Coaching with Cathy Belford
Space to think clearly
Most of the people I work with are perfectly capable of figuring things out. But something has shifted, or they can feel that it needs to, and thinking clearly about it from the inside is harder than it sounds.
Sometimes that's a decision you can't quite figure out. Sometimes it's harder to name than that. Just a persistent sense that something no longer fits.
What coaching offers is a different kind of thinking space. Not going over the same ground again, but getting clear on what actually matters and what comes next. Not my answer. Yours, arrived at with more clarity than you'd get alone. That's what good coaching is.
I work with people who want a structured, honest conversation about what's happening and what comes next. Not advice. Not therapy. Just clear thinking, with someone who knows how to ask the right questions.
What brings people to Fern May
People usually come when something has shifted, or when they can feel that it needs to change. It's rarely one big thing. More often it's a tangle of smaller ones, and they need help seeing it clearly.
Sometimes the thing getting in the way isn't the situation itself. It's a story you've been telling yourself about it for so long you've stopped questioning it.
Career and work
Feeling ready for something different but not sure what. Managing a transition. Navigating a role that has grown beyond what it used to be.
Family and relationships
Children growing up and leaving. A relationship that has shifted. Caring for ageing parents. The roles that defined you changing shape – and working out what that means for you now.
Something needs to change
Sometimes you know what you need to do but can't quite bring yourself to do it. Sometimes you're not even sure what the decision is yet.
Coaching is useful at both stages, and everything in between.
Identity and what comes next
Midlife often brings a reckoning with what you've built and what you actually want. Coaching can help you tell the difference.
What a session actually looks like
Sessions are 90 minutes. Structured but not rigid – we work with what's actually going on for you, not a fixed agenda.
Coaching isn't about telling you what to do. It's about helping you think more clearly about what you already know – and what you might be missing.
What I do
I'll ask questions, reflect things back, and occasionally challenge your thinking – including assumptions you've stopped noticing. I won't give you a framework to take home or a set of exercises to complete. That's not the kind of coaching I do.
What you leave with
You'll leave with more clarity than you arrived with. Sometimes that's a decision. Sometimes it's a different way of seeing a situation. Sometimes it's the relief of having properly articulated something that's been sitting in the background for months.
Coaching outdoors
Some of the most useful thinking happens when you're not sitting in a room. Movement seems to help – there's less self-consciousness, fewer distractions, and something about being outside that makes it easier to think out loud.
Walking coaching isn't about fresh air and exercise. It's a different environment for the same conversation – one that some people find more natural than sitting across a table.
Why it works
Sitting face-to-face can feel formal, even pressured. Walking side by side changes that dynamic. The conversation tends to be more relaxed and more honest. There's no eye contact to manage. Thoughts arrive differently when you're moving.
What it actually looks like
These are gentle, accessible walks – not hikes. Dartmoor has quiet lanes, open paths and riverside routes that work well for an hour and a half of conversation. We go at a comfortable pace. Sessions can also take place on local routes around Chagford, Topsham or Exeter. The point is the conversation, not the terrain. Good footwear and clothing for the weather is all you need.
Is this for you?
Coaching works well for people who are self-aware and used to figuring things out themselves – but who have hit a point where their usual approach isn't quite enough.
You might be a good fit if:
You're at a crossroads in your career or life and need to think clearly about what comes next
Something feels off and you're not sure what, but you know you need more than more time alone with it
Your life is changing around you – children, relationships, family – and you're trying to work out what that means for you
You suspect some of what's holding you back is a story you've been telling yourself, and you're ready to look at it honestly
You'd benefit from a different perspective, from someone who will listen properly and ask the right questions
You're not looking for therapy, and you're sceptical of vague life coaching claims
You want a calm, intelligent conversation – not a programme, nor a set of tools to take away
How it works
Discovery call
Free, 20 to 30 minutes, by phone or online. It's a chance for you to talk through what you're looking for, and for both of us to work out whether this is the right fit. No obligation to proceed.
Sessions
Sessions are 90 minutes. Most people find the work most useful across a block of four. The first session often surfaces things worth sitting with, and the sessions that follow give you time to process what's come up, look at it from different angles, and work out what to do with it. A single session is available if you'd prefer to start there.
Where we meet
I work in person – in quiet cafés in Chagford, Exeter or Topsham – or outdoors on Dartmoor and local routes. Online sessions are fully available and work well for people outside the area, or when in person isn't practical.
Fees
Sessions are priced to reflect the quality and experience I bring, and to remain accessible to people who are paying for this themselves.
Single session – £115
A good starting point if you'd like to experience the work before deciding how to proceed. Available as a standalone or as a first step towards a block.
Block of four – £400
Four sessions at £100 each. The first session often surfaces things worth sitting with. The sessions that follow give you time to process what's come up, see it from different angles, and work out what to do with it. Four sessions is usually enough to move from uncertainty to something clearer.
Payment
Payment is by bank transfer. The block of four is paid in advance and used at a pace we agree together.
Discovery call – free
The discovery call – before any sessions begin – is always free.
Ready to think it through?
The discovery call is free, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and carries no commitment. It's simply a chance to talk through what you're looking for and for both of us to decide whether this feels right.
Get in touch to arrange one.
What people say
"I was sceptical of coaching before this. I'd assumed it would feel generic or forced. It didn't. The questions were sharp and the conversation felt completely real. I came away with clarity I hadn't had in months."
Senior manager, financial services, Exeter
"What I valued most was that there was no agenda, no framework being applied to me. It was just a really good, thoughtful conversation – and it helped me make a decision I'd been stuck on for far too long."
Freelance consultant, Chagford
"I wasn't sure what I was looking for when I got in touch. I think I just knew I needed to talk to someone who would actually listen and help me think, rather than tell me what to do. That's exactly what this was."
HR director, returning from career break, Topsham
Professional standards and confidentiality
I qualified as a coach through Barefoot Coaching, an ICF accredited training provider, in February 2026. I work in accordance with the ICF Code of Ethics and core competencies.
Everything we discuss is confidential. The only exception would be if I had serious concerns about risk to you or to someone else — something I would always discuss with you directly wherever possible.
I work with a supervisor, which is an important part of maintaining the quality of my practice and ensuring I'm always working in your best interests.
Before we begin, I ask all clients to sign a simple coaching agreement covering how we work together, fees, confidentiality and cancellations. We go through this together after the discovery call.
Fern May