Andrea Sandiford

Hi, I'm Andrea, coach and founder of The Phoenix Within. With over 25 years experience in Education and Early help, I have been fortunate to work with some of our most challenged children and families. I developed my knowledge and understanding of coaching and brief interventions through supporting some of our most vulnerable families to make the changes they needed to turn their lives around following domestic abuse, trauma, mental health, substance misuse and neglect. The one thing that stood out to me was the lack of support and services for the men, for the dads, for fathers that were there and for fathers that were absent.

Following the loss of my husband, I was stuck in a cycle of grief and whereas counselling helped for a time, it felt like I was re-living the trauma over and over again. I wanted to live, not re-live, yet I was facing a future I did not ask for and did not want. This is when I discovered the power of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).  NLP opened up new possibiltiies for me, it moved me from a mindset of feeling powerless to one of choice and possibiity and although the pain of loss was still there, it enabled me to rediscover my skills and talents, regain my confidence and impact positively on the world once more.

I am really passionate about working with men, not only because of my husband's story, but also because I am surrounded daily by men who have becomes lost and driectionless They no longer undrstand where they fit once children are grown and partners appear increasingly to need them less.

They compare themseves to peers and this leads to a whole catalogue of self - belief issues from imposter syndrome, feelings of inadequacy, not being able to provide, that they should have achieved more, be earning more, have a bigger house, a better car etc etc.

As well as the toll on Mental Health, these thought processes lead to behaviours that drive them even further into isolation; working more, spending more and more time on hobbies, exercise, addiction, avoidance, or drive them deeper into themselves. he harder they try, the worse it gets.

And typically men keep all these thoughts within and this can lead either to closing in and keeping everyone out, to conflict, aggression, arguments, rigidity of thinking, blame, low tolerance, or self loathing. These in turn impact on stress levels, blood pressure, heart disease, it goes on 

I want to interupt this cycle, I want to help make it easy for men to say yes to coaching, to see it as a tool to be used to unlock the solution, much like learning a new skill to get a job done. Men generally, are really good at putting in the time to work out how something works and how to fix it, or how to improve at something such as lifting more weights at the gym, breaking a personal best in runnning/ cycling, yet they often can't do this for their mindset or worth. 

I want men to see that coaching is not a soft skill, it takes commitment, determination, time and work, it gets results and the beauty of it is, you dont even have a manual to ignore!

If you put the time in with me, I will help you unlock a better, brighter, bigger future for yourself. I will help you rediscover who you are, what you value, what you have and what you want for your future, what is possible for you and how to get there.

What I really like about NLP is that it works, you will experience real shifts in every single coaching session you have. It's incredibly effective, and has lasting impact. You will gain so much insight into how you experience and interpret the world and how this impacts your decision making and interactions. You will learn tools and techniques for life that will help you navigate whatever challenges you face. Not only will you reap the benefits, the positive changes will ripple out into the lives of all the people you touch and that is a real gift.

I have always believed in people and in empowering people to be the best they can be, i want you to be the best version of you that you can be, how amazing would that be? How amazing would it feel to wake up every morning feeling that you have all this to offer?

I am really looking forward to working with you, every person is different, every journey is different and the outcome is always beyond expectation, why not book in a quick call with me to see how coahing can help you https://calendly.com/thephoenixwithincoaching/free_discovery_call

Click here for the different coaching packages available or use the contact link at the top of the page to ask any further questions.

Andrea