Esther Simmonds -

Katie Sharman

When I contacted Esther I had already sought help through other avenues to aid me in understanding/dealing with a separation after 12 years of marriage. I was juggling a full time job, two very young children (including their emotional journey through this), leaving my job of 20 years, moving house to start again whilst trying to deal with the event that had just gone on.

I was struggling to balance all this out and see the wood for the trees, but I also had an end goal for which no one previously was listening to me as my situation didn't fit into the 'normal' category. I had tried counsellors, therapists and then Esther. Each, prior to Esther, either were not listening to me and my needs or were rushing me into big life decisions that either didn't feel right for my situation or I was not ready to make.

My biggest break through with Esther was she quickly understood how I worked best. I love understanding the theory behind the way I'm/others are feeling/thinking and she was willing to share that and provide me with additional reading/listening when requested. This allowed me to digest my own thoughts to give me the info to chat about it with Esther when we next met. The turning point with me was when I started to get frustrated with the direction we were heading so I aired my concerns and re-stated what I needed my end goal to be; she listened, adapted and we worked through it to a successful result.

I found Esther to be very approachable and relatable. The working relationship, although very professional at all times, was also extremely personable and warm and this was the main difference to my previous experiences.

Throughout my experiences with Esther, in addition to her friendly approach, I felt like I was the most important person in this process and not just another client which was so refreshing.

I would absolutely recommend Esther's services to anyone for all of the above reasons but probably my last point was one fo the most important.

Marilyn Alexander

Working with Esther has been a brilliant experience and has helped me find greater purpose, direction and acceptance in my life. During each session we worked with different tools and frameworks which helped me understand what was important to me, and what was not, and as a result helped me navigate challenges in a more productive and positive way. My biggest breakthrough was understanding that I could follow my own rules, and do and be what feels right for me, not just what society expects from me.

Esther is a very good listener, shows great empathy and kindness, but one of the things I enjoyed most about the sessions was the joy and laughter we had together when solving issues. Esther has a lovely sunny personality and her warmth and kindness always shine through – I am really impressed with what we have achieved over the last six months and would highly recommend her!

James Greenslade

Over many years I’ve wanted to pursue more creative work. I ended up feeling stuck over time as nothing I’d done came to any meaningful progress. At the time of approaching Esther my frustration of not doing something I care about grew to become unbearable. I was unable to see a clear path to make my dream a reality or knowing what barriers I needed to overcome. I couldn’t find balance to keep energy on my dreams and other important parts of life as I was too focused on the safe options. I read lots of self-help books, listened to Podcasts and YouTube videos but was not making any progress on my own.

The biggest breakthrough I have had whilst working with Esther was my own follow through. I’m continually building towards my goal of being an artist. I have a lot of clarity (which I hadn’t previously) and am working through all the steps put in place, at a pace tailored to where I currently am in life.

I loved how Esther seemed to always have the right questions to cut through and reveal what you needed. They were massively insightful, yet surprisingly simple to answer. You couldn’t find it from a book or by following a program because they came off the back of specifics you’d been discussing.

Straight from the beginning you can tell Esther truly cares. She really listens then comes up with either questions or exercises tailored to what you need at that time. You’ll be surprised how quickly you start moving towards your goals.

I would definitely recommend Esther’s services, having done so already to friends.

Cassandra Nattrass

I was going through a bit of a rough patch and a major life transition when I found Esther and I was feeling extremely frustrated. I had been doing talk therapy which I found helpful, but a little too focused on the past and little/no concrete steps for getting out of the rut. Working with Esther, we have had some breakthrough moments talking about values and how to make decisions that have helped me to align and see a clearer path moving forward. My favourite thing working with Esther is that she is a complete delight of a person - very happy, positive, and professional! It is so easy to talk to her and she is extremely empathetic, so I felt comfortable sharing all of my truths, even when they weren't pretty.

Esther was able to support me in my overwhelm by asking me to a step back and see my challenges from new perspectives, using different methods and tools that always felt like we were making progress on the - what now? that therapy was missing.

I would highly recommend working with Esther - she is absolutely amazing and has really helped me see everything in a new light and feel equipped to come at the challenges in life from a renewed and calm space!!!

Dave Huggett

I was lucky enough to work with Esther at the back end of last year. The main reason for seeking this type of guidance in the first place was to help me get better organise, balance my life better, and get on the right path to growing my start up business, without losing my mind.

The sessions were massively beneficial. The main reason being the way that Esther help me to consider each aspect of my life from a different perspective and to essentially reorder it in a much better and more efficient way.

Esther's patience is also second to none, and never made me feel like anything I said or asked was irrelevant or unimportant.

If you are looking for this type of help and guidance, you are in absolutely the right place with Esther's sessions.

Claire Owen

I’ve enjoyed the process so much, each session was different, but Esther always seemed to ask the right question at just the right time which gave me so much to take away and think about between sessions. I still absolutely love my vision board which makes me smile every time I pick up my phone and see it as a screensaver.

Esther’s coaching is very friendly, relaxed but also well structured - each session I was given the opportunity to bring up any specific areas I wanted to work on or explore, and Esther also suggested a number of exercises that we carried out that really helped me to explore further what it actually is that I want out of life. Heavy stuff, but Esther made it incredibly enjoyable and extremely rewarding.

I went into the coaching programme interested, but a little sceptical. I’ve been seriously amazed at the change in my focus and the general feeling of well-being that I now have. I think that spending the time to explore your values and vision for life is one of the most worthwhile things we can do, and I’m so grateful to Esther for her guidance and sharing of knowledge. I honestly can’t recommend Esther’s services enough!

Jess Holly Bates

When I reached out to Esther, I was feeling stuck and overwhelmed from a number of big pressures and changes in my life - I was a new māmā, off the back of supporting my partner through cancer and chemo, just starting a job which I do not consider my passion and feeling compromise in every area of my life. I was feeling foggy about where to go next and how to untangle the different parts of my life to find a direction. I had tried to self-motivate, list-make, look to my own practices for help, but as a new parent, I was less resourced than I've ever been before. This was new territory, feeling so much of myself was going to those around me, and I needed an outside perspective.

So far, the biggest breakthrough has been in relation to not over-promising and under-delivering, or feeling I need to sell myself. Feeling comfortable and confident in what I have, and being honest about that, especially in a job situation. I had a habit of feeling like I had to be someone else, never enough for a job. Esther helped me feel grounded and clear that what I have is what I have, and the clarity of this was supremely powerful for me.

Esther's neutrality, listening and empathy create a still space of reflection where you can hear yourself more acutely. Her strengths-based approach helped me to understand myself more deeply, and turn the volume up on what I was truly capable of. Esther is a very clarifying force as a coach - working with you at your pace, helping unravel the bits of your life that feel sticky and always insisting the work is yours, so you come away feeling you have the power to make change that is necessary.

I would absolutely recommend Esther - she works with integrity, honesty and compassion, but is able to challenge where necessary. A powerful combination