Why I do what I do
I know what it feels like to spend years hiding parts of yourself.
As someone growing up during Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, being gay wasn't something I saw reflected back at me as positive, ‘normal’ or even possible. There was very little LGBTQIA+ visibility or representation, few role models, and a lot of fear around what being gay might mean for my future.
I was experiencing attraction to women, but all I felt was shame, fear and an overwhelming sense of being alone. I had no one I felt safe enough to talk to.
I struggled for years to accept my sexuality, and even after I came out, I spent another decade keeping much of my life hidden.
I wasn't fully out at work. I worried about how being openly gay might affect how I was seen and that it would hold my career back. I learned to compartmentalise my life and keep parts of myself separate.
Looking back, I can see how much that affected my confidence, my relationships, my mental and emotional wellbeing and, ultimately, my sense of who I was.
I don't want other LGBTQIA+ people to have to navigate that alone.
For years, I had nobody to turn to who understood what I was going through.
No LGBTQIA+ coach or other affirming support I could easily access. No one telling me that there was a different way to live - one where I could accept who I was, feel proud of it, and create a life that actually felt like mine.
I struggled alone.
That's a huge part of why I do the work I do today.
Because although every LGBTQIA+ person's experience is unique, many of the underlying challenges remain painfully familiar - the fear of rejection, hiding parts of ourselves, struggling to find belonging, questioning whether it's safe to be visible, and learning to navigate a world that doesn't always accept or affirm who we are.
I want to help change that.
Hi, I'm Sarah
I'm a queer lesbian woman, LGBTQIA+ Life & Wellbeing Coach, inclusion specialist, and founder of Proud Wellness CIC.
My coaching brings together lived experience, professional experience, and a genuine belief that you get to create a life that feels right for you - not the life other people expect you to live.
I help LGBTQIA+ people stop shrinking themselves and start living, working and loving more freely.
For more than 25 years, I worked in leadership, people development and organisational change across major UK organisations.
I built a successful corporate career and eventually reached a point where I knew I wanted something different.
Leaving corporate life wasn't simply about changing jobs.
It was about asking myself some bigger questions:
What do I actually want?
What matters to me now?
What kind of life do I want to create?
And what would happen if I stopped making choices based on what I thought I should do?
Those questions changed the direction of my life.
I began building a working life around coaching, wellbeing, LGBTQIA+ inclusion and purpose - work that feels meaningful to me and allows me to contribute to something bigger than myself.
That journey has shaped how I coach today.
Because creating a life that feels more like you isn't always about making one huge, dramatic change.
Sometimes it's about getting honest with yourself.
Letting go of expectations.
Building confidence.
Learning to trust your own voice.
And giving yourself permission to want something different.
Why LGBTQIA+ coaching?
Being LGBTQIA+ shapes so many parts of our lives.
It can influence how we see ourselves, how safe we feel being visible, how we navigate relationships, how we show up at work or in our business, and the choices we make about our future.
Years of hiding, fitting in, people-pleasing, or worrying about other people's reactions can leave a lasting imprint - even when we're now out and living openly.
This is a journey I know deeply.
And while everyone's experience of being LGBTQIA+ is different, I believe we share a need for spaces where we can be seen, understood and supported without having to explain, justify or edit who we are.
I've seen through my own experience, my coaching work and my work with LGBTQIA+ communities how powerful it can be when someone finally has that space.
A space where you can explore who you are.
What you want.
What's getting in the way.
And what's possible when you stop making yourself smaller.
That's the space I aim to create for you.
What I bring to coaching
Lived experience
I bring my own lived experience of navigating sexuality, coming out, visibility, relationships, confidence, career, and creating a life that feels truly aligned.
And whilst I don't assume that my experience is the same as yours, I understand the additional layers that can come with navigating life, work and relationships as an LGBTQIA+ person.
Professional experience
I've spent more than 25 years working in leadership, people development and organisational change.
I’ve supported people through career decisions, transitions, confidence challenges and significant periods of change, and I bring that experience into my coaching alongside my work in LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
Wellbeing
I believe you can't separate the life you're creating from how you actually feel while you're living it.
That's why my coaching considers the whole person - your thoughts, emotions, body, relationships, environment, and overall wellbeing.
We'll explore not only what you want to change, but what helps you feel grounded, energised, connected and well.
My approach
I'm warm, empathetic and intuitive, with a reassuring sense of humour when things get a little too serious.
I listen deeply and ask questions that help you see yourself and your situation from a different perspective.
I'll gently challenge unhelpful patterns, assumptions and stories when I think it could help - while making sure you always feel supported and in control of the process.
My coaching is collaborative.
I'm not there to tell you what you should do or what your life should look like.
Instead, I'll help you explore what's important to you, understand what's getting in the way, and work out what you want to do next.
Sometimes that means going deep.
Sometimes it means getting practical.
Usually, it means doing both.
Qualifications & experience
I'm an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coach, with additional training in:
Mindfulness coaching
Trauma-informed practice
Wellbeing approaches
Reiki
I'm also qualified with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Alongside my coaching, I'm the founder of Proud Wellness CIC, a social enterprise working to improve access to inclusive, affirming and accessible wellness support for LGBTQIA+ communities across the UK.
Through Proud Wellness, I work nationally with LGBTQIA+ communities, wellness professionals and organisations to help create safer and more inclusive spaces.
Professional affiliations & qualifications
Proud Wellness CIC
Proud Wellness grew from the same belief that sits at the heart of my coaching:
LGBTQIA+ people deserve to feel safe, supported, accepted and free to be themselves.
Through Proud Wellness, I work to create change at a wider, systemic level - improving LGBTQIA+ inclusion across wellness services, communities and workplaces.
My coaching is different.
This is the space where I work one-to-one with you.
Where we can slow down, get curious, explore what matters, and focus on the life you want to create.
The two are connected by the same values, but they serve different purposes.
Let's talk
You don't need to know exactly what you want before you get in touch.
If you're ready to explore what's keeping you stuck, what you really want, and what could become possible when you stop shrinking, I'd love to talk.