About Lesley

 

Helping people understand what is getting in the way.....and move forward

 

’I"m Lesley Allen.

For more than twenty years, I have worked with people who know something needs to change.

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Some arrive with a clear goal, others simply know they are stuck, holding themselves back or no longer living in a way that feels right for them.

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My job is to help make sense of what is happening, understand what is getting in the way, and help you move forward.

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I have never believed in one-size-fits-all coaching

 

People are different.

Two people can have exactly the same goal and be held back for completely different reasons.

 

One person may need confidence.

Another may need clarity.

Someone else may be struggling with fear of judgement, guilt, resentment, imposter syndrome, success inhibition or simply not knowing what they genuinely want any more.

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That is why I do not begin with a fixed programme.....I begin by understanding you.

I ask questions, listen carefully, look for patterns and work out what actually matters.

From there, we decide what needs to happen next.

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Experience has taught me what to look for

 

Much of what I do now happens very quickly, that is not because there is a simple formula it comes from years of experience.

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Over time, you begin to recognise patterns, you learn that the problem someone arrives with is not always the thing that is really holding them back.

You learn which questions matter.

You notice what changes when something lands — and what remains when it does not.

And you become better at knowing what to use, when to use it and when to change direction.

That combination of experience, intuition, psychological understanding, neuroscience and specialist training shapes the way I work today.

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Coaching that can go deeper when it needs to

 

InnerShift is forward-facing.

The focus is on where you are now, what you want next and how to move towards it.

That may involve setting goals, making decisions, building confidence, changing behaviour, creating better boundaries or staying accountable while you make a significant change.

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Sometimes that is enough, sometimes something deeper is getting in the way.

Because my background includes psychotherapy as well as coaching, I can work with those underlying patterns when they are relevant rather than simply asking you to push harder against them.

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We look back when it helps.....

But the reason for looking back is always to help you move forward.

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How I work

 

My style is warm, direct, practical and highly individual.

I will listen.

I will ask questions.

I will challenge you when that is useful.

I will help you see patterns you may not have noticed yourself.

And when you have decided what you want to change, I will expect you to take action.

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Coaching is not just about having a good conversation.....

It is about creating movement.

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Who I work with

I often work with thoughtful, capable people who have reached a point where they want something different.

That includes:

• professionals, leaders and business owners

• creatives and performers

• people navigating career or life transitions

• people approaching or adjusting to retirement

• people struggling with imposter syndrome or self-doubt

• people experiencing burnout or feeling stuck

• people rebuilding confidence after a difficult period

• people who know they are capable of more but cannot quite seem to access it

Some arrive knowing exactly what they want.

Others arrive saying:

“Something needs to change.”

Both are perfectly good places to start.

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Experience and training

 

I have worked in the field of personal change since 2000 and have trained extensively across coaching, psychotherapy, neuroscience-informed change work, mindfulness and personal development.

My background includes:

• Accredited BWRT® Level 3 

• BWRT® Master Coach

• Clinical hypnotherapy

• NLP practitioner and coach

• HeartMath® practitioner and facilitator

• Mindfulness teaching

• Thought Field Therapy

• Internal Family Systems training

• Reiki Master Teacher

• Shamanic psychotherapy and personal development work

 

Those approaches give me a wide range of tools to draw from.

But the tools are only part of it......The real skill is knowing what needs attention, what is most likely to help and what to do next.

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What this work is really about

 

For me, this work is about helping people create movement.

Sometimes that means removing something that has been holding you back.

Sometimes it means deciding what you want instead.

Often it means both.

The goal is not to turn you into somebody different.

It is to help you feel clearer about who you are now, more confident about what you want, and able to move towards it.

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Start with a conversation

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If you know something needs to change — or you simply want to explore what might be possible next — you are welcome to book a 30-minute conversation.

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We can talk about where you are now, what you want to be different and whether working together feels right.

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