“Working with Nicola has been such a valuable experience. She helped me to make sense of my varied background and skills, pulling together a clear story to move forward with. She asked questions that really made me reflect and consider what I really wanted the next move in my career to be. She created a roadmap for me which helped to keep me on track and put one foot in front of the other during a very stressful time. I’m so grateful for her support and would highly recommend her to anyone navigating their next career step.”

“Working with Nicola supported my career goals in two significant ways: it helped me regain confidence and optimism about finding the right job for me, and it kept me focused on opportunities that were within my range of interest / passions and ideal working conditions – both crucial for a successful job search.

I’m grateful for Nicola’s support and professional guidance throughout the process. I’m delighted with my new job, and when I look back, I think I would not had the confidence to leave my previous position without the guidance that her coaching offered.”

“I wanted help making a career pivot from technology to education. Nicola asked questions that challenged my thinking and her insightful summaries of issues we discussed led to a breakthrough in terms of weaving together the different strands of my work experience and expertise. Nicola’s academic background was a great help, especially as she understood a lot of the issues I will be facing in my new field. I now have a clear path forward to move confidently into this new field, as well as a set of actions to follow.”

“I wanted to gain clarity about my long-term career goals. Before working with Nicola, I found it hard to believe I could do something that I am really passionate about and earn enough money to sustain the kind of life I want. I am still exploring this, but I feel more hopeful; I have become clearer about what really drives me and interests me, and have the confidence to pursue it further. I particularly enjoyed being challenged about my unchecked assumptions and exploring possibilities I’d never thought of before.

I have been enjoying my new job in the new sector – a sense of joy, achievement and purpose as I anticipated, but also challenges and realities I did not anticipate which gave me invaluable insights to learn from and reflect on.

What would I say to someone hesitating about investing in coaching with Nicola? Definitely give it a go! No matter how far you go in the process, you will learn something new and the journey is totally worth it.”

“I invested in coaching to seek clarity, guidance and strategies towards career change plans. Nicola was calm, patient, attentive and asked precise questions that helped me work out my responses and thoughts without feeling pressured. She was warm and made me feel comfortable to talk. The whole experience was excellent and very helpful.

As a result of working with Nicola I now have the confidence and clarity to pursue my goal. I have enjoyed my coaching session. Thank you Nicola for your professionalism and excellent guidance. I am looking forward to working with you again.”

“I can’t recommend Nicola and her Licensed Firework Career Change Coaching highly enough! Having previously worked with two other career coaches, I was beginning to feel stuck in regards to my career transition. Then I started working with Nicola, and everything changed.

From our very first session, Nicola brought an exceptional level of structure, focus, and clarity that I hadn’t experienced before. She helped me dig deep and really understand what drives me in my career, what I’m passionate about, what motivates me, and importantly, where I had skills gaps that were holding me back. But she didn’t stop there; Nicola helped me map out exactly how I could bridge those gaps in a way that felt achievable and aligned with my long-term goals.

What sets Nicola apart is the Licensed Firework Career Change Programme she delivers. It’s not just coaching, it’s a highly structured, strategic process that gives you direction and momentum. After spending over two years feeling stuck in a career transition phase, working with Nicola helped me get focused.

Within just four months, I’ve now secured my new role in the education projects sector, a space I’m incredibly passionate about for its transformative power beyond the classroom.

If you’re considering a career change and want a coach who is both insightful and practical, who brings both compassion and accountability, Nicola is the one. She’s brilliant, and I can’t thank her enough!”

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life next! A friend of mine suggested coaching. I just felt that I was a jack of all trades, I’ve experience in so many different areas and no one real ‘expertise’ (OR SO I THOUGHT!).

I wasn’t sure where to look next for a job but I knew I wanted to leave my previous job (for various reasons).

I liked that the hour was well planned out by Nicola, I felt like we got through a lot. I also liked how approachable she was with emails etc, and I know that she would reply if I had any further questions.

I’m now seriously considering starting up a venture on my own – it might not be overnight but I will start thinking about it properly. I had a lot of fear around that. Also, it has made me realise that I don’t necessarily have to automatically go for jobs that involve people management just because I consider myself a leader.

I’ve decided now that a real non-negotiable for me is using my voice (presenting/public speaking) for social change, I need to have that in any job I take.

Nicola won’t tell you what you should do with your life, rather she will ask you questions that guide you and spark ideas.

I would also encourage people to take their time with the process, like I did. I got the pre-session exercise immediately and had lots of time to think about it, and I think that helped immensely.”

“I needed to get through the untamed jungle of possibilities and decide on a path to follow so I invested in career coaching with Nicola.

The guidance and structure was really helpful. I liked having a format and process to follow because it gave me hope that it would help clear up the murkiness. I appreciated the notes from each session and the experience has been positive.

Nicola’s reliability, calm and confidence made the process feel doable.

I’ve identified a good place for me to start (coach certification) and to be able to justify the decision in concrete language using my blueprint, a one-page visual summary of what I’m looking for from my career going forward. This is immensely helpful when the doubts creep in, or other shiny opportunities pop up.

I finally have a direction!”

“I needed to get clarity about next steps, and have the structure and accountability that coaching could provide so that I could shift my career in a new direction.

Nicola’s understanding, experience, and the way she could pull out key themes, pieces of information in ways I hadn’t necessarily thought of were immensely helpful. There were so many “yes, that is it” or “Oh I hadn’t realized that, but you’re right” moments.

This session has validated that ‘connection’ is key to me: it’s a skill, motivation, and value that I’d like to dig into more. I gained useful knowledge about the career change process, how it takes time, and that values, and testing your ideas are a key part in the process.

What’s more, I realised that you don’t have to wait until you’re ready to engage in the career change process - engaging is what will ensure I’ll be ready when the right opportunity comes along.

A genuine thank you Nicola for your kindness and understanding – I really enjoyed our session and you have given me a lot to think about!”

“I decided to invest in an Ideal Career Coaching Session to get help with the direction I wanted to go in next with my career. Nicola asked great questions that were thought-provoking, which gave me a clearer view about what I value in a career. I have more confidence as a result to make some small changes in the short-term. I’m also more hopeful about my future career. Thanks for everything Nicola, it was great working with you and I look forward to hopefully working together in the future.”

“I decided to invest in coaching to help gain some clarity on my career. What I liked best were the helpful reflections, prompts, and questions that really focused my thinking. I now have some good questions - and a better structure - to think about what I want out of my career. Honestly, I can’t think of anything that would have improved the experience.”

“I felt like I wasn’t happy with my job but I couldn’t figure out why exactly that was the case. There were way too many thoughts going on in my head for me to identify the problem at hand.

The questions that Nicola asked me have helped me think through what I was struggling with.

As a result of our work together, I’ve explored the different avenues that I could take in my career and I have learned something from each of those explorations - this was great. I’ve also identified my strengths and values which helped me clarify what some of my goals are, even outside of my career.

I really can’t remember being this excited about my future career since leaving college. I think this is amazing!”

“I was in a rut, had left my job and the pandemic had left me feeling unsure about where I wanted to go next.

As a result of working with Nicola, I have clarified what motivates me: that purpose, having a team and crucially having fun are really important to where I work. I am exploring a very different avenue of work to what I was thinking about 6 months ago and understand better how some of the work and careers I was considering weren’t a great fit for me and thus didn’t feel right.

The best thing about coaching was having an insightful, caring, motivated and expert person to talk to. It was really motivating and the sense of accountability of having a call booked and having a deadline really worked for me.”

“I wanted to make a career change but wasn’t sure what direction to take. I liked how Nicola’s coaching was structured towards taking actions to move in a new direction, rather than just generating ideas. I also really appreciated the encouragement that Nicola gave me, even when I wasn’t feeling it for the sessions. I now have a clear understanding of my area of interest/passion and have a set of actions to progress me towards getting to meet people in that area and from there finding out the type of work I could do. (I have a 2-year timeframe to make a change.)”

“Working with Nicola helped me to take stock and prioritise the things that are important to me in my career, the motivations that drive me to achieve my goals. This helped me to move forward on projects that had stagnated or were at a standstill. Nicola’s clarity and targeted advice helped me complete some very large goals over the year since I worked with her.

Nicola helped me align my core values with what I would like to achieve in my career, this was particularly important to me at a mid-career point where I needed to decide on the path I would like to take into the future.”

“I connected with Nicola through a colleague on LinkedIn. She is extremely personable and from our initial meeting helped me to start to craft a plan based on what I wanted to achieve.

I really looked forward to our sessions as Nicola has a tremendous ability to help people figure out what it is that really motivates them and to build on their strengths and activate their passion, as well as seeing their true value.

I would highly recommend Nicola to any of my friends and colleagues.”

“I invested in coaching to gain perspective on where I’m at in terms of my career and get a steer towards a more productive direction. As a result of Nicola’s coaching, I have a better can-do approach to things and improved confidence in my own skills. I’ve also changed my approach to reaching my goals and appreciate the value of a carefully thought-out action plan.

I’d encourage any academic who’s weighed down by the system to try coaching!

There’s room for everyone to excel and achieve their goals and that’s what coaching with Nicola can offer.”

“Nicola gave me a very honest appraisal of how coaching might be beneficial for my situation: figuring out what my next career move should be. She immediately put me at ease and was extremely friendly and accommodating throughout all of our interactions.

As a result of working with Nicola, I feel better equipped to make decisions about my next steps. The questions she asked directed me to consider factors and issues that I likely would not have thought of myself. This really helped clarify my thought processes and will benefit my career-related decision making processes going forward.

(Working with Nicola also helped me re-define my approach to completing a frustrating task: finalising an article to submit for publication. Her coaching gave me the impetus to act then and there and the article was submitted within a week!)

Thanks for all your help Nicola, you are a fantastic coach!”

“I was really fortunate to attend one of Nicola’s workshops back in 2021 when I was at a crossroads in my life. At the time I was considering changing job, and also toying with the idea of starting my own business. Nicola’s practical toolkit empowered me to take action. She enabled me to breakdown my big ambitions into smaller actionable steps. That year I launched my business which was subsequently featured multiple times in the Irish Times and the Irish Country Magazine. Nicola was instrumental in my success. If you are considering a career change, my advice is not to hesitate, reach out to Nicola to learn more.”

“I had explored my career options in several different ways. However, each time I got into something, I started to back away, trying to figure out where to focus my energy. I realised that I needed professional help.

Having an independent and professionally trained coach to connect with was very helpful, especially being able to meet online. This made the sessions more objective in the comfort of your home.

The coaching was excellent - I enjoyed the subtle and calm approach.

Since starting to work with Nicola, much has changed for me. This includes a better understanding of who I am and, perhaps more importantly, my core values. The process helped me understand why I felt frustrated at my previous workplaces. I now feel focused with a healthy sense of time to move forward into new avenues.

Coaching requires patience and time to invest. It’s not a quick fix. Some insights you learn from session to session can help change your perspectives. This has helped with my motivation.

Coaching with Nicola has been a very positive experience and process. I feel profoundly different from when I started to where I am now. I’m focused and taking action towards a new, exciting career direction.”

“To have someone like Nicola working with me, made all the difference.

Coaching empowered me in a way that I hadn’t ever felt about starting my own business, and helped me to take action on something that I had dreamed about for a long time, but never felt able to pursue in any meaningful way.

I have maintained my motivation to continue on with my business idea, I love going to my desk to get started in the mornings. I am excited and hopeful for the future of my business and feel very equipped to deal with whatever comes my way.”

“I hated my job as a teacher but I was struggling to think of an alternative career. I needed support to find direction, purpose and clarity.

Nicola’s questioning really encouraged me to think more deeply about what I enjoy doing and what skills I enjoy using. Nicola is friendly and personable which instantly put me at ease, and she challenged and supported me to plan my next steps. I have a much clearer idea of what I enjoy doing and what I want my future career to look like. I have enrolled on a health coaching course as health/fitness and ‘helping others’ is something I am passionate about.

The best part is that I feel confident in my decision, as well as happy and excited!”

“This was my first time doing any coaching and I’m not usually the most self-reflective but I felt very lost and unsure about how to make a start on returning to the workforce after a career break.

The best thing about working with Nicola is that I have recovered my confidence, banished most of my fears and concerns about returning to work and I am genuinely looking forward to the next chapter in my career.

I am now clear on what career path I want to take. I have started to apply for new roles and I also have the confidence to establish my own self-worth and my boundaries when it comes to a new role.

Coaching has been a great experience for me. It has helped me remember the professional I once was and to recognise the skills I have gained during my career break. I feel really positive about my future career!”

“I felt stuck in my job as a lecturer. I felt undervalued, overworked and fed up with the cyclic nature of the academic year. Despite feeling this, I had no clue what to do next or how to effectively explore career options. I invested in coaching to help me identify alternative career paths and to have the confidence to pivot and apply for other jobs.

Nicola’s coaching was personable and tailored. Nicola listened well and had real insight into my interests and skills. She drew links between points I’d raised in previous meetings and pulled it all together to share with me a new or alternative perspective that I’d not seen or considered before. The coaching also delivered in manageable chunks which helped me feel like I was making progress at and between each session. I have clarity on my values, strengths and skills which has given me confidence to explore alternative careers and apply for jobs. Nicola’s coaching has also made me aware of the wide opportunities available to me which I couldn’t see or believe in previously.

As a direct result of Nicola’s coaching, I have reached out and spoken to people in other sectors, I’ve extended my activity and network on LinkedIn and I’ve applied for jobs. Funnily enough, I’ve also become more satisfied in my current post as I appreciate more the aspects I enjoy, and Nicola provided me with tools to help manage the aspects I least enjoy. I also feel more empowered to know there are other careers out there for me. The insight and tools Nicola has equipped me with will stay with me for life.

I highly recommend Nicola’s coaching to anyone feeling lost in their career and unsure what to do next or how to explore it.”

“I signed up for a My Ideal Career Starter Session with Nicola because I’d like to change careers out of teaching.

I’m clearer about my values as a result of the session and I got useful tips (e.g., make a list of possible jobs and from each specification list what I like or don’t like). The session has also motivated me to be more active on LinkedIn and I’ve already started a list of jobs that I like the sound of.

I’m glad I invested in the coaching session with Nicola!”

“I felt very stuck in my current career and couldn’t see a way forward. I knew I needed some help to identify skills, to help reframe my negative thinking and to overall build my confidence that change is possible.

Working with Nicola gave me accountability which helped me keep on track. I appreciated the flexibility of the coaching too - not all career coaches are available at 4pm on a Friday or 10am on a Saturday which is when teachers are most likely to be available.

I’m more aware of the importance of ‘doing’ in the career change process. I would have been a passive ‘researcher’ prior to the coaching but am now more inclined to ‘do’ and to realise that if I find it’s not for me, that’s not a failure - it’s a step closer to success. It’s narrowing the options and focussing the search. I’m also much more aware of the importance of ‘networking’ and that this doesn’t have to take the traditional form of going to large gatherings of strangers. My mindset has shifted. You helped me to identify skills I was unaware of and that I now have a newfound appreciation of. Thank you Nicola for your time, guidance and patience throughout the sessions. I enjoyed the process and have learned a lot from it.”

“I’d been feeling restless for a while and as though I needed a change of some kind.

Coaching gave me a fresh way of looking at things: I liked the way Nicola guided me towards challenging assumptions I had and her way of seeing versions of career possibilities. I realised that in lots of ways my job suits me well and sits well with the values I have but that there are other possible ways of integrating those values into what I do so that eventually I might achieve a different work/life balance, which is really what I’m looking for. I’m much more aware of what I need to do now in order to bring about change. Coaching with Nicola was a really worthwhile and thought-provoking experience.

I honestly don’t think I’d ever have extricated myself from the muddled tangle of thoughts I had woven for myself over the last while without Nicola’s help!”

“I was feeling very frustrated in my current position: unsupported and with no real acknowledgement of a job well done!

I wanted to give serious consideration to making a change and explore other options, not just change jobs into a similar type role. I simply didn’t know where to start and decided professional help was the way to go. The best part of the coaching experience was having someone to gently tease out of me what I value, where my strengths lie, and what kind of organisation would be most likely to satisfy me.

Identifying my strengths has had a very beneficial effect on my confidence and self esteem and Nicola helped me to realise I could have different options building in parallel so that my choices were broader, more flexible and less risky.

Nicola “listens with intent”, is caring and supportive. There’s nothing I would have changed about my coaching experience!”

“I was thrilled when I connected with Nicola as a client as her structured approach and no-waffle style was very much what I needed after nearly a decade putting myself into my business, Castlebridge, during which time the lines between the business and me had become very blurred.

Nicola’s guidance on self-assessment and her nudges towards what my instincts were screaming at me helped open my eyes, start me on new habits, and gave me an appreciation of how I can create headspace and clarity. (Now I just need to keep putting it into practice!)

And that was after just one session (and some homework)

A fantastic investment of my time and money, and one I look forward to repeating over a longer series of sessions.”

“I was feeling at a bit of a crossroads following the conclusion of a role, with a jumble of thoughts in my mind about future direction.

I liked the structured approach to building the blueprint. It really helped break down that thought jumble. The values exercise and the skills exercise stick out particularly. In terms of skills, considering those I actually like using (as well as being good at) was really helpful.

Through our sessions, I was able to better understand my values and the skills I possess, especially identifying those I truly enjoy using.

The creation of something tangible in the form of the blueprint has not only guided me toward securing a new role within my organisation but will also be invaluable for making future career decisions.”

“I was unhappy and unfulfilled in my professional life and wanted guidance on how to take positive steps towards career change.

Getting the opportunity to tease out ideas with Nicola was a great way to help organise my thoughts about my professional values and strengths and how I could translate them to other careers. I thoroughly enjoyed my sessions with Nicola. I think the most important thing she did was provide a safe space for me to think aloud and discuss a wide variety of ideas and options. It was great to explore careers I never dreamt were possible.

I have taken tangible steps already towards a career I am passionate about as a result of discussions in our sessions. They have served as the catalyst for moving in a positive direction.

Also, the sessions helped to connect a lot of dots in terms of what I like doing and what I am good at, and how I could marry the two. For example, I realised that one of the aspects I enjoy most about teaching is engaging in visual communication. This could be anything from designing presentations to making videos. This has opened up a world of possibilities to me in terms of broadening my scope of potential future careers: I am now thinking about working with organisations that create and develop campaigns around social change and equality, something I never would have thought I had transferable skills for.”

“In the early stages of the pandemic, I was faced with the prospect of being forced into ‘pivoting’ my career. Although, I had already started ‘dip my toe’ in a different direction, I wasn’t really clear how I could effectively do this, nor could I identify what transferable skills I had, that I could carry with me in my new chosen direction. In fact I wasn’t even sure what direction I wanted to go in. Time was on my side, so I wasn’t really under any pressure to do anything.

I had planned on a slow, gradual move from one career into the next, with an overlap of maybe 5-10 years. I was in no hurry and procrastination was the order of the day, but then COVID-19 arrived and decimated the aviation industry.

Nicola helped me identify what parts of my current job I liked, where my passions really were and which of my core values would have to align with any future career choice. We identified what was currently holding me back. We then split these into what was really an obstacle, and what I just perceived to be an obstacle. With the support and encouragement of Nicola, my motivation surged.

After 6 sessions with Nicola I was empowered with a sense of clarity and self-belief that I have never experienced. Nicola helped me to align the dominoes in my life, so that each step I took was supported but by my previous efforts, and rather than running into brick walls, I was knocking them down. Nicola has an amazing ability to listen, but more importantly to ask questions that really challenged me to ask further questions of myself. The most important thing that Nicola thought me, was that I already had the answers, or else I knew where to find them. I just didn’t know the questions to ask, or how to ask them.

I cannot recommend Nicola highly enough for anyone who might feel they are stuck in a bit of a rut, or are need of some clarity in their career.”

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”