About - Emily Heath

About me

In addition to being a certified coach, I bring over two decades of firsthand experience navigating the kinds of personal and professional challenges you’re up against. If I haven’t been through it myself, I’ve likely supported colleagues working through similar situations in my capacity as a line manager, team lead and internal coach.

Before becoming a full-time coach, my interest-led career took me from video and performance artist, to accessible web development and user-centred design. My clients and employers have been arts organisations, charities, mission-driven SMEs and a public service broadcaster.

Of the 20 years I worked in tech, I spent seven years running my own digital agency, followed by nearly a decade working in a large corporation. I’ve seen how green the grass looks from both sides of the self/employment fence.

In my mid-thirties, after the death of my father, a period of introspection naturally unfolded alongside my grief. I realised then, that I gained more satisfaction from the meaningful connections I formed with my direct reports and the teams I managed, than I did from seeing the products we built together hit their targets.

I was fortunate to have been coached during this period, as well as completing a training in Coaching for Leaders as part of my role as a manager. Discovering coaching felt like coming home: this is where my strengths, values and purpose converge.

I later became an internal coach at the same company, after completing their EMCC accredited training course. This role involved coaching colleagues in a variety of different areas of the company and expanded the spectrum of job roles among my clients.

Not satisfied with coaching alongside a job I was no longer fully invested in, I resigned in 2022. Now I am 100% committed to helping purpose-led professionals from the tech industry and beyond make the difference that matters to them.

The breadth of

My Experience

As a digital consultant I wore many hats, from pitch writing to client management to building websites. While I was a senior user experience architect, I was also a line manager and then a creative director at the BBC. I now have three career changes under my belt and a few side gigs going on. Suffice to say, I'm a life-long learner who takes her hobbies seriously.

I have lived experience of ADHD and have been through the grief and relief of learning about my neurodivergent brain (and getting diagnosed) in my 40s.

I proudly identify as genderqueer and bisexual and am keen to work with others in the LGBTQIA+ community.

I'm known for being

Sincere

I show genuine care while being quick to get down to business.

Calm

I balance passion and groundedness with confidence.

Curious

I ask questions for clarity and am keen to understand.

Committed

I tackle challenges with determination and energy.

"What Is It You Plan To Do With Your One Wild and Precious Life?"

Mary Oliver's poetry inspires me to get clear on my purpose in my all domains of my life.

I'm driven to help people find contentment in the now, that they will carry through their lives.
I believe we all have our own unique strengths and motivations which help us succeed and adapt to change.
I know there are certain times when we can benefit from a thinking partner to help develop our self awareness, plan for the future, and build our resilience.

What my clients say

Here's some feedback from people I've worked with over the years, either as a coach or a manager.

Charlotte UX Research Manager

Over ten coaching sessions, Emily helped me reflect and understand myself better. I feel a lot more confident in my decisions now - it’s like there are less blockers in the way. I've always said I wanted to live abroad again, but it felt unattainable before. Emily’s coaching helped me get back on track, and I’m so grateful for that.

Chris Bolton Assistant News Editor at BBC

I found career coaching with Emily to be hugely motivating. It has helped me manage myself better day to day and taught me techniques to become a more effective team leader. I now have a clearer sense of focus on how I develop my career further.

Hazel Senior UX Designer at the BBC

I came to Emily looking for a friendly and supportive space to explore how I felt about my career. I had been feeling unfulfilled for a while, but it felt too daunting to make a change. Emily provided the right amount of accountability, encouragement and challenge to help me realise that I was in control of making things better. Since the coaching I’ve felt much clearer on what I want from my career and I have had the confidence to make the changes I need to get there.

Andrea Day Production Manager at BBC

Emily coached me through a period of significant personal change. Her coaching allowed me to unlock my thinking and find my way through some challenging situations. Emily asked thoughtful, probing and open questions which helped me to discover answers of my own and gave me confidence to take action.

Paul UX Designer at BBC

Emily is a great listener, gently steering our conversations to a place where the learnings from my experiences seem to jump out at me. Emily helped me to build my self confidence, reduce my self doubt and provided a great sounding board around difficult topics. She takes a pragmatic approach to career progression and has set out a good format to prepare me for the next steps in my career.

Sophie Communications Manager at BBC

I found Emily to be a brilliant active listener and hugely empathetic. Her insights and questions helped me navigate a number of professional challenges. I’d highly recommend her coaching services.

Pat Fragoso Head of UX&D at BBC

Emily’s attitude to work, and the way she cares about the people she works with, is priceless: she is able to very quickly build empathy for those around her, and that makes them trust her more. A concrete example of this is the way Emily worked with the team she started managing last year. There was a real mix of skills and personalities, but she was able to bring them together as a team.

How I live

I work with inclusivity and diversity in mind because I recognise everyone’s uniqueness and believe in the connectedness of all things.

I cultivate deep, long lasting relationships to increase my sense of connection.

I nuture my curiosity about the world by watching art-house cinema and thought-provoking mainstream films like Palm Springs and Arrival.

I train in acroyoga to exercise my physical body, nurture a growth mindset and to have fun being playful with other humans.

I share my home with two playful cat siblings who remind me to take breaks and reward me with cuddles.

I meditate and study Buddhist philosophy to help me find contentment in the now.

I practise yoga to bring stillness to my overattentive mind and to regulate my emotions.

I watch standup comedy to help me see the funny side of our dark and complex reality.

As a member of the Association for Coaching I adhere to their Code of Ethics and have regular supervision because I value rigorous practice and continuous professional development.

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