The Balance Collective

The Balance Collective For parents who want to enjoy their career, build a better balance, step off the hamster wheel and start living by their version of success.

I work with individuals, freelancers & businesses. Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective has a social mission focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance. Isn't it time you had a career to enjoy?

My coaching works wonders for the careers of small business owners! It's easy to assume that I only work with parents re...
20/09/2026

My coaching works wonders for the careers of small business owners! It's easy to assume that I only work with parents returning to work or job hunting.

But there is a group of clients I've been working with since the beginning that you need to know about.

It's freelancers and small business owners!

They all want to enjoy what they are doing again.
They want to get their spark back.
To develop a return to work plan after they have their first or final child.
To understand their skills better, and to build their confidence when pitching for work.
To develop their idea of balance and have their work as part of their life, rather than driving their choices.

These examples are areas I have worked on with different clients over the past (nearly 11 years).

So if you want to get back to your why and make plans, let's talk!
Reach out at [email protected]

PS: I'm not a business coach or mentor; if that's what you need, I have some amazing people I can refer you to!

Let’s clear the air and talk about numbers. How much does my coaching cost? I have a social mission, and within that is ...
19/09/2026

Let’s clear the air and talk about numbers. How much does my coaching cost?

I have a social mission, and within that is the wish to make individual coaching accessible and affordable. I have a Fast & Focused support (£150), which most people use for CV work, as well as a four-session (£300) and six-session (£450) career and return to work coaching packages, where you can expand the scope of what you do. The latter includes my often-discussed DISC profiling and reflective SOIR tools!

*Individual price is the cost of a person funding their own coaching, as part of my sliding scale of pricing to ensure accessible coaching.

All the above can also be accessed through my corporate coaching support, where the price varies based on the frequency and type of support required, and the company's overall size. If that’s you, let's chat about your budget and how I can best support your team to create a career to enjoy.

Reach out to [email protected] to arrange a time to speak about your individual and team coaching needs!

If you don't want to wait, then book in an insight call through my diary link (below!)

How does this title make you feel? Hopeful? Sceptical? Intrigued? I think many of us have a complicated relationship wit...
17/09/2026

How does this title make you feel? Hopeful? Sceptical? Intrigued? I think many of us have a complicated relationship with technology. One that has changed as technology and its impact on our lives have evolved. I tend to have a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to technology, a love-hate, you may call it. But I am always interested in those who research this topic, and Pamela Pavliscak has made this her life’s work. So, let’s start to talk about “All the feels: How technology can change our emotional lives for the better”, by Pamela Pavliscak.

Pavliscak studies the “future of feeling”. With a fascinating background blending psychology, design and human-computer interaction, she works towards understanding (and helping others understand) emotional lives in a digital world. She is optimistic AND a realist about technology; she takes a perspective on rather than “raging against the machines”, we can learn how to live with them, and “improve our emotional state in the process”. I started reading this book quite on the defensive, particularly about AI, and finished, well, just as negatively about AI, but also more hopeful about technology, generally.

https://thebalancecollective.co.uk/2026/09/17/book-review-all-the-feels-how-technology-can-change-our-emotional-lives-for-the-better-by-pamela-pavliscak/

16/09/2026

Sometimes I have to be flexible to get stuff done. I may shift when I work or how I work or how I am rewarded.
The one thing I won't compromise on is time.
Time to work on what I want to work on. Time to spend with friends and family. Time to make a difference.
That keeps me healthy. It keeps me happy. It keeps me well.
This is what I want for you.
What will you do for yourself, right now?

15/09/2026

Would it surprise you to learn that guilt is the number one emotion that parents feel when they start working with me?

So today, here is my reminder of ten things not to feel guilty about, right now (or ever):

1. Saying no.

2. Prioritising sleep.

3. Not saving something “for best”.

4. Lowering your standards.

5. Asking for help.

6. Getting upset.

7. Having fun.

8. Changing your mind.

9. Investing in yourself.

10. Feeling guilty.

Do you agree? What would you add?

Life feeling a little overwhelming right now?Like thing don't quite fit? You've been on maternity leave for a while, in ...
14/09/2026

Life feeling a little overwhelming right now?
Like thing don't quite fit?

You've been on maternity leave for a while, in your bubble of baby and home, and now it's time to plan your return to work.

That date is looming, and you are starting to feel a little nervous. This may even be tinged with excitement; you will begin to get YOU back. A chance to stretch your intellectual muscles, have a warm cup of tea, and go to the loo when you want! Bliss

Feeling uncertain before you return to work doesn't reflect on you at all. Your commitment and abilities haven't changed; just your priorities have shifted. With time, you will remember how great you are at your job and make choices about what you want out of your career.

I want all the parents I work with to have a career they enjoy, not endure.
That's where 1:1 return-to-work coaching comes in.

A chance to work through your goals, worries, and remember your strengths, and positively and confidently transition back to this new version of a working parent.

What is the first step you need to take?

Maybe reach out to me, at [email protected]?

What is the number one question that people want to ask about coaching, but never do? "What happens to my session if my...
12/09/2026

What is the number one question that people want to ask about coaching, but never do?



"What happens to my session if my child is sick at the last minute"?



As a parent, I know how things can change at the last minute. We are called by the schools or nursery due to sickness when we least expect it.



I've been there and got the T-shirt!



Should that happen at late notice, with me as your coach, the session can be moved.



It can be moved even if something happens during the session itself (and it has, trust me, both for clients and coach!).



When you work with me as a coach, whilst punctuality is expected, flexibility is provided!

A story in four photos.My eldest is now settling into a new home. Her study year abroad adventure has begun.(Yes, we've ...
10/09/2026

A story in four photos.
My eldest is now settling into a new home. Her study year abroad adventure has begun.

(Yes, we've already got our visit arranged).

On the quiet journey back, it got me thinking about this phase in parenting.
Where your child is out in the world, and you get some headspace, and time back.

When you've spent 18 plus years creating a career to enjoy around your kids, what happens when they are taking their first steps into a new world?

Coaching is a great opportunity to support yourself through this change.

Was anyone on the road to Eurostar today?

She’s slowly raising her head and heart above the maternity leave bubble. In a matter of months, she’ll be back at a job...
09/09/2026

She’s slowly raising her head and heart above the maternity leave bubble. In a matter of months, she’ll be back at a job that drains her.
A role that expects all her time, creativity and attention.
And there is someone she would rather focus all her energy on.
Her child.
She’s had a major shift in identity. She no longer wants to work to line other people’s pockets.
But she still wants to, and needs to, work.
She wants to learn and grow.
But how?

That’s when she came to me.

Through our coaching, she saw clearly what was next, who she wanted to be now.
She made a plan. It wouldn’t be quick, but it was possible.

A year on, after returning to her old role, she is ready to start the qualification. The one to take the next step in her career. The one that will give her all she needs for the rest of her life.

“Thank you for all your help. Our sessions were certainly a catalyst for change.”

Creating a career to enjoy is a journey. You can get there faster together than alone.
Reach out at [email protected] to start today!

Women carry 71% of a home's mental load.This isn't new information. In fact, the study that it's based on was published ...
09/09/2026

Women carry 71% of a home's mental load.
This isn't new information. In fact, the study that it's based on was published in 2024. (I will pop the link in the comments.)

I am not surprised; it shows up in my personal life and my professional one.
It doesn't surprise me that 100% of the Mums that I work with talk about the mental load during our coaching sessions.

The overwhelm.
The frustration.
The exhaustion.

And that is before they even start their working day - where we also see this gendered split in the mental load at work.

I last wrote about this specifically on my blog in 2025. Not about how to manage the mental load (which I cover on my site too), but how to communicate it with the people around you.

During my regular "ask me anything sessions, I'd been asked "

“What is the best way to speak to my partner about the mental load I carry?”

Today seems like a perfect day to share this again.

https://thebalancecollective.co.uk/2025/05/22/the-balance-collective-ask-me-anything-what-is-the-best-way-to-speak-to-my-partner-about-the-mental-load-i-carry/

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