Hi, I'm Esme - a career alignment coach working with women in their late twenties and thirties who are doing well on paper but quietly wondering when work is going to start feeling the way they hoped it would.
If you've ever sat on a Sunday evening with that familiar dread creeping in despite having a perfectly good job - you're in the right place.
Career alignment coaching for women
Sound familiar?
Maybe you don't hate your job exactly. But you've lost the passion for it, and you're not sure when that happened. You worked hard in your twenties - took the opportunities, got the title, did what you were supposed to do. And now you're in your thirties and it's not hitting the same. Something's off, and you can't quite name what.
So you show up, you do it well, and then you do it all again the next week. Same commute, same meetings, same feeling that something isn't right but you can't necessarily name what.
Maybe it's the Sunday scaries. Maybe it's the knot in your stomach on Monday morning. Maybe it's the way you catch yourself envying people who seem to have figured it out, wondering why you can't just feel grateful for what you've got. Maybe you're on autopilot - living the same working week over and over, wondering when it's going to start feeling different. Maybe you're burned out from tasks that take more energy than they should, from work that drains all the life from you and leaves nothing for outside of it. Maybe you're just stuck - unsure what direction to go next, applying for things with little to no drive, going through the motions without any conviction behind them.
Whatever brought you here - you've probably already tried the logical things… spoken to your manager, your family and friends, done the courses, chatGPTd it, took the personality tests, applied for roles you weren't sure about. And while it feels productive, nothing has worked, because none of it got close to the actual problem.
For most of the women who come to As Folk, somewhere along the way they ended up on a path they never really chose... It was decided for them at 18, it was the sensible next step, it was what the people who loved them pointed toward. And they've been doing it well ever since - until they start wondering how they got here, and worrying what people will think if they change.
These feelings aren't weakness or ingratitude. They’re a signal of misalignment l. And it's exactly what we work on together in coaching.
About me
Hey, I'm Esme - the coach behind As Folk!
Coaching is a deeply personal journey, and finding the right fit matters. If you want to know more about who I am, how I work, and what brought me here - come and have a read. It'll help you figure out whether I might be the right coach for you.
What career alignment coaching is
Career alignment coaching is a collaborative partnership, centred entirely around you - a place for deep thinking, reflection, and gaining clarity. You bring what's most present, and together we follow it with curiosity. It's not CV advice, job search, or interview prep. It's the deeper work that comes before all of that…
In sessions , we look at what's going on on a deeper level. We explore your values, strengths, beliefs, and many other areas that will help you gain clarity on what you want and need from your working life, and what's been getting in the way of building a career that fits. We figure out what aligned really looks like for you - not a generic version of fulfilment, but yours specifically - and start building a path towards it.
My style is relational, warm, and grounded. I blend empathy with a gentle challenge - because the best work happens when you feel safe enough to go to the places that actually matter. My approach is neuroscience-informed, psychology backed, and evidence-based, whilst always being person-centred. That means we work in a way that supports real reflection rather than pressure or rushed decisions. I draw on over seven years in HR, a CIPD Level 5 qualification, ACC certification with the ICF, and personal EMCC accreditation.
But more than the credentials - I've been where you are. Twice, actually. I know what it feels like to be successful on paper and totally lost underneath it. To gradually come to the realisation that everything I’d worked so hard for throughout my 20s, wasn’t what I wanted or needed in my 30s. That lived experience shapes everything about how I work.
What my clients say
What clients describe is a particular kind of being heard. Being understood in their complexity, not simplified, and able to say things out loud they haven't said anywhere else.
Questions that get to things they couldn't name on their own, reflections that help them see themselves differently. Clarity that truly comes from inside them - not handed to them from outside.
"You helped me articulate things I hadn't been able to put words to."
"You asked questions nobody had asked me."
“I’ve discovered parts of myself I didn’t know were there,”
“I’m listening to my own voice for the first time in a long time”
"I felt safe to say things out loud."
That's what the sessions feel like. And what often emerges, is a clearer sense of who they are, what they want, and the confidence to start moving toward it.
Is this the right kind of support?
If you’re feeling lost, unfulfilled, or out of alignment in your working life, and you’re ready to explore that with honesty and care, coaching may be a supportive next step.
If you’re looking for quick fixes, rigid career advice, or someone to tell you exactly what to do, this probably isn’t the right fit.
If you’re curious about what might be next, a free connection call is a great place to start.
There’s no pressure and no expectation. Just space to talk things through and see whether working together feels right.
Coaching pathways
Everyone’s alignment journey is unique, and that’s why my pathways are thoughtfully designed to fit wherever you are right now, and where you want to go. There are two main ways to work together. They hold the same purpose, just different delivery.
Whichever route feels right, we're working toward the same thing - helping you know yourself better, understand what you actually want, and feel calmer and more confident about where you're headed. It's just a different shape depending on what you need right now.
Classic coaching is fluid and completely person-centred. You bring whatever feels most present each session and we follow it. This works well if you know something needs to shift but you're not sure yet what the change actually is.
Aonach is a more guided, supported journey - with a map. It's specifically for women who want to change career direction but feel so confused or lost that a blank page each session would only add to the overwhelm. There's a suggested route through 12 sessions, something to hold onto while you find your way.
From a single session that brings immediate insight, to a deeper programme crafted for lasting transformation - there’s a blend of support and creative structure available to meet you, and your goals, exactly where you are.
