Kieran Townsend

Youth coaching

I’m Kieran, a youth development coach and mentor, specialising in helping young people and young adults build greater clarity, confidence, systems, and direction as they move through education, early adulthood, and the first stages of their careers.

I work with young people who may be struggling with confidence, pressure, motivation, overthinking, routine, or uncertainty about what comes next. My coaching provides a calm and practical space to slow things down, think clearly, and take meaningful action forward.

I believe coaching can play an important role in helping young people build confidence, independence, and a stronger sense of direction. Through thoughtful conversation, practical action, and consistent reflection, coaching helps young people better understand themselves and move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

I work with young people from a variety of backgrounds and at different stages of their journey — whether they are navigating school pressures, considering career paths, or stepping into the world of work.

My coaching style is thoughtful but practical. At the core of my approach is a simple philosophy:

Test. Refine. Simplify. Live well.

Rather than chasing perfection or quick fixes, coaching is about helping people experiment with what works, reflect honestly, simplify what feels overwhelming, and build a way forward that feels steady, meaningful, and sustainable.

I have extensive experience supporting neurodivergent young people, including those with ADHD and autism, as well as those facing challenges with their mental wellbeing. I’m a qualified Mental Health and Youth Mental Health First Aider and have completed further training in counselling skills and understanding autism.

What is coaching and how can it help young people?

Coaching is a practical and supportive process that helps young people think clearly, take ownership of their future, and move forward with greater confidence and resilience.

As a coach, I create a space where young people can slow down, speak openly about what’s going on, and develop practical tools, habits, and ways of thinking that support long-term growth.

If you’re ready to start, I offer a free 30-minute introductory session where we’ll clarify your current situation, define your goals, and explore how coaching could support you. You’ll also leave with practical actions to help you begin moving forward.

Mindset & Performance Coaching

Alongside youth development, I also work with students and early-career professionals on mindset — the way we think about challenges, setbacks, and opportunities.

Together we identify limiting beliefs, develop stronger patterns of thinking, and build mental habits that support steady progress. This work is relevant in many areas of life, whether you’re navigating education, stepping into your career, or striving to perform at your best in sport, study, or work.

Many of the ideas I use are rooted in Stoic philosophy — a practical approach to life that has helped people navigate uncertainty, pressure, and setbacks for over 2,000 years

Some of the principles we often explore include:

• Focusing on what you can control
• Taking action rather than becoming stuck in overthinking
• Keeping perspective and seeing the bigger picture
• Moving forward despite fear or uncertainty

What I Offer

 Most coaching sessions are conducted online via video call. In-person sessions may also be available depending on location — please contact me to discuss availability and pricing.

My work focuses on helping young people and early-career professionals improve their lives across four interconnected areas:

1. Mindset – how you think and respond
2. Performance – how you operate under pressure
3. Lifestyle – how you live day to day
4. Purpose – understanding why you do what you do

Across these areas, the aim is to help clients build greater clarity, confidence, systems, and direction in the way they live, think, and move forward.

Through coaching, we work to strengthen each of these areas so you can perform at a high level while also building a meaningful and balanced life.

The Coaching Process

Each session is shaped around your specific goals and challenges.

Our conversations are thoughtful but practical. I take notes during sessions to capture key insights and share these with you afterwards so you can continue reflecting and building on what we’ve discussed.

Sessions are interactive and often involve practical tools such as Zoom whiteboards to help organise ideas visually and make learning collaborative.

One method I regularly use is the Teach-Back method, where clients explain ideas or strategies back in their own words. This helps deepen understanding and builds genuine ownership of the process. We also agree clear actions between sessions so that the ideas we discuss are applied in real life.

Alongside coaching conversations, I have developed resources and exercises that support areas such as:

• Building effective productivity systems
• Preparing for exams and academic pressure
• Developing strong habits and routines
• Defining and living by personal values
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Applying practical philosophy to modern challenges
   

I’m an active member of the Association for Coaching, committed to continuous professional development and adhering to their global code of ethics.

Get in touch

If you’re looking for a calm, practical, and supportive approach to coaching, I offer a free 30-minute introductory session where we can explore your current situation, what you’d like to improve, and whether coaching feels like the right fit, you can book easily here.

• Sport performance
• Mindset
• Life purpose
• Anxiety
• Personal development
• Lifestyle

I offer a complimentary 30-minute online introductory coaching session. This is a chance to understand what support may be useful, explore whether coaching feels like the right fit, and identify a few practical first steps.

Most coaching sessions are 60-minute video calls via Zoom. These are usually most effective when held weekly or fortnightly, depending on the client’s needs and goals.

Current coaching options:

60-minute coaching session — £75
A focused one-to-one coaching session for support with confidence, clarity, motivation, routine, pressure, direction, or self-leadership.

30-minute check-in session — £40
A shorter session for light support, accountability, or keeping momentum between longer sessions.

90-minute planning and reflection session — £120
A deeper session for reviewing progress, exploring current challenges, and creating a clear plan for the next stage.

Authentic Confidence Starter Pathway — £295

A focused 6-week coaching pathway for young people who want to build real, evidence-based confidence through small actions, clearer thinking and stronger self-trust.

This may be useful for young people struggling with self-belief, overthinking, fear of judgement, social confidence, school or college confidence, motivation, or taking action before they feel ready.

Includes 4 x 60-minute coaching sessions over 6 weeks, simple between-session actions, client handouts, reflection tools, and a personal confidence plan to continue using afterwards.

While single sessions can be useful, coaching is often most effective when there is consistency over time. Where possible, I recommend working together for a longer period so we can build trust, identify recurring patterns, and create meaningful progress.

My availability for in-person sessions is limited and may include additional travel and time costs. Please get in touch if this is something you would like to discuss.

To book an introductory call please click here.

Testimonials

I have been having weekly drop in sessions with Kieran now for about 3 months. I reached out to him through a family contact, with the hopes of finding some structure and guidance around my day to day life and transiting into a career. Kieran has helped me with personal organisation and professional growth, through a deeper dive into self awareness and reflection of myself. This allowed me to clearly identify my strengths and weaknesses in order to recognise how to grow and better cater for myself and my objectives. 

Kieran’s expertise and affable nature has been invaluable in helping me craft an actionable plan that aligns with my personal values and professional aspirations. His tailored approach was instrumental in organising a stable routine, and guiding myself into creating an ideal environment for myself to reach my personal and professional objectives. Through new techniques and habits such as self reflection through journaling has instilled me with a sense of accountability, discipline and organisation that has made me feel a lot more confident and prepared in my day to day life.

University student Dec 23

Kieran has been working with my son, Jasper, since July 2022 as his mindset and mental wellbeing coach. 

Jasper is an aspiring footballer and from a young age we have embarked upon a footballing journey which began at grassroots levels and quickly progressed to Junior Premier League and wider regional Premier league academy football. 

As Jasper progresses through the ranks, as it were, we are finding that as much as the physical requirements of him increase, so does the physiological pressure. Something that we, as his parents, were not prepared for nor knew how to effectively manage.

We did a bit of research into mindset coaching for academy kids online and found Kieran’s profile via Google and the Life Coach Directory and immediately Kieran’s profile jumped out at us. 

Kieran has a track record of working with kids, but also is a former footballer and coach meaning he completely understands the journey Jasper is on, and can offer the support/guidance that is the gap in our knowledge as Jasper’s parents. 

Over the 18 months that Kieran has been working with Jasper we have found Kieran to be informed, positive and insightful providing Jasper with realistic and tangible goals to achieve each week as well as a more optimistic spin on his own approach to football.

Kieran has a kind and relatable approach with Jasper which Jasper really responds to well. Kieran allows Jasper to develop his own positive principles which empowers Jasper to feel as though he’s achieved his own goals within each session. 

The level of support and coaching that Kieran provides Jasper is vital to his weekly routine and something which has helped Jasper cope with the pressures of not only academy football, but also his approach to seeing challenges in a more positive mind frame.

December 23

Kieran’s sessions helped me on many aspects of my life. they made me organise my days, plan my life ahead and to prioritise things that are beneficial to me such as work, gym and my academic journey

November 23

“I was lost with a very sad young boy. He was consumed with negative thoughts and was incredibly anxious. I felt I had a toddler again who I couldn’t let out of my sight as he could crash at anytime. 
I thought about getting a counsellor but my son didn’t want one. I came across Kieran and thought would give it a try and I am so glad I did as I have my happy boy back. Kieran really helped him realise he is control of his thoughts and whether they are good or bad and how to stop him self from spiralling out of control. My son now has a bank of tools that he can use to help him, and I think this will be a huge benefit for him moving through secondary school. My son is in a good place and feels he doesn’t need sessions with him anymore, however we probably will have a session every now and again just to check in and because he enjoys his chats with Kieran. A huge plus for my son was that Kieran was a man, I’m a single mum with 2 older daughters and it was good for him to chat with a man and that Kieran was concentrating on him. 
I was worried about the cost aspect, but Kieran’s prices are fair and because he’s so good we didn’t need lots of sessions” - JULY 2023

"Thank you, Kieran, for helping me. I have found it helpful to be able to create rhythms to my day and therefore have more control in my life. Its good to know you are always available for me to contact you and have helpful advice" - Young person June 2023

“Post covid my son became quite negative about himself and his future, he lost his sense of purpose and needed guidance to re-engage with his A-levels. Kieran has been amazing, he has been the reset button needed - providing non judgemental advice and suggestions, challenging behaviour and embedded bad habits. I have seen such an improvement over the last six months with my son’s confidence, ability to self regulate, goal setting and positive mindset. My son said Kieran improved his confidence in sport, giving him the self belief to have a voice, so much so he achieved ‘players player’ award at his end of football sessions awards” - Parent to young client July 2022

"Kieran is a breath of fresh air. I was at a point in life where I was so wrapped up in its daily stresses I couldn’t see anything clearly and didn’t even know where to start! After I spoke with Kieran he was quickly able to understand my challenges and offer ways to break free of a miserable stress cycle. My mindset has totally shifted and if I lose track or am faced with other  curve balls in life I can always trust and count on Kieran to help me find a solution" C - Surrey

"From our first meeting Kieran really made me think about what it was I wanted to do, structuring my goals in a way that was easily achievable and helping me stay accountable, which improved my self esteem and motivation! Would highly recommend!" K - Reading