Clients
We’ve worked with many organisations and people including Centrica, NHS, Civil Service, British Gas, Conrad Energy, Sky, Oxford Brookes University, NSPCC. Here’s what they say…
Leadership challenges can come in waves. Sometimes success is to remain standing or not getting washed out to sea. With empathy but also appropriate challenge Jake helped me keep going, regain my balance and work out what I needed to do next.
Senior Director, NHS (Executive Coaching)
Working with Jake has helped me appreciate what is important to me, in both my working life and personal life. She has given me the tools to put things into perspective and realise my own value, whilst also helping me to focus on what I can control and how I can go about making changes that will benefit me and support me in achieving my goals and potential.
Leah Timms, Senior Originator, Centrica
Jake is someone that is guaranteed to produce the right question to unlock a rich discussion, whether about a current situation or long term goals. She's an excellent coach who always helped me to find solutions and achieve what was important to me. Without my time with Jake I am confident I wouldn’t have achieved what I did, in what at the time were very challenging circumstances.
Lee Priestley, Commercial Director, Conrad Energy (executive coaching)
I have worked with Jake for around 18 months and have found it an interesting, thought-provoking and challenging experience. I have never left a session without thinking about a different approach to an issue I have been mulling over. Jake is great at listening to the issue and then really teasing out the issue to ensure you are really addressing the right problem. Often a concern is just a manifestation of a broader issue and Jake is great at bringing that out. Jake makes sure she understands the context and environment you are working in and then ensures that her questions and challenge fit within that context. Jake is very clear that the agenda is yours to drive and her role is to facilitate that. I highly recommend her.
Geoff Ogle, Chief Exec, Food Standards Scotland (executive coaching)
Getting the best out of yourself and maximising your potential is never easy. And it is never something you should do on your own. You need external challenge by someone with the right blend of experience, professional insight and common sense. Someone guaranteed to produce the right question to unlock a rich discussion, whether about a current situation or your long term goals. Jake is a phenomenal coach who always delivers the goods
Stephen Hillier, Senior Civil Servant (executive Coaching)
Working with Jake was a delight: she helped me to bring insight and clarity on some difficult situations at work, and to draw these together into more general perspectives on how I can thrive in work and life. Her style was supportive and affirming, while providing the constructive challenge that a skilled independent perspective can offer. I left each session feel positive about myself, and brimming with ideas for how to address pressing problems
daniel northam jones, nhs (executive coaching)
I have worked with APOD for a number of years now and I cannot speak highly enough of Jake’s skills as an Executive Coach. I had experience of being coached previously but the support and challenge I have received consistently from Jake has been of tremendous help.
Peter Wanless, CEO, NSPCC (executive coaching)
I began working with Jake two years ago whilst in my first senior civil service role - her support in helping me to make the transition to senior management was invaluable.
Since then, with the support of Jake, I have transitioned to the higher education role in to another senior leadership role. In the run up, I worked extensively with Jake to design my 'first 100 days' and think about the approach I would take to building relationships. I am now working closely with her as I restructure my directorate and embark on a substantial change programme. Once again, the work that we have been undertaking together has been invaluable and has helped me to increase my self-confidence and self-belief. I have been on a huge journey while working with Jake and I have no doubt that her support and assistance has been a major factor in my ability to make such an effective transition.
Suzy Jenner, Director Marketing and Communications, Oxford Brookes Uni
Working with APOD is proving to be rewarding on so many levels. We set out to develop out teamwork ethics, but are finding that the programme also delivers huge benefits in areas such as empowerment, creative thinking, morale and motivation.
For most people, the prospect of spending a day in a recording studio, making ‘music’, fills them with dread. But guided by the skilful hands and minds of the team at APOD, a transformation from dread to wholehearted participation to the heady excitement of achievement is a fantastic experience in itself. Then, with the follow-up coaching sessions, the benefits to the business become palpable.
So far, 150 Sky employees, from both operational and sales backgrounds, have been on the programme and we are delighted with the results we’re seeing. Thank you APOD.
Jeremy Tester, Sky Media. (organisational Development)
The APOD facilitators are some of the best that I have ever had the pleasure to work with
Kirstie Garret, People Development Manager, British Gas (OD)
Over the course of a fast-changing year, Jake, through a combination of focused events, facilitated meetings and individual coaching provided powerful support to my senior leadership team and myself as MD.
Her engaging style and gentle probing provided a conducive environment which surfaced long-standing issues and built strong commitment to shared goals. This support was fundamental in enabling performance breakthroughs for a number of the team, as well as helping create a more cohesive and focused team, aligned and well-positioned to face the challenges ahead.
Mike Astell, MD, Energy Company (team coaching client)
Jake has been the executive coach I have consistently returned to as I have taken on new career challenges over the last few years and most recently on my return to the Department of Health as Director General last summer. She consistently provides challenge, insight and a space for thoughtful conversation which I believe enables me to add even greater value and impact in the department and wider civil service. I would highly recommend her to other directors who are looking for support to accelerate personal and organisational change or who want to make an impactful and successful transition to a new role.
Will Cavendish, former DG, Dept Health (executive coaching)
The work that I have been doing with Jake over the past year has helped me clarify what I want to achieve professionally and has also given me greater confidence in my work.
Jake's detailed attention to every aspect of what’s going on gives our work real focus and her warm and personal approach means the sessions, whilst challenging, feel good and I always come out of them feeling focused and motivated.
Luc Tremolet, Director/Producer (personal coaching)
The year working with Jake helped me regain equilibrium after a tumultuous period in my life. In addition to enabling me to making some positive changes to my life situation, she supported me to make sense of what had happened. By the end of our work I had a deeper sense of myself and I feel this work continues to work in me even though I am not in therapy any more.
Jack (psychotherapy)
Jake was a truly warm and supportive presence during our sessions. Holding the space between us compassionately and intelligently, she facilitated my journey towards wellbeing with real empathy. She was instrumental in helping me through a particularly difficult time and, with her great qualities of wisdom and kindness, I would wholeheartedly recommend her as a therapist, a companion and a guide.
Cath (psychotherapy)
Via their music process APOD take a fresh and innovative approach to traditional team building. Leading the team through the immensely creative and rewarding process of creating your own CD, you will gain valuable insight into your team’s collective and individual strengths in a fun and relaxed environment. Highly recommended
James Parton, Managing Director ,The Bradfield Centre
On apod music - It’s taught me a lot about stepping back and letting things happen… experimenting. The importance of creating space for stuff to happen.
Laura Price, editorial director, titan publishing
On apod music -I ran an event two days later feeling much more confident and with less anxiety than I usually would have… I was more in tune with what was going well and how people were feeling -It all came naturally. I now have more confidence and know something about how to achieve that confident state before big events