Leadership and career development for the NHS.

Evidence-based ‘With Purpose’ approach designed for positive change — building agency, clarity and self-leadership in staff and leaders operating under sustained pressure and change.

Purpose Coaching & Development supports senior NHS leaders, Workforce and OD teams and staff networks to provide meaningful CPD in the context of change and ambiguity. Worked through 1:1 coaching, group coaching, team coaching, workshops and Train-the-Trainer.

The goal: empowered, accountable leaders who turn strategic and culture promises into tangible change that staff can actually feel.

This is not another wellbeing initiative layered onto an overloaded system. It is a practical, evidence-based body of work that helps people function more intentionally within the system they are working in.

Workshop Testimonials

NHS NEY Leadership Academy — Career Development Programme

Six fully subscribed career and interview skills workshops delivered to the NHS North East and Yorkshire Leadership Academy.

  • 126 staff trained across Bands 3–8c.

  • 97% said the workshop fully met its objectives. 80% left with measurably improved interview confidence. Every cohort was fully subscribed, with waiting lists.

Three fully subscribed Train-the-Trainer CPD cohorts were subsequently commissioned.

  • 34 internal NHS coaches trained to embed the methodology across the region.

  • 100% said the session fully met its objectives, rated facilitation as engaging and inclusive, and would recommend the CPD to colleagues.

“Our experience with Emma has been excellent from start to finish. She was consistently friendly, approachable, and very easy to work with, which made the whole process smooth and stress-free. She demonstrated a high level of flexibility, tailoring the workshop to meet our specific requirements and adapting to our needs with ease. Communication was another key strength – she was always responsive and efficient in providing the information we needed, both before and after the sessions.”

— Commissioner of six Career & Interview workshops + 3 career coaching CPD workshops, NHS Leadership Academy North East and Yorkshire

“Emma spent a lot of time really understanding our need and getting under the skin of the issue. Despite only having two hours, she delivered great value in the workshop. The follow-up email was incredibly comprehensive and full of practical ideas for the future.”

— Associate Director of Leadership & OD, Integrated Care Board

“Emma ran a brilliant and engaging workshop for our Women’s Network. Our members had requested support for career development and how to build their confidence in interviews and this session was absolutely perfect. Our members finished the session engaged, motivated and felt comfortable enough to share their personal stories and reflections of their own experiences. We would recommend Emma to everyone.”

— Women’s Network Executive Team, NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed case studies of the work in practice:

•      Career Development Programme with the NHS North East & Yorkshire Leadership Academy — 126 staff, six cohorts, three Train-the-Trainer cohorts.

•      Inclusion & Career Progression — work with Internationally Educated Nurses (South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust) and an NHS Foundation Trust Women’s Network.

1:1 Coaching Client Testimonials

  • Emma is a fantastic coach. She supported me through a complex transition, which involved professional choices and tricky lifestyle changes. Through Emma's compassionate and expert approach, I was able to explore some areas that I had previously been too afraid to tackle. During our sessions, no challenge felt too big or scary and I felt empowered to make the best choices for me. I highly recommend Emma!”

     Associate Director, NHS

  • "Working with Emma has honestly been such a refreshing and worthwhile experience. Having that protected time to step away from the day-to-day and really talk through some of the professional challenges I was facing made such a difference. Emma is kind, easy to talk to, and our conversations just flowed. She really listened and asked the right questions, and then gave me practical ideas and strategies that I could use straight away in my work. What I have found most valuable is that the changes proposed by Emma are not just quick fixes — they feel like lasting shifts in the way I approach things. I have come away feeling more confident, more focused, and better equipped to handle challenges. I’m really grateful for Emma’s support and would absolutely recommend her to anyone who’s thinking about coaching. "

    GP/Lead Clinician

  • "Emma’s calm, compassionate, and practical support helped me feel seen, heard, and capable. She asked the right questions, helped me challenge my self-doubt, and reminded me to be kind to myself. What really stood out was how empowering the process felt — she never told me what to do, but guided me to find solutions that truly worked for me. Now that I’ve been back at work for a few months, I can honestly say the strategies we discussed have helped me re-enter the workplace with more confidence and clarity than I thought possible."

    Lead Nurse, NHS - Return to Work Client

Group & Team Coaching Testimonials

  • Working with Emma has been a truly transformative experience for our team. Her ability to create a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment allowed us to explore challenges openly, strengthen our communication, and build deeper trust across a diverse leadership group. This has been incredible, particularly as we've also experienced quite a lot of change in the leadership team during the same period. Emma has been responsive to our changing needs and invested time to really understand how to get the best out of us as a group. Emma has brought a wealth of insight, empathy, and practical tools that helped us not only understand our team dynamics, within a volatile context, but also take meaningful steps toward greater collaboration and performance. Emma's coaching style is thoughtful, empowering and practical —always encouraging reflection while keeping us focused on actionable outcomes. As a team, we've seen a noticeable shift in how we work together, with really constructive, supportive relationships built on psychological safety. I would highly recommend Emma to any organisation looking for team OD and coaching.

    Chief Operating Officer, NHS

  • “Working with Emma on our senior leadership team's development sessions over the past year has been nothing short of transformative (for me, anyway!) and I reckon for the rest of the team too. She's got this knack for making things feel real and approachable, without any of the fluff. We got stuck into proper self-reflection and sorting out our career paths in ways that stuck, not just vague nods. It clicked with me personally and has been the catalyst for reigniting my spark and drive. Emma's guidance sharpened our management and leadership skills. What stood out most was her thoughtful support for building resilience and wellbeing, equipping us with practical tools to navigate high-pressure days without burning out. I'm genuinely grateful, Emma; you've reignited my drive. I can't recommend her highly enough.”

    -Senior Leadership Team Coaching Participant

Leadership Development Workshops

  • “Perfectly timed, right blend of theory and activities, great delivery of materials - right blend between humour and empathy and landed very difficult balance of pitching lots of different levels. We've had positive feedback from everyone!”

    CEO, E-Commerce firm

  • Our experience with Emma has been excellent from start to finish. She was consistently friendly, approachable, and very easy to work with, which made the whole process smooth and stress-free. She demonstrated a high level of flexibility, tailoring the workshop to meet our specific requirements and adapting to our needs with ease. Communication was another key strength – she was always responsive and efficient in providing the information we needed, both before and after the sessions.

    Commissioner of six Career & Interview workshops + 3 career coaching CPD workshops,

    NHS Leadership Academy

  • “Emma spent a lot of time really understanding our need and getting under the skin of the issue. Despite only having two hours, she delivered great value in the workshop. The follow up email was incredibly comprehensive and full of practical ideas for the future.”

    Assistant Director of Leadership & OD, Integrated Care Board

Find out more

A 30-minute coaching introduction gives space to talk through the change you want to make happen. My goal is for you to leave with:

•        An experience of what coaching and With Purpose feels like

•        More clarity on what you (and your team or organisation) want and need

•        A clear next step, whether that’s working with me or not.