This conversation with my guest, Suzanne Ford, covered her experience as a coaching client and was recorded two years ago at a picnic table in an allotment in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Listening back to it was poignant; little did I know then that two years hence I would be longing for the simple pleasure of a conversation at a picnic table.
Suzanne has two work roles as a dietician; one is with the NHS and the second with the National Society for Phenylketonuria (NSPKU). One of Suzanne’s reflections is that,
Coaching enabled me to reflect constructively about things where I was stuck, analyzing it quite fully in a constructive way; naming the fear, saying what I was frightened of or felt threatened by something and just exploring different ways of viewing that, different perspectives and then moving forwards to exploring different ways to proceed.
Suzanne describes how the coaching has made a sustained difference to her working life and leadership, as she juggles two roles, one in the UK’s biggest employer, the other for a small, specialist charity where she is one of just three employees. It offers vital support to families of children who have inherited Phenylketonuria a rare inherited condition.
Mentioned in the podcast
NSPKU website: http://www.nspku.org
Phenylketonuria is a build up of phenylalanine in the body. Phenylalanine, is a natural substance, a building block of protein. However, excessive amounts can impact on behaviour and if untreated – through a low protein diet – may lead to brain damage. PKU is looked for in all new-born babies in the United Kingdom by measuring phenylalanine levels in the heel-prick blood test. All babies should have this test as it allows treatment to start early in life.
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