Michelle set up greenfields consultancy in 2006 after a career in HR, working across the retail, wholesale, manufacturing and financial service sectors. She trained in Coaching and Mentoring at Oxford Brookes University and initially focused on delivering Executive Coaching. In 2009 she extended her training into Coaching Supervision, again at Oxford Brookes and now provides supervision to coaches, supervisors and other helping practitioners. She is an Accredited Executive Master Coach and an Accredited Master Coach Supervisor with the Association for Coaching. In 2021 the EMCC awarded her their Global Supervision Award. Until recently she was an active volunteer for the Association for Coaching as their Supervision Education Lead, and for the Association of Coaching Supervisors as the co-facilitator of their Co-Supervision Space. She is now focusing more on her research and writing.
Michelle is a thought leader in the supervision space, presenting at Oxford Brookes International Coaching Supervision Conference on an annual basis since 2012. She has also sponsored and spoken at the Americas Coaching Supervision Conference annually since 2020. Alongside publishing a number of academic articles, she also authors and edits books, commissioned by Routledge.
As a practitioner her work reflects both her personality and her practitioner background – perceptive, practical, action oriented and with a preference for using real examples to explore the dynamics of experience. Her Psychology background coupled with her rich organizational HR experience means she offers sharp insight into individuals, organizations and the interplay between the two. As a coach supervisor Michelle’s desire is to enable coaches to develop their own authentic approach to their coaching practice. Her rigorous academic training and her eclectic standpoint allows her to support coaches with a variety of backgrounds.
Whether working as a coach or a coach supervisor, Michelle’s strength comes from the paradox of combining two potentially conflicting elements. First, the ability to create a safe space for people to work, which stems from a fundamental Rogerian belief that people have the resources within them to create the changes they desire. Secondly, taking the pragmatic view that sometimes others can see what you cannot see yourself. Combined, this drives an approach where she acts as a catalyst, seeking to mobilise the self-discovery process and yet being prepared to carefully offer her insight and experience to optimise learning.