FAQs
Who do you work with?
I primarily work with founders and leaders of growing creative businesses.
Often, the business has reached a stage where leading the people within it requires more thought and attention than it once did.
Your own role might be changing. Managers need to step up. Communication and decision-making are becoming more complex. Or you want to make sure your culture evolves intentionally as the team grows.
I also work directly with managers and leadership teams where that supports the wider business.
While creative businesses are my main focus, I do also work with founders and leaders in other sectors where there is a strong fit.
2. What can you help with?
Anything connected to the leadership and people side of growing your business.
That might include your own leadership, developing managers, culture, engagement, trust, wellbeing, communication, clarity, feedback, performance or navigating a difficult people decision.
Sometimes there’s a very specific challenge to work through.
Sometimes nothing is particularly wrong. You simply recognise that what worked at an earlier stage of the business won’t necessarily be what you need for the next one.
You don’t need to diagnose the problem before you contact me. Tell me what’s happening and we can work out where to start.
3. Are you a Coach or HR consultant?
Both.
I am an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach & Mentor and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, with more than 18 years’ experience in senior HR leadership.
That combination shapes how I work.
Sometimes the most useful thing I can do is ask good questions, challenge your thinking and give you the space to find your own answer.
At other times, you need practical advice, an experienced perspective or someone to tell you what they think.
4. What kind of things can I bring to a Thinking Space session?
Anything that is taking up too much headspace.
It could be a difficult conversation you need to have, a decision you keep second-guessing, a manager you’re worried about or a change in the business you’re trying to navigate.
You might want to think about your own role as the business grows, something happening within the team, or an issue you haven’t quite managed to put your finger on yet.
You do not need to prepare anything.
Bring what is on your mind and we will start there.
5. Do I need to commit to six months?
No.
Thinking Space is a standalone 90-minute session, so if you have something specific you want to work through, you can book one conversation without any longer-term commitment.
The Partnership is for founders who want me alongside them more consistently as they navigate the people side of growth.
You don’t need to know which one you need before getting in touch. We can talk about what’s happening and decide what makes most sense.
6. Do you work with managers, as well as founders and leaders?
Yes.
A big part of growing a business is helping managers develop the confidence and skills to lead people well.
That might mean individual coaching, manager development sessions or working with your wider leadership team.
If we’re working together through The Partnership, we can agree any additional manager or team support separately depending on what the business needs.
7. Do you provide day to day HR support?
I bring more than 18 years of senior People and HR experience to my work, so that knowledge is there when it is useful. But Fox & Fable is not an outsourced HR service.
My work is focused more on leadership, managers, culture, engagement, clarity and the people decisions that come with growing a business.
If you mainly need day-to-day HR administration, contracts or ongoing employee relations case management, I’m unlikely to be the right person for that.
If you’re not sure whether what you need falls within my work, ask me. I’ll give you a straightforward answer.
8. Do you only work with creative businesses?
Creative businesses are the main focus of Fox & Fable, including creative agencies, PR agencies, events agencies, studios, production companies and book publishers and other businesses where talented people, ideas and great work are central to what clients buy.
But I do not apply a rigid sector rule.
I also work with founders and leaders in other people led businesses where there is a strong fit between what they are navigating and the way I work.
If you have found yourself reading this and thinking it sounds like the kind of support you need, get in touch.
9. Where do sessions take place?
My 1:1 sessions are primarily held online. I work with businesses across the UK, with a particular focus on Hertfordshire, London, Cambridgeshire and the surrounding areas.
If I am working more broadly with your managers or team, we can discuss whether online or in-person sessions make most sense.
That also gives you useful geographical language on the website naturally, without it feeling like it’s been inserted purely for SEO.
10. How do I know where to start?
You do not need to.
You might know you want coaching. You might be worried about your managers. You might have a culture or people challenge. Or you might simply know that something about leading the business needs to change as it grows.
Tell me what is happening. We will have a conversation and work out whether I am the right person to help and what kind of support would be most useful.
