“Shirley…gave me the clarity to envisage a different way to do things, to plan and move ahead”

Let’s just start by saying that Shirley is one of the warmest, most generous and committed human beings I ever met. What she does sounds easy, but it’s one of the hardest jobs. With patience and a huge dose of empathy, she helped me pick apart the separate strands making up my big ball of discomfort. She helped find ways not to be too thrown off emotionally by life’s twists and turns. She gave me the clarity to envisage a different way to do things, to plan and move ahead.

The time I spent with Shirley was a safe zone where understanding was provided. Those hours were focused on the things that are not part of casual conversations or deep talks with friends and family. There was no wiggling out of uncomfortable subjects or unfortunate misunderstanding or the need to balance a polite conversation. Shirley always brought the focus back to the big goal.

You know that goal. It’s the one that you know is eluding you and you don’t know why. The one that is hidden in plain sight. The one that’s profoundly difficult to deal with. Shirley found a way to gently guide me back to that, helped me come up with reasonable plans to achieve it, made me commit to it, gently and kindly.

Now it’s much closer than it was. I seriously have to thank her for this.

Can’t wait for my next session.

— Leonardo Rizzi, Screenwriter

“generous with her knowledge/ideas and clearly wants to set all her clients up for success.”

I've been working with Shirley in her capacity as a freelance screenplay consultant. She's been brilliant as both guide and mentor, helping me navigate the complexities/nuances of the writing process in a way that is always positive and constructive. Shirley is honest in her feedback and pragmatic when it comes to managing expectations - I really enjoy debating aspects of my work with her and bouncing ideas around. She is generous with her knowledge/ideas and clearly wants to set all her clients up for success. Her passion for film is also infectious. I look forward to more sessions! —

Alex Charkham, Head of Strategy at Fuse 

“I have had two sessions with [Shirley] and made more progress in a month than I’ve achieved in two years.”

I turned up on Shirley’s doorstep with what felt like a ridiculous problem that I needed help in tackling – the piles of mess in my home. Despite happily progressing my career, family and life goals, I had somehow let mounds of ‘stuff’ grow over the months and years to become a psychological block that was affecting my mood and needed more than a weekend of strong coffee to clear.

I thought Shirley might laugh at my seemingly pathetic ‘problem’ but I soon realised she was intent on helping me. She listened, asked questions and with astute perception somehow managed to cut through my waffling responses to help me understand the bigger picture, identify the barriers, and realise how I was realistically going to tackle them.

Shirley is intuitive and bright and together with an innate ability to gently keep you focused and moving forwards through what can be challenging and brain-aching thought processes, she achieves results. I have had two sessions with her and made more progress in a month than I’ve achieved in two years. There is still work to be done but I’m moving forwards unhindered and starting to enjoy being home rather than irritated!

I had life coaching years ago and didn’t find it helped me – but the difference with Shirley is that she works with you as an individual, taking whatever approach she knows will get you the results you want to achieve. And she won’t let up until you get there!

Shirley is a rare gem who you will be grateful for finding and want to share with your friends and family. Thank you Shirley.

— Stephanie Ridley, Registered Nutritionist at Arsenal FC

“…her questions and reflections have always inspired me to challenge and stretch myself ”

I have worked with Shirley for the past year, as a writing coach.

Her warm, calm disposition coupled with a deep incisiveness in her questions and reflections have always inspired me to challenge and stretch myself working through blocks and not allowing me to accept anything less than what I am capable of. Shirley is both nurturing as a coach and experienced as a script editor which I have found incredibly helpful with my work.

— Anon.