Elevate Business Mentoring and Coaching

29/01/2026

This week I revisited a talk I gave a couple of years ago on imposter syndrome, after receiving some really kind and thoughtful feedback from a student who’d watched it (thank you Gabriella Blomberg McCormack!)

It was a timely reminder (especially as I’ve been feeling that familiar stretch myself again quite recently) that self-doubt doesn’t disappear as you progress. It just shows up differently. I hate the term itself "imposter syndrome" its very unhelpful, but I do believe we can re-frame and positively channel self doubt with practice.

Sharing a few reflections and practical reframes below 👇

Re-framing Imposter Syndrome

"Imposter syndrome" is a phrase many of us may recognise. It’s widely used, well-intentioned, and often helpful shorthand for what is for some of us (myself included!) a familiar experience: that uncomfortable nagging sense of self-doubt, that shows up when we’re stretching, learning, or steppin...

11/08/2025

11/08/2025

Hi and I hope everyone has been having a great summer. I'm conscious I've been quiet here on the Elevate 1:1 Mentoring and Coaching front - a busy summer juggling family time "off" (whatever that means 🤣 ) - with work. I have a few client HR projects taking priority in coming weeks but I'm also still keen to continue build my coaching practice, so I'm going to build time in for some personal development on that front and promoting my 1:1 coaching offering.

If you are looking for support with career change, transition planning or building your confidence and achieving your goals, please get in touch, I'd love to support you! ✨️🤩

18/05/2025

🌊Beautiful words from Margaret Atwood on water, which is soft, fluid, and adaptable, yet over time, can reshape even the hardest stone. This reflects a guiding force in my own personal journey: from navigating the challenges of building and exiting a business to stepping into the world of coaching. I’ve learned (and hope to help share) that resilience isn’t about pushing through at all costs but about moving with intention, finding ways to flow around obstacles while staying grounded in who you are. That’s also how I approach my work, in creating a space where, working together, you can tap into and acknowledge both your own strength and softness, embracing the power to reshape your path. Elevate 1:1 Mentoring and Coaching

12/05/2025

📚 Book Review: Keep Moving by Maggie Smith

Sometimes, a book finds you at exactly the right moment. For me, Maggie Smith’s Keep Moving has been that type of anchor and one I revisit to dip into. It’s a beautiful collection of notes to self, poems, and essays that reframes new beginnings as opportunities for transformation.

Written and collated in the aftermath of her divorce, Smith’s reflections on resilience and renewal have resonated deeply with me through some challenging (for very different reasons) times over the past couple of years. It’s a little different from the business books I often share, but it’s one I return to whenever I need a gentle nudge to keep going.

Like kintsugi (the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold) Keep Moving reminds us that there is beauty and strength to be found on the other side of loss.

If you’re navigating change or simply in need of some comforting words and inspiration, I can’t recommend it enough.

04/05/2025

Sometimes the most meaningful coaching sessions start with a leap of trust.

Someone I’d never met or spoken with before reached out after connecting here on LinkedIn and booked a paid session. We didn't have a prior relationship, there was no obligation.. . just a connection and sense that it was the right time to talk, with someone who'd "get it", and meet her where she was at, and support.

After our session, she shared this:

💬"This was exactly what I needed: the boost to help reframe things. Please don’t change a thing, Lisa. You are a star. Keep doing what you are doing.💬

Honestly, that feedback really touched and stayed with me. It means so much when someone puts their trust in you at a point of transition, and finds what they needed in the space we created together.

This is exactly why I do what I do. To support, reframe, lift, and walk alongside people as they navigate what’s next. 🙏

If that’s where you are right now, I’m here. Please get in touch if you'd like to know more about Elevate 1:1 Mentoring and Coaching sessions, I am able to offer competitive rates right now alongside my other consulting work.

21/04/2025

It’s easy to get distracted by the competition.

What others are offering, how they’re showing up, what their brand looks like, can all start to feel overwhelming, especially in a busy market.

But one thing I’ve learned, especially in offering strategic HR support as a fractional people director in the tech sector, is this:

👉 Your value isn’t found by looking sideways... it’s found by looking inward.💡

There are plenty of people and organisations offering HR consultancy or leadership support. But none of them bring my exact mix of experience, scaling businesses, sitting at board level and working for investors, building teams from the ground up including my own, and navigating complex people challenges in fast-paced, high-growth environments as well as successfully selling and exiting my own business.

And the same is true for you.

No one else has your story, your perspective, or your way of solving problems.

Yes, staying aware of the market is helpful. But too much focus on what others are doing can quietly chip away at your confidence, and pull you off course.

Instead, keep coming back to what you know:
✨ What you’ve lived
✨ What you’ve learned
✨ What you’re here to do, in your way

Because others might try to copy, but they can’t be you.

And that’s your edge. Always.

💬 If you’ve ever found yourself in the comparison trap, what helped you refocus?

08/04/2025

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison — especially on platforms like this.
We scroll through highlight reels and wonder:
“Am I doing enough?”
“Why am I not moving faster?”
“Where’s my next big win?”

Sometimes, I catch myself doing it too — even comparing my now to my past successes, forgetting that I’m at a different stage, with a different pace… for a reason. And that is more than okay.

👉 When we zoom out, we start to see things differently. We notice the quiet progress. The growth between milestones. The strength in simply continuing.

The truth?
No one gets anywhere without taking a first step.
Some seasons move faster, others ask us to slow down.
But always — we keep moving forward.

🦶💭 If you’re in a moment of reflection, transition, or seeking clarity about your next step — I’d love to support you through my Elevate 1:1 Mentoring & Coaching.
It’s a space for honest conversation, grounded progress, and practical support — wherever you are in your journey.

Feel free to message me or reach out if it speaks to you.



PS yes I have shamelessly included footage of my favourite shoes.. 🤣

17/03/2025

🚀 ✨ As companies scale - particularly, from my own experiences, in technology and life sciences sectors, but I think this spans all - a frequent question that comes up and on which I've personally been reflecting a lot recently, is: ✨ 🚀

❓ At what stage can a Chief People Officer (CPO) at board level add the most value, and when is the right time and stage a company is 'really' ready for this hire? ❓

✅ Early on, people functions are tactical: focused on hiring, payroll and compliance. At this stage, an experienced HR manager or consultant can provide strong support.

💡 However, as a business grows, so do the complexity of people strategy needs. Leadership alignment, management competency & upskilling, internal communications, culture, and organisational design are critical to sustainable growth - which is where a CPO at board level becomes a strategic enabler. 💡

📜 Having built, scaled & successfully exited my own consultancy, I approach this question from a commercial, not just functional, perspective. I value and appreciate the empathy and understanding this gives me with founders, CEOs and the challenges of scaling. The role of a CPO at board level isn’t just about HR expertise... it’s ensuring that people strategy directly supports business outcomes. 📜

The most effective CPOs operate as business partners and a sounding board, helping CEOs and boards make the right, informed decisions on:

✅ Leadership and succession planning to sustain long-term growth
✅ Organisational design to scale effectively without losing agility
✅ Culture and talent strategy as drivers of innovation and performance
✅ Balancing growth with long-term sustainability in hiring and retention

In my experience, the right time to bring in a board-level CPO is when:

🔹 The business is transitioning from founder-led hiring and decision making to structured leadership development and functional ownership, accountability and alignment
🔹 Rapid scaling (fundraising, market expansion, or headcount growth) is leading to increased organisational complexity
🔹 Leadership misalignment, communication or cultural challenges start to impact performance

⛔ Too often, companies and founders bring in strategic people leadership reactively - too late, after issues have surfaced. Or want to do so, but pull back or stumble when the implications of change become too challenging or scary, and so the default is to clamp back down on control. But investing in the right leadership at the right time can be a differentiator between scaling smoothly and encountering unnecessary blockers. ⛔

🦄 As a business evolves, so should the approach to people strategy. I believe that companies who recognise this early on are best positioned to set themselves up for long-term, sustainable success. 🦄

💁‍♀️ I'd love to hear others views - What would you see as a tipping point for bringing a CPO into the boardroom and why? 💁‍♀️

06/11/2024

This is such a great read which I've just finished and wanted to share here with my network.
If anyone like me has been through a period(s) of change, transition or as I like to call it, reset or "rebalancing" this book is a lovely reminder on the importance of self care, recharge and the cyclical nature of life and progression. We do all sometimes need to retreat, & take care of ourselves in order to recharge and move forwards stronger. The author does explain all of this with great examples much more eloquently than I could! Highly recommend 🙏

06/11/2024

Today didn't go as planned. I was meant to be at a networking conference which I'd been really looking forward to but we were struck down this week with a horrible bug and today my little man only wanted to cuddle with Mummy, wouldn't leave my side all day. There will be other events. Lindsay and I do share parenting - he's the most amazing Dad - but today the wee man only wanted me so I couldn't have relaxed or enjoyed the event anyway. I'm sharing this here because it's been quite an insightful 💡reminder that I worked incredibly f*ING hard to get to a point for my family of freedom and flexibility.. so whilst I am looking at opportunities in the market now, this is not an area I will compromise on. Nor do I believe should other working parents/carers have to. 😍 🙏