Emma’s story

I spent 20 years in corporate roles managing teams, projects and programmes of change. I experienced the pressure of a demanding role and the stress that can accumulate if you don’t take care of your own wellbeing.

It’s the reason I chose to start my business, the reason you’ll experience my commitment to your success, and the reason a large percentage of my work comes from recommendations. To me integrity, quality and progress matter.

In the midst of a very stressful time in my life I sought the support of a coach. I was in a role that felt overwhelming for many reasons. I struggled to make decisions, found myself withdrawing from social situations, and even started to question my own judgement. I realised I was becoming unwell. If I was to salvage my career, I needed to take action. The coach I chose opened my eyes to a very different way of thinking and managing not just my career but also my life. It worked. I was totally blown away by this experience, so I became an Executive Coach and NLP Master Practitioner.

I now specialise in working with leaders and managers in business to create positive change.

John’s story

I climbed Gummers How in the Lake District aged 4, and fell in love with hills and mountains. When it came to leaving university my heart wanted a career in the outdoors. My head said get a graduate job. After 20 years leading teams and managing complex projects, it’s time to see where that other path leads.

Having qualified as a Mountain Leader, I set up Step Outside to help more people access our incredible UK mountains safely. Now I work with everyone from DofE groups to professionals looking for an escape into the calm of the outdoors. And a couple of pre-schoolers who aren’t shy of a fell themselves.

It was a lockdown Zoom chat with Emma that led to us establishing Connect Outside to help businesses get their teams into inspiring places.

I’ve seen first hand how teams who truly connect achieve incredible things together. And enjoy themselves in the process. I’ve seen how the outdoors can change peoples perspectives, as well as inspiring open and honest conversations. I’ve learnt that stress is something we can’t avoid. But we can adapt to how we manage it when it crops up. I’ve learnt that those with busy and pressured workloads need to work harder to cultivate some calm to succeed.

I’m excited to bring the benefits of the outdoors to people who might not normally discover these transformative places.