About Us

Zoë has had a passion for learning since she was a young child. A self-confessed nerd and bibliophile, she is rarely without a book in her hand. After graduating with an honours degree in English, she completed her post-graduate teacher training qualification, and then spent the next two decades teaching English language and literature to 11-18 year olds.

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Zoë loved the academic rigour of secondary school English teaching, as well as the continuing chance to further research and utilise her subject knowledge. More importantly though, were the opportunities to shape young people's lives for the better.

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All of this changed, however, with the development of several serious health conditions, leading to many years of invasive surgeries, which in turn left her in chronic pain.  After realising that further surgical interventions were too much to cope with, Zoë embarked upon a path of self-discovery, and, with the help of some national and international chronic pain therapists, she started to find a way out of the darkness and hopelessness that can often constitute chronic pain and invisible illness.

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Although she still has chronic pain and several chronic health conditions, Zoë has spent the past few years learning practical ways to not just deal with it all, but to regain her sense of self that once felt lost for a period of her life. The once nerdy schoolgirl now puts her passions of reading, research and resource development into practical techniques to cope better with life's challenges, and, although no longer teaching in a school setting, she is thrilled to be able to share wisdom and help others to forge a new path towards a better way of living.

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Zoë's present focus is on proven methods to help the mind and body to deal with pain, in all of its manifestations. She believes that mind-body techniques can work alongside medical interventions, to provide a holistic way of coping better with long-term conditions, both mental and physical. Although she is living with constant pelvic pain, pudendal neuralgia, Chiari malformation and other health conditions, she is finding ways to live with the pain, not just exist, and to help others to thrive in the face of adversity.

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Zoë's lived experiences include: chronic pain, pelvic surgeries, spinal surgeries, chronic neuralgia, stress, anxiety and depression, bereavement, chronic neurological conditions, women's health and 'invisible illnesses.' She has benefitted from several different styles of therapy and mind-body interventions. Her specialisms and interests are: techniques to develop self-worth and self-love, pathways to holistic wellness, reiki and chakra alignment, compassionate listening, the neurophysiology of pain management, methods of releasing mind and body tension, and guided meditation. 

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Qualifications:

BA Hons English

PGCE English

Reiki level 1

Reiki level 2

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Jen dropped out of university without a degree having made a silly choice of which course to study, and entered the world of work.  Starting in IT and computer programming when it was a new thing, she then went on to work in the banking sector and studied for a postgraduate diploma in People Management and Development. Shortly afterwards, she joined a team facilitating workshops which she loved.  

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She went on to study for a degree with the Open University while working full time and finished with a First within three years.  Shortly afterwards, she moved into a role in the voluntary sector, running a big project and winning £1m in funding from the National Lottery.

 

She then moved back home to Cumbria to support her aged parents and started a role in education.  There, she studied for an MA in Leadership and Management in Education and dabbled with a PhD before Covid scuppered everything.  Now a key leader in a small federation of schools, she is a School Resource Management Advisor and mentor, a qualified executive coach, and has qualifications in teaching mindfulness, counselling, financial and operational leadership in schools, and health and safety.  Now part-way through an MSc in Mindfulness, she is a glutton for punishment.

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Jen's lived experience includes redundancy (one of them on her 21st birthday!), job, career and sector change, childlessness, bereavement, being a carer, dealing with mental health issues and burnout.  She's enjoyed being coached, regularly engages with therapy, and credits her counsellor with getting back to work after burnout.  Her specialisms and interests include mindfulness and meditation, coaching, mentoring, listening (time to think) and Reiki.

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Qualifications:

BSc (Hons) Social Sciences with Psychological Studies and Sociology

PGDip People Management and Development

PGCert Studies in Mindfulness

MA Leadership and Management in Education

CIPFA / ISBL Level 7 Financial and Operational Leadership in Academies

ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring

L2 Counselling

Reiki Level 1 and 2

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