FAQ

What's the difference between Narrative Consultancy, Coaching and Facilitation?

They're the same underlying skill — finding the story that's already there, rather than inventing one — applied at three different scales. Narrative Consultancy works with a whole organisation: talking to enough people to find the version of your story that's actually true, not just the one your website currently tells. Facilitation applies the same outside eye to a team or leadership group, for a day rather than a diagnosis — creating space to think and speak honestly away from the daily grind. Coaching applies it to one person: I don't advise or direct, I ask, listen and reflect back so you can see your own situation more clearly. If you're not sure which one you need, that's exactly what the free chat is for.

What's the difference between life coaching, leadership coaching and executive coaching?

Life coaching is the broad umbrella — coaching an individual through change, direction or a decision, whatever their role. Leadership coaching is that same work, focused specifically on people leading or stepping into leadership; you don't need to be running the show already, and some of the most valuable coaching I do is with people right at the start of stepping up.

That's not just theoretical for me — I've built and led teams for years, worked as an executive producer in television, and led production on MOON: Nature's Secret Force, a multi-million-pound series and Sky's biggest-ever natural history commission.

“Executive coaching” sounds similar but is actually a specific, credentialed term — in the ILM framework it's a Level 7 qualification aimed at board-level directors, one tier above the ILM Level 5 I hold. I coach leaders at every stage, including senior ones — I just don't use “executive coaching” to describe that work, since the term implies a credential rather than experience, and I'd rather be precise about which one I'm claiming.

What's the difference between coaching and counselling or therapy?

The simplest way I can put it is coaching looks from the present to the future, to make a positive change. Counselling and therapy look from the present to the past, to find answers — usually with a qualified clinician, working through mental health or emotional wellbeing.

If what you actually need is closer to the second, coaching isn't the right tool, and I'll say so rather than carry on regardless — knowing that difference, and knowing when to point someone elsewhere, is part of coaching responsibly.

How much does this cost?

There's no set price list, and that's deliberate — a course of 1-2-1 coaching, a team facilitation day and a multi-month consultancy project all need different scoping, and pricing any of them before I understand the actual need would mean guessing.

Every enquiry starts with a free conversation — a Chemistry Session for coaching, an Exploratory Chat for consultancy and facilitation — to talk through what you're facing; investment is discussed properly once we both know what the work involves.

What actually happens in the free Chemistry Session / Exploratory Chat?

It's a genuine, no-obligation conversation — usually 30 minutes, by phone or video. I'll ask about what's going on and what's not working, you can ask me anything about how I work, and by the end we'll both know whether it makes sense to go further.

There's no pitch, and no pressure to book anything afterwards.

Do you work in person or online?

It depends which service. For Narrative Consultancy and Facilitation, I'll meet people where they work — sessions are held on site, with interim calls and follow-ups online.

For 1-2-1 coaching, travel is limited to keep session time from being swallowed by the journey — worth raising in the free chat if you're outside easy reach, as it's something we can discuss. Corporate coaching with multiple coachees in a day is a different matter.

Coachees are also welcome to visit me at my home in Shepton Mallet, Somerset; otherwise, coaching sessions are held online.

Is this the same as branding or marketing?

No — it sits a step earlier. Branding and marketing usually start from what an organisation already believes it wants to say, then package and distribute that. My work finds out what's actually true first, by talking to enough people across the organisation, before anyone writes a word of messaging. If you already know exactly what you want to say and just need it designed and put in front of people, that's a branding job. If the real story is still scattered or buried, that's what I do — and I'm often the step that comes before a brand or marketing team's work, not instead of it.

Do you work with charities for free?

I have a strong connection to the charity and non-profit sector, and I do take on pro-bono work where I can — I'm currently delivering narrative consultancy work to three charities this way. It's not a blanket policy, so it's worth raising honestly in the free chat rather than assuming either way.

What's your background, and why does it matter?

Twenty years in factual television — producing wildlife documentaries for the BBC Natural History Unit, National Geographic and Sky Nature, directing River Monsters, and series producing the BAFTA-nominated MOON: Nature's Secret Force. That's twenty years of extracting real, verified stories from real people, at volume, under genuine editorial scrutiny — the actual skill behind finding an organisation's or a person's real story, rather than just a plausible one.

On the coaching side, I have mentored upcoming filmmakers throughout my career for the BBC, National Geographic and the Universities of Bristol, Salford and West of England. I have now completed the training for ILM Level 5 in Effective Coaching and Mentoring, and I'm an affiliate member of the EMCC.

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Somerset · Bath · Bristol · South West · Online

info@pericline.co.uk

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