Inspirational Coaching for Individuals and Teams

Develop and Elevate Your Skills for Work and Life

Welcome to SL Cooper Career and Leadership Coaching

I am an experienced medical doctor and qualified coach, now working full time as a coach for individuals and teams, within healthcare and beyond. 

I combine my understanding and experience of working in leadership in high stress complex systems in the NHS, with my knowledge and skills in coaching. This equips me to help others to define and achieve their goals for personal and professional development.

Coaching could help you to:

Unlock your potential, build confidence

Live in alignment with your values and true purpose

Develop assertiveness

Strengthen communication skills

Dismantle limiting self beliefs (imposter syndrome)

Reclaim and maximise your time

Manage stress and avoid burnout

Individual Coaching

A series of conversations between myself (the coach) and the client during which you can decide what you would like to change or work on to solve a problem or reach a development goal to benefit you in or outside of work (actually usually both).

Team Coaching

What is team coaching?
‘A Process by which a team coach works with a whole team, when they are together and when they are apart, to help them improve their collective performance, their ways of working together, their collective leadership and their relationships with their stakeholder groups, to jointly transform the wider business’. (Peter Hawkins 2022)

I use the Barefoot Coaching 4D approach; Discover - Design - Deliver - Debrief, to create structured coaching programmes for teams.

Team Development Workshops

I am an experienced trainer and facilitator, having directed various multidisciplinary team courses throughout my medical career. 

I am happy to work with you to deliver bespoke evidence based team building and development workshops using sound coaching theory and principles.

Wellbeing Workshops for Teams or Staff Groups

Many of the theories and strategies offered to clients during individual coaching, can also be introduced to groups or teams during workshops aimed at providing practical valuable support for staff working in high pressure systems who may be at risk of adverse impacts of workplace stress to their health and wellbeing.

  • "A highly skilled and competent coach"

    "Sarah is a highly skilled and competent coach who immediately puts you at ease with her caring nature and compassion. Sarah is an empathetic listener who is fully engaged and has a genuine interest in helping you. Sarah uses a considered questioning approach which leads you to set clear actions and enable you to reach your own goals and remain motivated throughout the process. I could not recommend Sarah enough.

  • "She genuinely cares about helping me "

    I felt so much better about my situation following today's session with Sarah. She genuinely cares about helping me improve how I feel about a really sensitive issue that is very emotional to me. I am able to talk openly and honestly with her and feel safe to say whatever is in my mind. She always listens and gives me attention. I have never experienced this before at work. She has a great way of allowing me to see other options that I wouldn't have considered without her and I have gone away feeling really happy with a few actions that I am going to take. I will continue to work with her and I know that I will achieve even more than I believed was possible prior to this. I can't wait to see what I can achieve. If you are considering working with Sarah I encourage you to stop considering, and go for it.

  • "I had never thought about a life coach until a friend recommended Sarah"

    I had never thought about a life coach until a friend recommended Sarah and i'm so glad they did. I was stuck in what felt like an endless cycle of work, work, kids, work which left me exhausted and feeling like I wasn't 'doing' either very well. I had my head down and seemed to no longer be in control of how my week, month or year went, just constantly reacting to demands. I spent time with Sarah who skilfully and patiently encouraged me to take a step back and start to explore what is important to me. In the initial weeks, sessions with Sarah led to me, reconnecting with friends and starting to incorporate some fun back into my week. We then went on to look at my confidence at work and how I was interacting with others and why I may not be communicating clearly. Reflecting on challenging work situations we began to make small practical changes to put me back in control of my work and focus my time and energy on the parts of my job which are in my control. Talking through situations with Sarah, I started to think differently and understand why colleagues were acting the way they were. This gave me the confidence to take a different approach. Our sessions are relaxed yet challenging and Sarah uses her vast experience in medicine and medical leadership to skilfully help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of working within the NHS.

  • "Her approach is professional, kind and reassuring"

    Coaching with Sarah has been hugely helpful. With her support I have developed a greater understanding of self and how to balance work and home as I took on a more senior management position in my organisation. Her approach is professional, kind and reassuring. I would recommend Sarah to anyone looking for coaching. Having not experienced coaching before, I now tell everyone they should go for it!

  • "I would love others to experience the benefits"

    I have had 1:1 coaching with Sarah for 1 month, which of itself seems bonkers given the vast amount of rich, transformative learning I have gained in such a relatively small amount of time .
I very quickly built an open and relaxed rapport with Sarah, given her gentle and friendly approach, I knew I could trust her immediately and felt able to be completely honest which has enabled me to get the most out of coaching. Sarah has sensitively and constructively helped me to hold a mirror to myself by asking questions which had an unlocking effect and this has enabled me to see myself, others and the world around me in a much broader and balanced way. The way she uses her expert listening skills indicates that I am instantly understood and she does this seamlessly, meaning that the conversation flows naturally. The things that used to be a threat to me are far less so, and I am increasingly aware of the many opportunities around me which make my world feel optimistic and exciting. My world view has changed and I am open to learning from others and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Coaching has helped me to take responsibility for my own learning and opportunities, helping me to become the human I believe I am meant to be, it has been a completely empowering and enjoyable experience and I believe it has not only transformed me, but the ripples of this have touched and transformed the lives of those around my friends, family, colleagues, strangers alike. I can see the power of coaching and having become an advocate, seeing its value, particularly in the workplace, I would love others to experience the benefits also and will do my best to raise its profile.
 Thank you!

  • "You have helped me so much both personally and professionally"

    You have helped me so much both personally and professionally. When I met you for the first time I felt weighed down, and definitely had a case of imposter syndrome. You have helped me to change my mindset and recognise what is really important to me. I would recommend everyone to take up coaching, really useful for slowing down and re-evaluating! Thank you Sarah

  • "These changes are priceless in terms of my mental health and energy levels"

    Coaching with Sarah has helped me see that I am prone to thinking the worst about what colleagues think about me, and seeking their validation for what I bring. This is unhelpful and through coaching I am learning to spot these negative thought patterns and nip them in the bud before they gain hold. This leaves me freer to own who I am unashamedly and be confident in what I bring, even if it is different to others. These changes are priceless in terms of my mental health and energy levels.

Ready to start your journey?

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