I bring realness to life.
Starting with the 'real you.'
Before you were told who to be,
your soul already knew.
Let me help you remember, so you can shine softly from within.
WILL THE 'REAL YOU' PLEASE STAND UP!
You know that feeling when you’re nodding, smiling, saying “I’m fine” for the hundredth time, while something inside whispers, “This isn’t really me?”
Stop ignoring it. That whisper isn’t going away. It’s your soul demanding attention.
My Gran saw through that mask in the mid-90s
I remember sitting in her garden after having my eldest son, feeling overwhelmed as a new Mum. As I admired the flowers she cared for, I couldn’t help but feel like I was wilting under the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone.
She turned to me and asked, “Are you looking after yourself?”
I looked back at her, not really understanding what she meant.
Then she said:
“You can’t be a great mum, wife, daughter, friend, neighbour, boss, etc., if you’re not a great you.
It all starts with you.”
Right there, in that moment, it hit me.
I’d been so focused on meeting everyone’s expectations that I’d buried my true identity. Just as her flowers needed the right conditions to flourish, I needed to nurture the ‘real me’ to show up genuinely in all my roles.
My Gran’s advice wasn’t about being selfish. It was a gentle nudge to remember who I was underneath all those roles.
I wonder if you’ve felt that way too.
That moment set me on a path to authenticity, what I now call ‘realness,’ and I soon realised the struggle I felt wasn’t just mine. It was shared by people from all walks of life, often hidden behind masks of who they thought they ‘should’ be.
And this became one of my big inspirations for writing my book
“She’ll Do It Her Way.”
I'm Andrea - Your 'Soulful Challenger'
Over the years, people have asked “What do you do?” and I’d scramble. “Well, I’m a coach …but also I write …oh, and I make things too.”
Like I had to pick one box so they could file me away neatly. Coach since 2000, writer since 2015, creative since 2020.
But I don’t fit in boxes. I never have.
What you get with me is something deeper. Some call it spiritual. Others call it direct. As my Dad used to say, “She knows her stuff!” Mainly because he didn’t know what to call it.
I call it ‘Soulful Challenge.’
I’m that straight-talking friend who’ll challenge you to challenge yourself, but always with warmth, heart, and honesty.
It comes from who I am at my core. That Northern grit for cutting through the noise and saying it as it is, combined with deep compassion from walking this path myself.
Sometimes I’ll challenge you to stop hiding, and stop conforming, because that’s what you need. Other times, I’ll gently guide you to your own realisations.
Both approaches come from the same place. My commitment to helping you remember who you really are and bringing realness to life.
And as my Gran said, “It all starts with you.” The ‘real you.’ Not the ‘pretend you’ you carry around to make the world think you’re OK.
Bringing Realness To Life Through Three Doorways
I don’t work with job titles. Because you’re not hiding from your job title or role.
You’re hiding from who you really are underneath all those labels.
I work with deep thinkers and feelers who are done hiding, remember who they truly are and shine softly from within.
If this is you, I show you there’s another way. Your way.
Words that wake
you up
‘Hide & Seek Work’ through my book “She’ll Do It Her Way,” emails, and reflections.
Turning everyday moments into mirrors, that help you awaken to what you’ve been hiding, and remember who you really are.
My stories move people because they’re real. And when you see yourself in them. You can’t un-see it.
Art than anchors you back to you
Quiet guides that are visual companions inspired by my book and ‘Hide & Seek Work.’ Each piece I make brings you back to yourself when you need reminding.
Simple. Grounding.
Handmade.
Real.
Practice that challenges the 'real you'
‘Hide & Seek Work’ through 1:1 conversations and programmes. I tune into energy and intuitive guidance, feeling what you’re experiencing before you’re even aware of it yourself. Then reflect back the simple reality underneath all your complicated words, so you can see what you’ve been avoiding and choose differently.
Some people need a book. Some need something to hold in their hands. Some need a conversation that changes everything.
Whatever door you walk through, the purpose is the same: bringing realness to life.
Hide & Seek Work
For 20+ years, I’ve worked with people across three continents – parents managing households, professionals navigating careers, creatives finding their voice, CEOs asking “what’s next?” and clinicians burned out from caring for everyone but themselves.
Hundreds of people who, like me, felt pressured to conform and show up each day with their ‘pretend selves.’ In public, they smile. In private, the pain spills out.
Picture a Russian doll. That’s you.
Over the years, you’ve covered yourself in layers, to conform, fit in, please people, protect yourself. Layer upon layer upon layer. Thinking it’s the normal thing to do.
But in the process, you’ve lost your realness. I know because I did it too.
I’ve seen it over and over again: the ‘go-to’ people who always do the ‘right’ things, wake up one day and realise they’ve lost themselves trying to meet everyone else’s expectations.
→ You’ve hidden behind your job title and role so long, you don’t know who you are without it.
→ You’ve got so good at reading the room, you’ve forgotten what you actually want.
→ You say “I’m fine” so automatically, you almost believe it yourself.
You’re playing hide and seek with the ‘real you,’
and you’re getting too good at hiding.
The Good News?
The ‘real you’ is still there. Stubborn as ever. Trying to get your attention. Telling you something needs to change.
It might start off quietly, like a seed planted in the back of your mind. You start to question things. Reflect. Sit with it. And then,
like a low humming noise in the background, you can’t ignore it any longer.
You can’t un-know it.
You can’t un-see it.
You can’t un-hear it.
You can’t un-feel it.
It’s your secret whispers telling you something needs to change. Your thinking. Your perspective. Your job. Your relationship. Your environment. Your approach to life.
l listened to mine. I walked away from 12-month programmes and substantial money because something inside me whispered, “This isn’t right for you.” My diary emptied out. I panicked. But I kept listening anyway.
And everything changed. That whisper led me to the gold I’d been sitting on all along. The realness beneath all the layers.
And now I help you listen to yours, so you can see the gold you’re already sitting on. The realness that’s been there all along.
And when you find it?
Real freedom. Real connection. Real purpose. Real fulfilment. Real joy. Real peace. Real you. Real life.
That’s what ‘Hide & Seek Work’ is. Helping you awaken to what you’ve been hiding, remove those layers – one by one – and remember who you really are.
And then you shine softly from within.
The Choice Is Yours
My Dad wasn’t one for long speeches, but when he spoke, you listened.
“It’s either important, or it’s not. You choose.”
That’s the best advice he ever gave me.
No fluff. No excuses. Just straight to the heart of everything.
And at the heart of everything is this: the most important choice you’ll ever make is choosing yourself.
You can keep waiting for the ‘right time’ to show up as the ‘real you.’
Keep pretending everything’s fine. Keep saying yes when you mean no. Keep putting others first.
Or, you can choose you.
Because the people in your life don’t need the ‘pretend you.’
They need the ‘real you.’
The one who shines softly from within.
What Are You Going To Do Right Now?
Maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “This is hitting hard, but I don’t know where to start.” Perfect. That uncomfortable feeling? That’s your soul waking up.
Or maybe you’re already planning to bookmark this page and “come back to it later” when you have more time. That’s the conformity trap talking. Putting everyone else’s needs before your own, even when your soul is trying to get your attention.
→ Join my ‘Shine Softly’ emails. Soul-nudges rooted in Northern family wisdom and hidden clues that make you think and remind you to shine softly. Social media gives you glimpses as you scroll. My emails give you the full stories that linger. You’ve been hiding long enough, and scrolling won’t change that.
If you want to go deeper:
→ Read She’ll Do It Her Way – a soulful, intimate memoir that invites you to remember who you truly are beneath the roles, masks, and expectations. It will catch you in the act of hiding. £20. Click here to buy
→ Browse Quiet Guides – art prints and wall art inspired by my book. Each piece I make brings you back to yourself. From £15. Click here to view the collections
→ Start your ‘Hide & Seek Work’ and work directly with me, from 1:1 conversations £150, to bespoke coaching programmes £2,400. Click here to learn more
There’s no ‘right way‘ to start. Just your way.
If this is for you.
You'll know.
You'll feel it.