, holding it all together is a bit of a balancing act.

For many of us, life can be like walking an emotional tightrope hung between two extremes of instability. At one end, we might feel constrained or stuck in a rut; at the other: overwhelmed, chaotic, out of control.

On the tightrope, it might seem like we lack the confidence, power or even desire to move forward. Something then, has to change.

Although no easy task, the trick is for us to remain balanced yet flexible; grounded yet able to embrace complexity.

And this is where coaching can really make a difference.

It’s a process to help navigate the uncertainties, complexities, and disruptions of the world we live in; giving you space to breathe, talk, and grow.

It can give you the courage to take charge of your life, the resilience to get through the tough stuff and the confidence to grow and blossom.

As your coach, my role is to support you on your journey but not to spoon-feed solutions or dish out unwanted advice.

I’ll help you reconnect with yourself, and feel energised & courageous about the possibilities in front of you.

I do this with kindness and without judgement; but also with an attentive curiosity. That means assumptions might be challenged; new perspectives taken and old stories rewritten.

Together, we'll create a safe, reflective space for you to explore the themes, challenges and barriers that might be blocking your path.

Along the way, we'll uncover insights, create learning opportunities, facilitate a greater level of self-awareness and nurture those green shoots of personal growth.

Holding it all together is a balancing act, but not one you have to do alone. We can work through it and get you flourishing again, like the wonderful human being you clearly are.

Transformation; tackled together.

Training, qualifications & experience

Qualifications & Memberships

Coaching Psychology (Postgrad. Cert.) - University of London
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
BA Hons. Humanities
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness Teaching Practitioner
Member of the Association for Business Psychology
Member of the Royal Society of Arts Coaching Network

Experience & Background

I have a postgraduate qualification in Coaching Psychology from the world-renowned department of Organizational Psychology at the University of London (a year-long academic course underpinned by research-based theory and supervised practice).

I am also an ex-teacher and education consultant, with deep knowledge and understanding about how to help people learn, change and flourish.

This is on top of an extensive career in the media industry where I led teams, projects and concepts to huge success.

In short, I am not an 'over-night' coach but a life-long practitioner: with me you’ll be in safe, experienced hands.

I believe in practising what you preach: as part of my ethical practice I undergo regular supervision, personal therapy and developmental coaching so as to ensure I am always working at the highest level of professional responsibility.

Areas of coaching I deal with

Other areas of coaching I deal with

Examples of bespoke coaching programmes I have recently delivered:

Confidence: Build a confident and positive mindset

Flourish: Find your element and flourish

Momentum: Get unstuck and get moving

Regain: reclaim control and get organised

Worth: Build self-esteem and positive self-talk

Photos & videos

Fees

From £90.00 to £150.00
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session

Additional information

My fees

First, we'll meet for a complementary consultation where we can chat further about what brings you to coaching, what you want to achieve through the process, and what you can expect from me as your coach.

Should we both feel keen to proceed, we'll then contract for an initial series of sessions with a length, frequency and medium that suits you.

Many clients often go on to re-contract for either ongoing sessions or another bespoke series, depending on needs.

My fees are realistic, competitive and flexible. I take a sympathetic approach when discussing rates to ensure affordability: I’ll do my best to create a package that works for you.

As an indication, clients should expect to pay between £90-£150 per high quality coaching session depending on package; but if this seems out of reach for you, let's discuss things further.

When I work

I offer sessions across the working week, as well as out of office hours & weekends.

My diary gets very busy but I'll always do my best to find a time that suits you.

Further information

Recent testimonials

"I did a lot of research to find the right coach and out of the three I eventually talked to I knew that James was the only one I wanted to work with. He is warm, friendly and made me feel comfortable from the start, which allowed me to be open and honest without fear of judgement. James wasn't afraid to challenge me where appropriate, but it always felt like a supportive nudge - not a personal attack. In response, James is also very flexible and was happy to amend his approach if I felt we needed to change tact.
By the end of 6 sessions we had come up with a plan that I could put into action and build upon, which was the key outcome I wanted from the sessions.
I can't recommend James highly enough."
TL, third sector management, East London (Oct. '21 – ongoing)

“I would highly recommend James as a coach. I was very nervous about the process at first, but was made to feel instantly at ease by his compassion whilst also really liking the session content and structure.
James created a safe place for me, where I felt comfortable talking about topics and themes which would not usually be ones I would focus in on. Without this, the sessions would lose a lot of impact and therefore that was a huge win!
I found the session structure worked well, and it was great having a regular part of my week to focus around and help push for change. This check in, and the developmental activities between sessions helped to keep the goals from signing up for coaching front and centre, which was great.
I also enjoyed taking the time to work on myself - having never really done it before - it felt rewarding to focus inward for once.
I think the biggest surprise for me was being able to enjoy it! In truth I didn’t expect to, as I avoided addressing my challenges for so long. As such, to find it useful, cathartic, interesting, and a stress relief, was very welcome!
Over my time with James, I’ve learnt quite a bit. The key areas have been around taking more time to reflect on things and think them through; and realising how insidious some of my negative traits had been, and could continue to be. But the big one for me has been understanding the importance of change.
I now feel well-equipped and well-motivated to change going forward. Thank you for helping me getting started and staying on this path forward!”
PM, financial director, London (Nov. ’20 - ongoing)