By Eliza (Service Manager)
There was no right or wrong way of doing things so it felt completely supportive.
As part of my management role with BounceOT I was fortunate to benefit from a block of 1:1 coaching sessions with Susan at Values Connect in the second half of 2025.
The content of our sessions was led by what I thought I needed in terms of skills and priorities for my work/study/life balance and around the relationships I have in these spaces. Susan prepared a proposal for sessions based on what I told her about myself and themes that emerged from this. We created a contract and the content of my sessions was completely confidential within a safe online meeting space. She sent me a record of our sessions and homework so that I had something to reflect on and/or implement by the following session.
There was no right or wrong way of doing things so it felt completely supportive. If something didn’t work for me we would reflect on why and explore a different way. I felt that I got to know Susan quickly and with ease; she challenged me to look at any issues I was having more deeply and seek solutions to these from the skills I already had. I also developed new skills as a result of the sessions.
The time with Susan was a unique experience and changed my perspective on many areas of my life and my sense of self worth
I have worked within management roles for 18 years, and have experienced coaching in different forms with the different organisations I previously worked in. What I liked and valued about the time with Susan was the opportunity to reflect holistically about how work and life cannot be separate things, and so coaching would explore all areas of my life.
I was given a free space to look at my style of management, my habits and routines (both at work, university and home) and then made actions on small changes. She used different assessment tools with me to grade how I felt I rated in different areas - such as executive functions and my effectiveness in 8 aspects of work.
These were tailored to me; I got to view different assessments and choose which ones felt most relevant and could offer me the most benefit to reflect on and explore in more depth. At the end of the block of sessions we returned to these assessment scores and I unknowingly marked myself higher in every area of my performance and satisfaction.
I had one main goal I was working towards and through visualisation exercises I found that I reached a state that I was satisfied with by the final session. It is difficult to describe this as it was deeply personal, but it felt like the first and final sessions had come full circle leaving me with clarity and a deeper understanding of myself and my skill set.
The time with Susan was a unique experience and changed my perspective on many areas of my life and my sense of self worth. Skills and tools developed within sessions have had a lasting impact on my routines and habits, having a positive impact on my work and home life.
One lasting phrase that I learned and have utilised has been “the power of the pause”.
I try to use this across different settings and situations to be less reactive and act in a more considered way. Coaching sessions served as a reminder of how just much I love the work that I get to do at BounceOT with such brilliant people around me. It is a truly unique workplace where the learning never stops.
I feel incredibly proud of the work we do and the trust placed in me to help to lead such a wonderful team.
Thank you to Susan for this fantastic block of sessions and to Callum for offering me the opportunity!
