Coaching and Mentoring Testimonials

Before starting coaching, I had received an autism diagnosis that was a huge relief. However, the diagnosis was only the first step: it gave me a reason for patterns of events and behaviour, but I still needed to understand how and why these things happen.

My priorities from coaching were to feel less overwhelmed by situations and less like running away, to learn how to not take things too personally and, on a different note, how to begin to deal with utter domestic chaos that wasn’t helping me feel any less chaotic inside my head.

As a result of working with Alicja, I feel significantly more confident in my own awareness and understanding of autism. I never felt ashamed of it (why would I?!) but I find it easier to explain to colleagues why I respond differently. I’m unlikely to change my responses, but I’m now much better at recognising them and handling them. In a way, coaching has helped me find control in uncontrollable situations. I’m better at identifying and communicating what I need, and also how my differences can be positives for relationships at home and in work. I even roped in a neighbour to help me declutter my house and fix the dishwasher.

Alicja gives validation, kindness and encouragement without gushing. I genuinely enjoyed talking to her and found her very easy to get along with. Maybe that’s ironic, or maybe autistic people just find it easier with people like them..

Because I’m quite sceptical and like to have evidence and reasoning, I can find some styles of coaching fluffy and unconvincing. This meant that Alicja’s scientific and research-based approach was particularly appreciated. She often refers to academic research and explains things in biochemical, physiological or sociological terms. I like the fact-based approach. There were many concepts that I found informative and useful eg. time boxing, autistic inertia, and the resources and reading that Alicja sent to follow up coaching sessions have created a fantastic resource to refer back to.

I’m beyond pleased to have worked with Alicja, I feel so much more comfortable in myself now.

Before I started working with Alicja, I would regularly be unnecessarily harsh in my judgments of myself as I was not yet fully comfortable or understanding of all my needs as someone diagnosed with ASD in late-life. I would hold myself to unrealistic standards, be critical of my difficulties, or consider myself a failure.

After 12 sessions with Alicja, I understand much better how to look after myself; when I can be fluid and flexible and when I need more definitive structures in place. I am more capable of meeting challenges outside of my comfort zone and have even done things I never thought I would be able to do previously, such as solo travel abroad. I have a better handle on my anxiety levels and I am experiencing less physical disturbance when meeting new challenges, or doing things I am unfamiliar with or haven't done before. I am kinder to myself and have been able to set more realistic approaches that benefit me, rather than punish me.

What I value most in Alicja’s approach is her flexibility towards my needs, her openness and willingness to gently encourage me in the right ways. She is clearly very engaged with the subject matter beyond coaching sessions, so I always felt confident I was with someone who not only had the right level of knowledge to be helpful, but also has a genuine desire to further neurodiverse understanding.

Before I started working with Alicja, I had a number of worries and problems which it was hard to put into words. I had recently been formally identified as autistic, and have a previous diagnosis of ADHD. My self understanding and compassion was positively impacted by diagnosis, however I still felt a lot of fear about my future and work prospects, and had many scared, negative feelings about my professional potential. I felt stuck and anxious about the future.

After 6 sessions with Alicja, I've discovered some new perspectives which have opened up how I'm able to think about, and practically engage with my working future. Working for myself is a goal now, and with Alicja's help I've found methods of reflecting and finding new, more spacious and authentic narratives which serve me. After working with Alicja, I've been taking steps to embody these narratives in reality.

I've felt more able to look at things as experiments, without the results being black or white and right or wrong. This has helped me step into new experiences and learn about my strengths. Alicja supported me through my early experiences of self advocacy - which were positive - and this has created ongoing change in my life where in work, study, and medical care I have begun to be open about my needs and preferences, meaning they can be met.

Intentionally cultivating time to focus on my authenticity has allowed me to keep building my relationship with my intuition and to carry this out into the rest of my life. This has helped the mindset and feeling shift I've experienced around the shameful narrative about work, worth and income/employment I had been carrying. Alicja allowed me to identify and put down some things which I didn't want to carry forward in life, and explore the space and potential made available as a result. I've started a journey of purposeful unmasking, and authentic curiosity into what lies ahead, which marks a life affirming and nourishing change in my life story. I have a practical and creative plan for how I will continue the work Alicja & I did together. Working with Alicja allowed me to enter into an authentic and constructive working relationship where I felt understood, and encouraged, as well as challenged - in ways which worked so well for me and felt right.

“Before I started working with Alicja, I was in frequent cycles of meltdown. I had spent a number of years learning about my autism/ADHD, self-healing and somatic practices, but still felt like I was unable to apply these tools in practice when needed.

After six sessions with Alicja, my confidence has improved dramatically. I now believe that I can handle difficult situations, and I look to myself first for comfort and reassurance instead of relying on external validation. When situations arise that previously would have sent me into a meltdown, I feel more grounded and able to bring myself back from the edge. I am also more able to separate myself from the emotions and moods of others: this not only allows me to protect my energy through not feeling everything that others feel, but also means that I can better express my empathy for them as I have the perspective to stand back and meet others where they are at.

What I value most in Alicja’s approach is her ability to know the theory and explain it, but also get me to think about how to implement it. Setting small challenges to do things differently, actually doing them and seeing different results, and then having Alicja hold me accountable was invaluable.”

“Coaching with Alicja gave me space to reflect.

I have built my personal and professional identity on being a flawed neurotypical individual, when I need to build it on being neurodivergent. I hadn’t appreciated how much this had had an impact on my professional life, as well as my personal one. I have always felt strong imposter syndrome at work, but now I am beginning to reframe my professional identity around my lived experience. This process has helped me begin to see how to do that, and how I can begin to reframe my mindset.

Coaching with Alicja has helped me to think about what I need. I think my issue was not about finding answers as much as realising what the questions were. I now know that I need to be asking myself who I am and who I want to be and working towards that, instead of thinking about who I need to be at work, or how to persuade trust.

As a coach, Alicja expressed honesty, showed me lots of empathy and helped me stay on track. What I value most in Alicja’s approach was asking about my preferred communication style and setting boundaries and rules in the sessions that took into account both of our needs.

My experience of coaching with Alicja highlighted the need for post-diagnostic support for people with neurodivergent conditions. I think this coaching is the first time I’ve really talked through my feelings about it properly.”

“Alicja and I worked on a topic of major concern to me, employment. Having tried to research what a suitable career and work/life balance for me, I had reached the end point of my research. Having a vague idea of what I was looking for, I was adrift as I couldn’t seem to connect the dots or ask myself the difficult questions that Alicja could from a both a neurodiversity, personal preference and employment perspective.

The process felt logical and explorative. We explored what strengths and weaknesses I had from both a personality and work perspective which I previously struggled to do. I also feel more confident in stating my preferences as being myself in a workplace. We also explored what it is I really like to do and am good at versus just what I am good at and how to navigate potential work projects.

Alicja is personable, intelligent knowledgeable and asked me all the coaching questions I didn’t know I needed to ask myself. I have recommended her services in my place of work. I decided to enact change in my first coaching session and have been applying some of the tools I have learnt successfully!”

“Before I started working with Alicja, I was struggling with negative feelings around the workplace and my performance.

After six sessions with Alicja, I feel much more confident in my strengths and feel better able to manage issues in the workplace that were previously causing me worry, including sensory and communication issues. Through the exercises and reflections with Alicja I have a much better understanding of what I need to be comfortable and productive, and I have been able to ask my employer for these or put strategies in place for myself.

What I value most in Alicja’s approach is her calm, open and encouraging approach that was focused on the goals we agreed but adaptable to the different issues coming up. I hadn't been to a coach before and was unsure about the process; Alicja guided me through it and made me feel comfortable. I also appreciated the reassurance that it is okay to be different and to ask for what I need, which has also helped me outside of the workplace.”

“Before I started working with Alicja, I struggled with being able to organise and concentrate. I was unable to prioritise and complete a task, without getting distracted or magically finding myself halfway through another task.

After six sessions with Alicja, I've learnt that I can control this, and how to do so. I can now recognise when I'm in these situations and have methods on how to make sure that I can stay on track and be able to complete tasks.

What I value most in Alicja’s approach is that she made me do the thinking. She empowered me to find the answers that would help me to become a better person. Along the way Alicja kept calm, despite a few sessions where I really struggled to get my head around things.

I really enjoyed my time and sessions with Alicja. She's taught me lots of new methods to help me develop.”