ABOUT ME

I am a Project Manager used to supporting people and organisations achieve their goals. In business 3 of the clients I have worked with have gone on to win Director of the Year.

I am also a former athlete and sports coach having competed in the Commonwealth Games and British Coastal Rowing Championships. I have 2 gold medals as a rower, and 2 as a cox / coach helping other crews achieve their goals. 

My current pastime is kayaking, and following 14 days paddling in the Greenland wilderness I am training to become a sea kayak leader.

I like helping people achieve stuff, so as well as teaching for the Chartered Management Institute I am also a trained Coach, qualified Mediator and experienced Mentor.

WHY JAMES ARK

Whilst the above may look impressive my drive comes from being the underdog. I had a challenging childhood and achieved nothing at school. My passion in sport and work was to prove people wrong and become self-reliant and independent, not trusting anyone and always suspicious and mistrusting of authority. Being a sportsman can be incredibly selfish, often putting your goals ahead of other peoples’, but it built up my confidence which was lacking. 

My work as an educator, coach and mentor is to help people think for themselves and gain control and choice: to be the captain of their ship rather than the crew of someone else’s.

James Ark exists to help fathers and children re-establish connection, to rebuild relationships. Whilst I am not an expert on relationships, I am good at setting and achieving goals. I’d like to help people who are going through a tough time to get back control over their lives.

HOW I MIGHT SUPPORT

I am working as a part-time volunteer for James’ Ark, principally as a Coach, but potentially in other areas too.

Coaching is a process that aims to improve performance and focuses on the ‘here and now’ rather than on the distant past or future. The focus is on the individual and their ideas and opportunities, to define their goals, set their path, and achieve their success. Coaching is about listening, reflecting, asking questions and unlocking YOUR potential. 

Mentoring is development driven, looking not just at the current job function but beyond, taking a more holistic approach to career development. Mentoring is non-evaluative, while coaching is based on measuring performance change. Due to the personal nature of mentoring, a mentor will more often than not draw on their personal experiences and expertise to help their mentee. This could be in the form of sharing a story that taught them a valuable lesson, or a challenge they overcame in their career. 

Restorative Adventure can occur indoors or outdoors as well as in urban or rural settings. It incorporates games, trust activities and wilderness based programming. Mentors incorporate kinesthetic and natural elements into many of our sessions with activities such as hiking, fire-crafting, fishing, tandem canoeing, orienteering, climbing, tracking, archery, swimming, hiking, biking, carving/carpentry, wilderness exploration and more.

Coaching can support people to be the best people that they can be. Mediation can help with resolution if not reconciliation. Adventure, as noted above, can help reconnection and provide an environment to build new relationships within ourselves and with others.