About The Coaching Academy

We're incredibly proud of the reputation we've developed since opening our doors. We started when coaching was a relatively new phenomenon and there weren't any other UK based training organisations for coaches. Now we find ourselves at the forefront of coach training and chosen by more people who want to professionally train in the practical skills of coaching than any other organisation.

"98% of attendees on our live training days rate the experience as above average or excellent"

Your training with us will always be instructive, informative and enjoyable and our team of trainers are hand-picked from the cream of the UK's finest coaches. They are all second to none and all bring with them a wealth of experience and qualifications.

Our CEO Bev James, trained with The Coaching Academy herself, attending one of our free 2 day coaching courses back in 2005. Having experience as a delegate and a student of The Coaching Academy, there is no one more committed to ensuring our delivery is world class.

Our head office is based in Chiswick, London but our training takes place in various, carefully selected venues across the UK. We look forward to meeting you soon!

The Coaching Academy Limited, a company registered in England, with registered number 03935541 and with its registered office at Gable House, 18-24 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London, W4 1QP

Meet the Trainers

Ann Skidmore

Ann Skidmore has coached thousands of people in a variety of industries over the last 20 years since she set up her business. She was on the Coaching Academy’s first training programme back in 1999 and she put that training into good use in her then job role as Corporate Human Resources Manager. Since then she has designed and delivered a variety of programmes for the Coaching Academy and wants to help future TCA coaches enjoy their coaching training and to be the best coaches they can be. She is also an award winning Image Consultant and Personal Stylist – hence why she loves bold colours and shoes!

Kris Robertson

Kris has almost certainly mentored, supervised and assessed more students of coaching skills than anyone else in the world. Having joined TCA as a mentor in 2004 he is now Director of The Coaching Academy and continues to help students be the best coach they can be.

Pam Lidford

As a confidence and holistic coach, Pam loves delivering training and one to one coaching to groups and individuals who are keen to overcome limiting beliefs in order to live more fulfilling lives.

Sarah Urquhart

Sarah has been training coaches with us since 2002. She runs her own Coaching and Facilitation business (started 2000). She helps us to create and maintain our Personal Performance and Corporate and Executive Diplomas to reflect what’s happening in the ‘real world’. As Head of our NLP Training, Sarah designed our Practitioner course both for students’ personal development and to enhance their coaching skills. Sarah’s training is engaging and pragmatic, sharing her knowledge & experience in her unique way that makes you laugh whilst you learn. With her experience supported by qualifications in Business, NLP, Psychology and Supervision, Sarah brings breadth and depth to our training team. She also supports the development of the Coaching Profession as a whole, serving as a Board Director for the UK Chapter of the ICF from 2016-2017.

Dave Pill

Dave is a DISC Personality Profiling Master trainer and has delivered DISC training sessions throughout the world. A qualified Teacher, Lecturer, Coach, NLP Practitioner, Dave has amassed a phenomenal amount of hands-on experience including; 10 years in teaching and lecturing followed by 15 years as a business owner and a further 6 years working as a consultant with a string of large successful Organisations including First Leisure PLC, Whitbread PLC and Bourne Leisure.

Gordon Urquhart

Gordon gained his NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner qualifications in the 1990s and has been using his NLP skills ever since; during his 22 years as a Registered Nurse and for the last 7 years in his second career as a Contemporary Psychotherapist (UKCP Registered). He was accredited as an NLP Trainer in 2011 by INLPTA. He’s been on The Coaching Academy’s NLP training team since they launched the Practitioner course, sharing his expertise in teleclasses and videos and assessing students on their final module of their Practitioner journey. From January 2019 he will be delivering live training for the NLP Practitioner course. Gordon also runs one of our CPD days on Neuroscience.

Andrew Jenkins

Andrew has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience in operational development and is undoubtedly a leader at helping clients overcome obstacles that get in the way of their business vision.

Merete Langler

Merete is a fully qualified Master Coach and NLP Practitioner with her own business. In her work with Small Business owners she helps them develop their plans, ideas and strategies , from time management through to handling staff issues and major business choices.

Sharon Lawton

Sharon Lawton is a parent and family lifestyle coach, NLP Practitioner and DISC trainer. She has her own very successful coaching practice specialising in self-esteem, parenting skills, anger/conflict management, relationships skills, emotional wellbeing and managing stress both in the family and in the workplace. She coaches and supports parents, young people and staff working in the education sector. In 2015 she won International Parent Coach of The Year in the Coaching Academy International Coaching Awards. An award she is extremely proud of.

Mike Blissett

Mike is a presentation skills coach, trainer, and professional speaker. He trained with The Coaching Academy in 2003, and is also a qualified NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer, and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Mike is a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association and speaks on diversity, overcoming adversity and leadership at international conferences and in the education sector.

Ruth Morris

Ruth is highly experienced in the field of ‘Professional Development’ and is passionate about helping others to achieve their potential and aspirations.

Lorraine Thomas

Lorraine Thomas is Chief Executive of The Parent Coaching Academy and international speaker. She is the author of ‘Brilliantly Behaved Toddler’, ‘The Mummy Coach’, ‘Get A Life’, ‘The 7-Day Parent Coach’. She is in demand as an international speaker. Her new children’s book, ‘Super Coach Arty Vs The Shadow’ – Taking the Fear out of Failure, will be published by JKP in 2018. Lorraine appears regularly in the national media and was a spokesperson on resilience to launch Disney’s ‘Inside Out’ film. Her clients include Morgan Stanley, Oasis Academies, Tesco, The Schools Trust, Goldman Sachs and American Express.

Adrian Webb

Since 2001 Adrian has successfully coached hundreds of business owners and managers to build great businesses for themselves and their shareholders. He achieves this by helping them to focus on their strengths, eliminate their weaknesses, which in turn has helped them to become more effective and productive. In addition to running his own coaching practice, Adrian is retained by us to deliver several days on our Business Coaching Diploma programme.

Lizz Jones

Lizz Jones is a Coach with over 25 years’ experience of working in business and management. She started her career in senior management roles within the Financial Times Group; since then she has been running her own business for 15 years. She works as a Business Coach – helping SME’s to unlock the latent potential within their organisations by looking at their business and their people. She also provides coaching support to leaders and managers in larger organisations, both in the private sector and in higher education. She is passionate about business, and you will find her energy and motivation infectious.

Susan Grandfield

Combining my 20+ years of experience in the corporate and business world with my personal mindfulness practice has resulted in a unique and powerful approach to personal and professional development. I work with clients 1:1 and in groups to enable them to bring a more mindful approach to how they approach their work, life and business.

John Perry

John is a qualified Coach, Therapeutic Coach, Human Givens Psychotherapist, Reality Therapist, Hypnotherapist and Supervisor; and has a particular interest in Psychological Resilience, including the promotion of Mindfulness and Compassion/Self-Compassion. John has 5 Degrees, numerous Diplomas and is currently training in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Alongside his Coaching and Therapeutic work, John is a Principal Teaching Fellow at the University of Southampton, a regular Conference Speaker and a Psychotherapist for the combat stress charity, PTSD Resolution. John is also an ‘Expert Speaker’ for the Academy for chief Executives’ and was voted their ‘Speaker of the Year’ for 2017.

Jacky Leonard

Jacky Leonard is a well-respected inspirational trainer, performance coach and author, specialising in the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions. She has a proven track record in facilitating cost effective, engaging and sustainable solutions for her clients. Described by her clients, as ‘a consummate professional’ and ‘charismatic trainer, she is noted for her dynamic and engaging style believing learning should be fun, with a serious intent.

Simon Drury

Business Psychologist, Corporate Mentor and Coach, Trainer, Speaker and nearly an Author!

Rasheed Ogunlaru

Rasheed Ogunlaru is a leading life coach, speaker and business / corporate coach. He is author of Soul Trader - Putting the Heart into Your Business and The Gift of Inner Success. His clients include entrepreneurs, entertainers, Chief Executives, organisations and the public.