“‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone’

Neale Donald Walsh, author

My career history

I am a career and personal development coach and have my own coaching business , Outcome Coaching . I’m originally from a Science background, with my primary degree being in Pharmacology (the study of how medicines work), and I then delved more into the area of Psychopharmacology for my M. Sc. My career prior to embarking on the coaching journey was predominantly in the pharmaceutical industry, spending over 20 years in a variety of roles spanning sales, marketing, communications and general management. I have worked in large global pharmaceutical companies as well as small start-up operations and in consultancy, having a particular interest and expertise in both the psychiatry and oncology therapeutic areas, areas which are both challenging, and rewarding, where new developments can really make a difference to people’s lives.

Sport and Personal Bests

I have always had an avid interest in Sport. It has always played a major role in my life and I have competed in a variety of sports from a very young age including hockey, tennis , golf, and most recently, running. I took up running relatively late in life, less than ten years ago, and it has become my passion. I now regularly represent Ireland as a Masters (veteran) endurance runner , and hold National, British and European Masters medals, as well as a National age-category half-marathon record. Having recently completed a Diploma in Sports Psychology, and being an athlete myself, I recognised the impact, both positive and negative, other aspects of our lives can have on our performance in our chosen sport. These influences can be both external (relationships, finances, career etc) or internal (mindset, anxiety, limiting beliefs etc ), but either way negative interference in any of these areas will prevent an athlete from giving their all to their sport and performing at their best.

My objective in setting up Personal Bests is to take a holistic view of the athlete’s life using the Wheel of Life as a starting point, identifying areas of concern and working with the athlete to set goals and action plans in these specific areas, and in so doing, creating balance, thereby empowering the athlete to give their all to their sport and perform at their best. As regards my coaching style, I would regard myself as empathetic, yet challenging, practical and results oriented. I draw upon my scientific, business, coaching and sporting experience and training in my coaching and strive to bring out the best in my clients and help them achieve the results they aspire to.

Change of career

My move to the area of coaching started with the realisation that I spent a lot of my time both in and out of work encouraging and motivating people to move forward in their life, to step out of their comfort zone and to strive to maximise their potential by using their natural skills and talents, and that this was an area I was passionate about. I embarked on a Life and Business Coaching course and never looked back! I set up Outcome Coaching in 2008, initially specialising in Career coaching, having subsequently trained in the innovative Firework Career Coaching Programme, designed for people in career transition to help them identify their ideal career.

Over the years I expanded my toolkit, qualifying in psychometric testing, stress management training, and cognitive behavioural therapy and I draw primarily on the emotional intelligence approach and cognitive behavioural therapy model in my coaching.

My approach generally focuses on building a client’s self-awareness , and the creation of relaxed and positive habits of thought, combined with the techniques of physical relaxation, resulting in relaxed and appropriate behaviour enabling my clients to achieve their desired goals in life. As well as one to one personal coaching, I have worked with a number of blue chip companies in a variety of sectors including pharmaceutical, finance and telecoms (see below).

As well as my personal clients, as a former associate with Harmonics and of DBM (now LHH), I have coached individuals from a broad range of organisations including Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Bank of Ireland, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Intel, Symantec, O2, Diageo, and Accenture.

I look forward to working with you.

Professional qualifications and experience

Honours degree in Pharmacology from UCD

MSc in Biotechnology from NUIG

Diploma in Management from TCD and a Diploma in Public Relations from the Irish Academy of Public Relations.

Diploma Life and Business Coaching (Life & Executive Coaching Institute), Level A & B qualified in Psychometric Testing (British Psychological Society).

Licensed Career Coach with Fireworks Coaching Company which offers a structured career transition programme for those at a career crossroads.

Certificate in Training and Continuing Education from NUI Maynooth , a Diploma in Stress Management Training, a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and a Diploma in Sport Psychology.