Work With Andrea
I Bring Realness to Life. Starting With The ‘Real You.’
If you’re done hiding behind roles, expectations, and “shoulds,” and you want to remember who you really are, this is where we work together.
Where I Come From
I grew up in a Northern, working-class family. Straight-talking, hardworking, honest, kind, and always looking out for one another.
We weren’t the ones to make a fuss. We just did what needed to be done. Because that’s the way we were. We shone softly, in our own way.
I remember back in the 70s as a kid, life was so simple. I felt free as a bird, letting my curious little mind lead me on endless adventures. Whether it was running down the donkey steps to play hide-and-seek in the woods, drinking water from the spring in the back field, or spending hours down by the brook, carving shapes into sand blocks.
I had no expectations or worries about what anyone else might say. I just did my thing. Whatever felt right, without a second thought.
That Northern spirit taught me early on that there’s no one right way. Just your way.
But, as I got older, things started to change. Suddenly, it felt like everyone had an opinion on who I should be and what path I should take. And there it happened. I fell into the ‘slow burn of conformity.’ I stopped choosing, I started fitting in and pretending, and left behind the part of me that did things my way. That was, until my Gran shared a piece of wisdom with me in the mid-90s that made me realise I’d buried my true identity trying to meet everyone’s expectations.
It sent me on a serious soul-searching mission! What I now call ‘Hide & Seek Work.’ And that’s when I realised if I could find my way back to myself, I could help others do the same. Bringing realness to life. First in myself, then with others.
Maybe you’re here because something deep inside your soul is telling you it’s time to start your soul-searching mission too. Your own ‘Hide & Seek Work.’
What is '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.
Job titles don’t matter. The struggle is universal.
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.
You’re playing hide and seek with the ‘real you,’ and you’re getting too good at hiding.
Your 'Soulful Challenger'
I help deep thinkers and feelers who’ve spent years hiding under job titles, roles, and expectations to remember who they truly are and shine softly from within. If this is you, I show you there’s another way. Your way.
I’ve trained for 20+ years in coaching, mentoring, action learning and emotional intelligence. But what sets me apart is my innate ability to tune into energy and intuitive guidance. I feel what you’re experiencing in my body before you’re even aware of it yourself. Chills, goosebumps, sometimes tears. Then I challenge you, with warmth and heart, but without letting you hide.
I don’t just ask questions, give you frameworks or five-step processes (what I call surface-level stuff.) I hold a mirror up to your soul and ask the questions no one else dares.
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.’
How We Work Together
'Hide & Seek' Programme - From £550 per month
This is my main work. Not coaching in the traditional sense – it’s deeper. It’s ‘Hide & Seek Work.’
We work together for 4 months, meeting every three weeks for 60 minute sessions via Teams. This allows for reflection and integration between sessions. You’ll get access to me during the 4 months, my reflection collection, and receive a copy of my book, “She’ll Do It Her Way.”
We identify what you’ve been hiding behind – the roles, the masks, the “shoulds” – and gently peel back those layers. I challenge you when you’re hiding (even from yourself). I reflect what I’m sensing. You remember who you really are.
Next step: Book a ‘Soulful Connection Call’ with me and let’s see if we’re meant to work together.
'Hide & Seek Session' with Andrea - when you're stuck and can't see why - £150 per call
You know where you are. You might even know where you want to be. But you can’t see what’s keeping you stuck. Maybe it’s a decision you can’t make. A conversation you can’t have. A pattern you keep repeating. A version of yourself that’s exhausting to maintain. You’ve thought about it. Talked about it. Tried to figure it out alone. That’s where I come in.
What happens in 45 minutes?
- I’ll hold up a mirror. You’ll talk. I’ll listen. Then I’ll reflect back what you can’t see yourself – the patterns, the contradictions, the truth you’re sitting on but can’t quite name.
- I’ll challenge the fuzzy thinking. When you hide behind vague language or assumptions disguised as facts, I’ll catch it. “What does that actually mean?” “What’s really true here?” No letting you off the hook.
- I won’t rescue you. When you say “I don’t know” or hit discomfort – I’ll sit with you there. I won’t fill the silence with answers. The truth emerges when you stop trying to have the right answer.
- I’ll give you permission. Permission to tell the truth. Permission to stop performing. Permission to say “I’m not bothered” or “I don’t care about this” without needing to fix it or justify it. Permission to be exactly where you are and say it exactly how it is.
That’s the work. Permission.
The details
We connect on Teams by audio. 45 minutes to help you see what you can’t see on your own. £150 for 45 minutes. If you decide to work together in my ‘Hide & Seek Programme’ within 2 weeks, this £150 becomes part of that.
What people say
“I’d been circling the same decision for 6 months. In 45 minutes, Andrea showed me I wasn’t stuck on the decision – I was avoiding what I already knew. I made the call the next day.”
“I thought I was being collaborative. Andrea caught me – I was people-pleasing. That one insight changed how I show up at work.”
“I finally said out loud what I’d been thinking for two years. Andrea didn’t try to fix it. She just let me hear myself say it. That was enough.”
People discover:
- The decision they’ve been avoiding, and why
- The pattern they keep repeating, and what it’s protecting
- The conversation they can’t have, and what’s underneath
- The version of themselves they’re exhausted from maintaining, and permission to stop
I hold these sessions on Wednesdays – my focused day for going deep on what’s present.
The people in your life don’t need the pretend you. They need the real you. It starts with choosing you.
Your Choice
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 that shines softly.
For My Mum and Dad
My Mum and Dad always found it hard to explain what I actually did. So they’d proudly tell people who I worked with, which awards I’d won, or where I’d been featured.
This part’s for them.
A glimpse of some of the organisations I’ve partnered with. I’ve also supported people and teams from the UK’s largest independent Hospital Group, Professional Football Clubs, Academic Institutions, and many NHS Trusts and NHS National Bodies.
Multiple awards including Leadership Development Consultancy of the Year, Leadership Coach of the Year, and recognition as one of the Top 15 Coaches in Manchester and Top 10 Self Leadership Blogs globally.
A glimpse of a few places I’ve shared my voice and story both nationally and internationally.
20+ years. Three continents. CEOs to parents. NHS to creative studios. The work is the same: helping you to stop hiding.
But here's what matters most - not the awards - not the big names.
The people I've helped remember who they really are, so they can shine softly from within.
"Thank you Andrea. You've given me permission to do my job. My way."
That's the work.
Want soul-nudges in your inbox?
→ Join ‘Shine Softly’ – your email sanctuary. Soul-nudges from a friend who catches you when you’re hiding. Weekly stories that make you see yourself clearly and shine softly from within. Click here to join the sanctuary
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
