Rachel Goodwin

Rachel is a senior executive coach with extensive experience of working with leaders across the business and not-for-profit sectors. Over the last decade she has established a growing reputation in the field. Typical assignments include working with CEOs and board directors to rise to the demands of their leadership roles, supporting talented women to fulfil their potential and enabling individuals to tackle difficult behavioural issues.

The hallmark of Rachel’s approach is incisive analysis which goes straight to the heart of the key issues facing each client, combined with a warm and empathic style. By swiftly building rapport and providing a skilful balance of support and challenge, Rachel helps clients understand themselves in greater depth, play fully to their strengths and systematically address those emotional or behavioural patterns which may be hindering their performance and reducing their effectiveness as leaders and managers.

Rachel draws flexibly on a range of tools and frameworks to help clients rapidly extend their self-awareness and skills. She is a qualified and highly-experienced Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) practitioner and a trained user of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and the EQ-i 2 emotional intelligence tool, among others. The insights gained through using these and similar models are used to generate new behavioural strategies which the client applies back in the workplace. The client’s progress is then reviewed and the new strategies refined and embedded in the course of the coaching process. Rachel’s practical, focused approach means that clients are quickly able to experience the positive impact of coaching which reinforces their commitment and confidence.

Rachel has considerable experience of helping clients maintain their resilience and wellbeing during periods of high pressure. She is a qualified practitioner of the Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment tool, a professional grade heart monitor that measures stress, recovery, quality of sleep and fitness levels. The data it provides enables Rachel to support the client in making lifestyle changes where needed.

As an experienced Mindfulness practitioner, having undergone training at Bangor University’s Mindfulness Centre, Rachel has also found that using Mindfulness techniques in coaching, when appropriate, can achieve excellent results, particularly with those clients who are suffering from high levels of overwork and stress.

As well as coaching individuals, Rachel currently co-leads the design and delivery of two specialist programmes. These reflect her particular interest in helping clients boost their confidence and develop a powerful and effective communication style:

• The Talented Women’s Impact Programme – a short, tailored course designed to enable participants to broaden their influencing skills, build their self-confidence and communicate assertively, even when under pressure.
• Commanding the Room – a workshop-based programme which Rachel runs in conjunction with the Sandler Consulting voice and communication specialist. Participants on this innovative, experiential programme have found it invaluable in building their leadership impact.

Rachel also offers coaching supervision and very much enjoys helping other coaches develop their practice and their skills.

Rachel began her career in the television industry. During her ten years as a producer and director, she made documentaries for all the major UK broadcasters and won several UK and international awards. The experience of leading and managing teams within a highly competitive industry, combined with her longstanding interest in psychology, led her to retrain as an executive coach, supporting senior individuals in a wider business environment in their personal, professional and organisational journeys.

Rachel has a degree in Russian from London University’s School of Eastern European and Slavonic Studies. After qualifying, she studied and worked in Russia to deepen her knowledge of the culture, language and society.

Rachel has worked with a wide range of organisations including Argent (Property Development), AXA, Baker & McKenzie, Barclays, BT, Burberry, City Lit, EY, Harrods, John Lewis, Kingsley Napley, London Business School, Look Ahead, Mudano, Oktra, Port of Dover, UBS, Vision Capital, Waitrose and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Rachel’s coaching clients have commented that:

"Rachel’s advice and support has been invaluable. Her insight and guidance clarified key issues for me and her honesty about areas in which I needed to change had a significant impact on my behaviour."

"Rachel employs a very effective combination of empathy and firm practical guidance. The impact of working with her was immediate."

"Rachel is a great listener and has strong analytical skills. I’ve developed significantly with Rachel’s guidance, evident both to myself and others."

"Rachel did a fantastic job with the coaching and helped me to manage myself at a time when I was under a great deal of stress. I found Rachel to be knowledgeable, challenging and caring. She was also a great source of resources to help me think about things differently and become more resourceful myself."