Clare Lee
Age: 66
Tell us about your background.
I live in York, England, UK. I have a BSc in Biology from Bristol University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and a Masters in Education from York University. I am a Certified Professional Coactive Coach (2006) with the Coaches Training Institute and a graduate of CTI’s Leadership program. I’ve been a biology teacher, a personal assistant to a corporate executive and have worked in national government organizations. I launched my own small company in 2010, and among other work have provided leadership and team working and coaching to over 800 doctors in the UK.
I love travel, visits with family and friends, cooking, reading, and Pilates. I sing with a wonderful women’s harmony group called ‘Track 29’ based in York UK. I’m interested in art and fabric, including lace-making and collecting lace bobbins.
People are amazing, and however tough
the challenges are that face us at different times of life, it is clear that we can each find what suits us and come through changes and challenges in ways that are positive and contribute to the world brilliantly.
Are or have you been married, and what’s your view on marriage?
I am very fortunate in being happily married for 39 years. We were both school teachers for many years so even though miscarriage meant that we didn’t become parents ourselves we each have good understanding of the joys and challenges involved in parenting, and love to be a ‘great’ aunt and uncle to our delightful nieces, nephews and their wonderful children.
In my extended family and friendships and from coaching over the years, many people I care about have been through relationship and partnership break-up, are single parents, or have lost a child or partner, and then have found satisfying new paths through new partnerships, remarriage, adoption, or choosing to remain single.
People are amazing, and however tough the challenges are that face us at different times of life, it is clear that we can each find what suits us and come through changes and challenges in ways that are positive and contribute to the world brilliantly. I love to coach people at times of transition and change as they explore possibilities for themselves and make newly enlightened choices to achieve what’s next for them, what will support them in thriving!
What brought you to coaching?
While consulting for one national government organization, I had the opportunity to be coached for three months. The coaching helped me make some difficult life choices I faced at that time.
The experiential and action learning resonated with me because I already knew how effective those approaches could be for young people’s and adult learning, so the first chance I got I enrolled with CTI, gained my professional coach qualification and later on completed CTI’s wonderful leadership program. In 2008 I also became a team development coach with Team Coaching International.
What is your mission as a coach?
My business and coaching mission is to invite one million people to engage in delightfully creative conversations in the clear direction of THRIVING!
We need well being! I want all of us to learn more about how we can ‘revive’, by which I mean ‘come alive – wake up, bring light’ and how we can ‘thrive’ in our lives – and to practice what we learn. There is a grand aspect of that, too, in that if each of us can make and celebrate some progress, however small, as individuals and in our relationship with each other and the environment, then that has a positive impact worldwide and for all life. Wow!
Are there any particular life experiences that inform your coaching?
Yes, a recent example is how our father, now 100, looked after our mother, who had Alzheimer’s, until he was 97. My two married brothers and I helped support them. This time of illness and bereavement, as well as competing demands of life and work, was a period of immense learning.
Coaching helps us develop positive ways to move forward, so I look at the example I give here and I remember my father talking about his ‘stalwart’ children. Dad was always resilient and I practiced being resilient through this experience of emotional upheaval. I gained new wisdom from it that I wanted to share, so I developed my new ‘Revive and Thrive’ program.
Who are some famous women you most admire?
Hilary Clinton, who could become President of the United States in her sixties; Tina Turner for how she turned her life around and just goes for it on stage with such aliveness, sensuality and immense energy and Wendy Cope, the poet, for her ironic sense of humour and unusual poetry.
How do women most sabotage themselves?
We sabotage ourselves by limiting our thinking and beliefs—which may not always be entirely conscious—and preventing ourselves from either seeing possibilities or making changes. Coaching helps us shed habits that don’t serve us. It helps us move on and to feel good about ourselves as we make changes and create new contributions.
What kind of client do you most enjoy working with?
Anyone who is experiencing transition or change in her life, is facing major change or challenge, or who is overwhelmed. I unravel tangled threads. I enjoy supporting my clients as they choose and weave what’s next. This could include helping a working woman decide whether to go back to work after having a child; a woman who feels sad or lost because her children are about to leave home or she’s about to retire, or a woman coping with elderly parent care. I love women who want to dare something different.
Where and how often do you meet with your clients?
Most of my coaching is by phone or Skype. The first introductory meeting, a ‘discovery session’, is designed to explore and answer questions and to find out more about the person, what she requires and what pattern and frequency of coaching will best work.
Tell us about your workshops and presentation.
My new 8-week “Revive and Thrive” course will be offered online starting January 2014. We all know we can learn great things, yet we don’t always know how to put what we learned into practice in our own lives. “Revive and Thrive” is a chance to alter that!
What is the most important thing a new client should know about you as her coach?
I want you to gain the benefits of coaching in a gently enjoyable way. Great coaching can take us where we want to be faster, as well as help us practice and sustain what we’ve learned. It’s all about growth. The coaching relationship is vitally important so I provide free introductory 30-60 minute conversations by phone or Skype so that you can make a no-obligation choice.
Clare currently provides 30 minute free no obligation online consultations.
Please email clare@reviveandthriveuk.com to set a mutually convenient date and time,
checking the international time differences in advance.