Lara Murray

Hi, I'm Lara - an accredited coach and a practising lawyer. I specialise in a different kind of career coaching — for high achievers who have successful careers… and dread going to work.

It’s not something you say out loud to any but your closest friends, but that “dream job” you landed feels an awful lot like a nightmare most days. If you had to post a status on the relationship you have with work, you’d say “It’s complicated.” Because you don’t always hate it. You love the challenge, the prestige and the pay's not bad either (let’s be honest).

But you’re here because there’s something you don’t love. And maybe you’re not quite sure what needs to shift, but something definitely does. 

Let’s figure out what that is.

​My coaching packages are designed to help you get clear on what changes you need to make and support you in actually making them, whether you want to stay in your career or switch to a completely different one.

What we can explore together:

• Your unique values (and evaluating your job situation based on them)
• What isn’t working for you in your work environment
• Why you’re struggling to communicate with your colleagues (and how to improve)
• Where fears, insecurities, and behavior patterns come into play (and how to overcome them)
• How to stop overthinking and second-guessing yourself (and feel the confidence you’ve worked hard to earn)
• Ways to adapt to your working environment by recognising unhelpful thoughts and patterns that may be holding you back
• How to navigate a career change, if it’s necessary

My story

What do you do with a first in English Literature? That’s what everyone asks you, and it’s what I was asking myself as I neared graduation 11 years ago. It seemed like everyone around me was considering law, and it seemed fun to be a lawyer (I’d always loved acting - switching from audience to courtroom or the negotiating table seemed a good use of that skill set). Glamorous even.

You know where I’m going with this, right? 

Of course you do. 

Fast forward through law school and picture me in one of the top 5 law firms in the UK, stressed out of my mind, trying to quash my naturally friendly, empathetic nature. Like a dolphin in the shark tank. 

Maybe if I faked shark really well? 

I tried. I put on a facade of ‘corporate person’ and willed myself to grow a thicker skin, to hide that tender heart.

Don’t get me wrong, sharks are impressive - lords of the ocean. I just wasn’t one of them. And when you’re not a shark, the shark tank is a very uncomfortable place to work.

But I loved law. I loved the financial security of it, the cache it held (who doesn’t get a secret thrill handing out their business card?), the problem-solving aspect of it, the ability to help people in difficult situations, the challenge. 

So I left to join a smaller firm that seemed friendlier, and I loved it… at first. But when the rose-tinted glasses fell away, I realised it was just a smaller shark tank.

I started to question whether I was cut out for law. I thought the problem might be the law firm environment; my personality just wasn’t a good fit (I’d go through vicious cycles of anxiety and withdrawing). I looked at websites about “Leaving the Law” with alternative careers (the options were overwhelming - maybe I should go back to acting?), and then I went to a career coaching day — and I saw coaches helping people like me find actionable solutions for what to do next. The relief on those people’s faces! 

Confession time: I fell in love with coaching and I went into it as a way to build my own confidence, to become more comfortable talking to people, to get out of my withdrawal cycles. While training, I learned how to identify my core values:

Freedom, Autonomy, Appreciation

And I realised that I’d found NONE of these working in law firms. 

It was time to find a new balance.

I didn’t leave the law to become an actor, or even to become a coach. But I did switch to working in consultancy law where I have more control over my day (Autonomy), more control over where I work and for how long (Freedom), and even more Appreciation. I get the sense of challenge that I love and have the financial security that I value, without having to play Dodge the Sharks.

Coaching was the piece I didn’t know I was missing from my life, the place where empathy isn’t a liability, it’s a job requirement. Today, I help other high-achievers who don’t feel like they quite fit — in law, finance, medicine, and other high pressure jobs — to find what they really need to be happy.

• Can you change how you’re perceiving the situation? Or change your approach?
• Is the environment not right for you?
• Is the job not right for you?
• Do you need to leave, or can you stay with some adjustments?
• Is it time to start your own business or switch careers?

You don’t have to quit your job to become a penniless painter in an attic (unless you want to). We can form a plan to ensure your financial needs are met AND you’re pursuing what you’re passionate about.

I used to joke that I sold my soul to the law firm, like I was their property. My life was that job, and unlike my coworkers, I wasn’t happy about it. Once I identified my values, I realised that the problem wasn’t me, and it wasn’t them — it was a fundamental misalignment.

Here’s how values misalignment may present:

• Dreading the work week (even Saturdays are poisoned).
• Monday through Friday feels like wading through treacle.
• You start withdrawing, avoiding interacting with people in the office.
• Losing motivation, taking longer to finish your work, feeling resentful and guilty at the same time.
• Feeling like you don’t fit in (and you don’t really want to).

Now, my values are my compass. If I start to notice that I just can’t be bothered on Sunday, or I’m struggling to concentrate, or I dread going into work — I check with my values, and start to unpick what’s me, what’s the job, what’s the environment, and which value has been compromised. 

I’m happier now than I’ve ever been, balancing my legal career on one side, and my coaching business on the other.

Your balance may look different, but the important thing is: It’s yours.

Working Together:

The best way to understand how coaching can help you is to experience it. I like to have a (free) consultation call before starting any new coaching partnership for us to get to know each other better and see if we are a good fit. I also offer a taster session so you see what it's like working with me before committing to a coaching package.

Please see my website for more information and you can check out some of my testimonials in the further information section below.

Each of my coaching packages is 4 months long (consisting of 8 one-hour long online sessions every other week) and each package builds on the previous one. More details of the packages can be found on my website. 

Investment

The cost of each package is £680 (equivalent to £85 per session).

I also offer a taster session for £95 so you can experience coaching and what it's like working with me. If you then decide to go ahead, the £95 will be deducted from the full package cost and the taster session will then count as your first session in the package.

​If you are interested to explore working together then you can book a free consultation call so we can get to know each-other and discuss what would suit you best.

Testimonials

"Lara is a brilliant life coach and I am so grateful for how she has radically improved my life. From the first session, I knew that I could trust her with my deepest anxieties and negative emotions without feeling judged.  She helped me to understand what I wanted from life and my working life, to set clear goals and to understand what I need to do to achieve them. Her coaching also significantly improved my confidence in my abilities as well as my social confidence at work. I would highly recommend Lara's coaching to anyone considering it."
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Robert B.

"Lara was able not only to provide a listening ear, but to give me the tools to grow personally, mentally and emotionally as well as professionally. She acted as a soundboard for my aspirations, anxieties, frustrations and so much more; allowing me not only to vent, but working with me to understand my emotions and how best to deal with them.She gave me a brand new perspective when it comes to dealing with the workplace and completely changed my outlook on not only my work life but my personal life too and how to balance them both"

Rianna Prince

"I really enjoyed the entire coaching experience, it changed my thought process which in turn allowed me to act differently, which resulted in a different and better outcome to any given challenge I was facing. The tools I have learnt can be replicated for different scenarios and now I have them, they will stay with me forever. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone contemplating it." 

Finance Industry Professional, London

"I enjoyed my sessions with Lara and worked through a number of different issues I had been thinking over. Through the sessions I have worked on decisions regarding my career direction and possible further study, as well as involving hobbies more in my life and what's really important to me. After the sessions I feel more settled in my decisions and more able to approach future problems using techniques from the coaching."

Rhiannon, Medical Professional