Hello

My Story

My name is Mary, and I have recently begun my "official" coaching journey, having spent the past 20ish years in progressively senior roles within the talent (people) organisations of some globally recognised companies, including Deloitte Consulting, Microsoft, Publicis Groupe and WPP.  I've been fortunate throughout my career to have worked across multiple markets in the US and EMEA, currently calling London, UK and Girona, Spain home, although my earlier years were spent growing up, living and working in the US on both coasts and spending several years as an adult in Bamberg, Germany.  

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I grew up on the east coast of the US outside of NYC, the eldest of 3 in a very 'middle' middle-class upbringing. My family experience taught me many things, several of which stand out throughout my life journey to date.  

First, an endless curiosity in other people and other places.  My grand-parents used to travel each year to Cannes to attend the film festival, and I always knew that someday I wanted to travel far outside the boundaries of my home town.  I've always been a reader, and the stories that always drew me in were of far away places with millennia of history - England, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India were all as real to me as my neighbourhood.  And it wasn't just the places I was interested in, it was the people - different cultures, religions, belief systems - how did they impact how people behaved with each other.

My parents also instilled in me the belief that I could accomplish what I set out to do.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I appreciated that they never caveated that with 'as a girl/woman'.  I think as the eldest you can often be expected to crack on with it (my brother and sister still refer to me as the family 'guinea pig' in that I was the first to ask questions and challenge boundaries) but I to this day appreciate that my parents had the faith and confidence that my value lay in me as a person.  

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There have been a number of experiences that have tested this belief, and one in particular stood out to me as I thought about what has helped further shape me as an individual and a coach.

As I began my career, first as a 'trailing spouse' (the US military at the time had 2 professions they recommended for military spouses - teachers and nurses), and then as a professional in my own right, I was drawn to those experiences, opportunities, and roles that offered me the opportunity to work with international and varied levels of individuals and teams.  As an Army Family Team leader, I had responsibility to provide guidance and mentorship to the spouses and families of military professionals, both during peacetime as well as during deployments.  This experience especially forged in me the belief that everyone, regardless of background and socio-economic standing deserved the right to be given a voice and collaborated with.  A standout moment for me was being told that "you don't exist without your military spouse".  My first reaction was 'WTF' and some stunned silence.  My second was to partner with the non-commissioned and commissioned officer spouses to ensure that our Team was recognised as being one that was inclusive, representative, and strong.  That meant helping to ensure that the individuals in our group had the confidence and support to stand up and stand together - probably one of my first 'coaching' moments.

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I am also a very visual person - colours, sights, and the ability to constantly be on the look-out for beauty, even in the unlikeliest of places, is something that I take with me each and everyday.  I love fashion (particularly the art of couture) and am always on the lookout for not just what the trades or brands tell us what is fashionable, but how people create their own style.  

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I have become, over time, what I would characterise now as a spiritual person - I was born and raised Catholic, and a number of my family members are still very much practitioners of that faith.  There are attributes of Catholicism that still stay with me - I love the smell of incense and Catholic guilt never leaves you and I have also become drawn to elements of other faiths, particularly Hinduism with it's many deities - and it's principle of the existence of unity, as well as the discipline of ahimsa - is a positive and dynamic force, that means benevolence or love or goodwill or tolerance (or all of the above) of all living creatures, including the objects of knowledge and various perspectives. 

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Over time, what has brought me the most professional (and personal) satisfaction is helping others unlock their best selves. As a parent, spouse, friend, leader and colleague, the behaviours and attributes that drive me - connecting, networking, transforming, curiosity, creativity, problem solving (or, as I prefer to couch it - opportunity unlocking) are factors that helped steer me toward pursuing professional coaching accreditation beginning in 2023.  I decided to leverage my quiet confidence in a format that allows me to spend time, connecting with individuals to listen to, and help them find the focus and confidence they need to continue on their own journeys.

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I've been incredibly fortunate to have been able to travel a bit around this planet earth, and what I have found over time are a few things that give me the optimism to continue my own journey.  The majority of people fundamentally care - no one wakes up in the morning thinking "Today, I want to be mediocre" - people want the opportunity and tools in their toolkit to give and be their best selves. 

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