WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

"People don't grow by accident. They grow by design."  

"I can't emphasise enough how valuable coaching has been to shaping my career. I was incredibly sceptical about whether there would be any benefit, but the benefit has far outweighed the cost and time I've put into the process. Along the way, I was terrified about the consequences of making any changes to my career path, but coaching has transformed my career outlook in positive ways that I couldn't have imagined six months earlier. I would recommend this type of coaching to anyone, at any stage of their career, and for any reason. I can't stress how useful it is to have been given a framework and tools to facilitate self reflection and career planning. I wish I'd done it a lot earlier!"
Associate Architect, London

"Thank you for the <coaching> feedback report. It is really useful and good to see how the ADs have progressed. We've also seen their growth firsthand and are very pleased with the investment in coaching with SleepingGiant."
Janet Lewis, JTP

“I approached Karen at a time I was transitioning from part time to full time work and felt lost in my career direction. Karen provided guidance which was thoughtful, supportive and helped me build confidence and self awareness. I am very grateful!”
Architect, Australia

“Thank you so much Karen. It's been an absolute pleasure working with you. Your way of giving me perspective has changed a lot for me and will stay with me forever. Great person and great coach. Highly recommended to everyone.”
Sustainability Lead

“Coaching with Karen has been wonderful! She has helped me to clarify my goals and values, and then helped me tailor my career path to to suit. Highly recommend."
Tara W.

"The conversations we’ve had in the last few months have helped me a lot. I understand my career motivations better and recognise past behavioural mistakes. I’m pretty happy in my office at the moment, and thanks to some of your tips in anger management and my self-discovery, I’m currently managing better my relationship with management. "
Project Architect, London

“I was particularly interested to work with Karen, due to her insightful work with Women in Architecture. I’m a firm believer that we don’t grow in isolation of others, and am convinced that everyone, at any career stage will benefit from coaching/ mentoring. As a small practice director, my primary concern was to unlock a better model for financial sustainability. Coupled with the challenges of adjusting to the shifting sands of practice demands, there was a lot on my mind. Karen provided helpful tools to not only address this, but delved deeper into strategic thinking and personal goals. Karen is friendly, calm and gifted in unlocking potential. Just brilliant!”
Grace Choi, Director, Grace Choi Architecture

“Karen supported me through a period of business realignment with understanding, patience and humour. I found my sessions with her inspiring and uplifting. Being a one-woman business owner, it’s easy to get stuck in your ways, so it was very useful to get a fresh pair of eyes on the issues I wanted work on. I particularly enjoyed our practical sessions in which we worked on a new service launch. Without her help it would still be something I wanted to try but never had the courage to. Thank you Karen for helping me get it done!”
Interior Designer, London

"Working with Karen has given me what feels like a ‘scaffold’, from which I have learnt how to both think critically about my business and develop personally. Most importantly, her approach has instilled a friendly curiosity towards the problems and challenges I encounter. There is a kindness and openness to this process that at first eases pressure on one's self, removes shallow preconceptions, and creates the space to follow a line of questioning that can take you forward. It feels like an invaluable part of my practice.”
Tim Norman-Prahm, Norman-Prahm Architects, London

“Karen has a real unique way of helping you break down where you are with your mindset and navigate your way through the issues that present themselves to you. She created a real safe space for me. Whether my issues were personal or professional Karen’s calm and professional demeanour was a great reassurance for me. I am building my business at a pace that suits me and Karen’s coaching has made me feel reassured that I will accomplish all my goals that are related to it.”
Interior Designer, Manchester

“I definitely felt that the more that I put in, the more I got out. I have regained my sense of self and professional identity and have a toolkit with which to approach previously difficult areas. The coaching was well tailored to my specific requirements and Karen responded well in each session to my progress and direction of travel. It felt like an evolving and nuanced process rather than a prescribed course. I would highly recommend this coaching process.”
Senior Architect, London

“The coaching was useful in defining what I do and what I want to achieve. It also allowed me to realise the tools I need to get there and how I might make small changes or alterations to improve efficiency and a more positive approach. It's also useful to have an external perspective from someone who understands the industry and understands the 'juggle' of work and family life.”
Design Writer, London

“The senior management team at Planning Potential have been working with Karen for a year now and her wise advice, prompting us to focus on what we should be doing in the business rather than what we want to do, has been invaluable. She ensures we set clear targets and keeps us to task with regular one to one meetings. She tailors her approach to suit the individual, rather than following a one size fits all approach. I would highly recommend Karen to any small business seeking to get the best out of its people.”
Helen Cuthbert, Director, Planning Potential, London

“I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, and was slightly unsure if it would be of use, but I found my time with Karen eye opening and highly useful. I regained my confidence at work and have become more assertive and direct. The sessions ended at an opportune time and have left me in a great place both professionally and personally.”
Executive Creative Director, London

“It was really great to go about finding a new job in a different way and have someone to give a different perceptive on the situation. I have learnt a lot of new tools that will be useful for the rest of my career!"
Associate Architect, London

"Karen, guided me through the motions of making difficult decisions in a process that allowed me to transition more smoothly to the next step. Her positivity, presence and support was very important for me to get me through this crucial stage of my career."
Architect, London

"The feedback from the directors on their coaching sessions has been very positive. Your skill in ensuring everyone had the space to discuss long held issues in a safe and supportive environment has very much helped."
Business Operations Director, Architectural Firm, London

"Karen is a great coach, open to all issues of any kind, whether work or personal related. Really helps to talk things through, to help you in a variety of situations and to gain clarity of your own thoughts and in your own internal processes and procedures."
Director, Construction Services, London

"To think that 6 months after we concluded our sessions that I would be presenting to board members and the CEO of a significant project as part of a bidding process is a great testament to what we achieved."
Associate Architect, London

"My sessions with Karen were extremely helpful and ultimately product in giving me the opportunity to step back and critically reflect on my personal and professional approach to my business."
Business Owner, Senior Architect, USA

"Dreams will stay as dreams, until the inner conscience is awoken to take actions. Thank you for showing me the way."
Senior Architect, London

"It's valuable to have these leadership discussions with an independent professional regardless of how well things are going in working life. It has given me greater confidence in my current role and helped me evaluate my future career trajectory. [Coaching] offers a valuable insight into preconceptions about working structure, personal effectiveness and responsibility. I found the whole experience very valuable."
Associate, Grimshaw Architects, London

"My coaching experience was 5/5: excellent. I would be more than happy to recommend Karen to anyone who is looking for coaching."
Tal Ben-Amar, Partner, Pilbrow & Partners, London

"Prior to working with Karen, I'd not had any experience with a coach. I engaged with SleepingGiant Consulting so that I could achieve some long term career goals that had previously seemed unattainable. Karen was able to provide me with tools from the onset that helped me identify the obstacles in my way and affect changes that I could make easily and immediately. Continued work on the analysis of my drivers and workstyles allowed me to understand my ways of working so that I could recognize what old habits were holding me back and those which I could use to drive me forward. Karen has provided me with a framework not only for working steadily towards my goals, but also for creating and maintaining a more positive and balanced life. I always feel inspired after my sessions with Karen and look forward to mapping out future goals with her."
Etain Fitzpatrick, Senior Architectural Designer, London

"I feel like a different person. It's not a false confidence, it's genuine."
Associate, Grimshaw Architects, London

“I came into the coaching relationship with no pre-conceptions - I knew that saying yes would put me on a journey. Coaching has helped me to scope out the distractions and understand what is important. I have moved my business in leaps and bounds and am now on a path where I can see how to grow my company and create wealth. The overriding benefit though, has been the increase in my self-belief and confidence. It has been remarkable looking back and realising how much I have changed. 
Andrew Clifford, Sustainable Design Director, Clifford.Atkins, London

"I found myself at a turning point in my career with the choice to develop my own architecture practice or to return to working in a larger architecture practice. Each pathway in had its own clear advantages and possible challenges. Conversations with Karen helped me identify my core values and how they fit best within these different types of practice. Karen helped me see things from a different angle, used tools to help demonstrate possibilities and always kept me looking forward. I felt that Karen's past experience was as important as her coaching credibility, as I didn't have to explain the politics of an architectural office. I recommend Karen's coaching to any architect/mums who need clarity."
Senior Architect & Mother of two, London

"Having previously worked with Karen in her role as a mentor, I was interested in how her shift to coaching would benefit our relationship and my business. The approach used in coaching is considerably different and when I speak about how Karen works I say that she is a good listener. What I mean is more than listening though - Karen transitions what I say into very effective and productive outcomes. For instance, I have started a coaching session feeling overwhelmed, stressed and behind in work, but ended it excited, focused and in control.  
Business Owner, Bristol

Client Survey Feedback:

How would you (or did you) describe your coaching experience?

“A very big heart felt THANK YOU for my session last week. It was amazing how effortlessly you guided me and left me with simple yet significant tasks I could do to move forward.”

“Hesitant at first, unsure of what to expect, or how the sessions would assist me. This changed very quickly. Being open and honest allowed me to get maximum results. It challenged me.”

"Relaxed atmosphere, non-judgemental, got me thinking about things that I had not considered, wanted to pursue the journey further."

"It was a thought provoking experience that really prompted me to take serious action, with the direction I discovered through the process."

"Positive, time to think and get a new perspective."

What would you tell to colleagues who were considering coaching / How would you describe coaching?

“We spend a lot of time solving other people's problems but rarely our own. It was really helpful to get some external, objective advice and help point out the things I was too close to see myself. I also felt Karen had a good understanding of the creative mind and personality traits, so she took that into account in our sessions.”

“Architecture is such a long course and so focused on a single outcome that I think coaching is a really valuable way to reflect on where you have been and provide you with new tools to seek a different course for the future, one that might not be so clearly defined as working in a traditional architectural practice. The skills I learned were not only useful for changing my career but will also be useful in the design process and in my new job.”

"They have options and opportunities to change, and there are guiding hands out there to help them along the way."

"I like the openness of the conversations; it makes you face the truth."

"I believe it has made me more optimistic towards my future, thus giving me more belief and confidence to follow my dreams".

"Karen is a great coach, very patient and really thinks about her clients needs to help them focus."

"I like the way Karen used intelligent and open questions to help me find an answer to a question. Karen has a humorous, light touch to working which is helpful when things are tough. Best of all, I really appreciated Karen's clear-headed, practical approach to helping me find business solutions that work."

"Coaching helped me understand my role and responsibilities and ultimately how to delegate more effectively."

"I developed accountability for my own actions and created focus and commitment to making a change."

"It was a wonderful self-discovery tour, and now I feel that I have a more effective toolkit to continue to grow professionally."

"Karen's great as a business coach. She has the right mix of a clear thinking practical approach and a positive, encouraging presence."

"I could see my confidence grow and I am more effective at using my strengths."

"Give it a go - with the right coach, you stand to learn what you want in life (and it might not be what you think it is!) and what makes you tick, how you work best. It helps you gain clarity out of the muddle of everyday life."

Contact Karen Fugle today to learn how SleepingGiant can help you.
E. karen@sleepinggiant-consulting.com   M. +44 (0) 77628 11703