Background and experience:

Tess has over a decade of experience coaching leaders and teams across sectors, including finance, utilities, hospitality, education and scale-up organisations. Alongside her coaching practice, she is an Associate Lecturer at Teesside University Business School and designs leadership programmes that combine individual coaching, team learning and real-world application. Before founding Accelerator Coaching, Tess co-owned and scaled a publishing business, giving her first-hand experience of performance pressure, growth and people leadership. She is an Advanced DiSC Practitioner, an Accredited Emotions Coach (ICF), an Accredited Team and Group Coach (ICF & EMCC), and holds CPD in grief coaching and confidence coaching.

Coaching philosophy and coaching clients:

Tess believes effective leadership starts with self-awareness and emotional agility — the ability to respond well rather than react under pressure. Her philosophy centres on the belief that people are already resourceful; coaching creates the space to access that capability with clarity and courage. She typically works with Senior Leaders, Directors, Business Owners and leadership teams who care deeply about their impact and want to lead in ways that feel authentic, not performative. Clients value her balance of empathy and honest challenge, particularly during periods of growth, change or increased responsibility.

Coaching style and approach:

Tess’s coaching style is warm, grounded and quietly challenging. She creates psychologically safe spaces where people can slow their thinking, explore blind spots and reconnect with what matters most. Her work blends evidence-based frameworks with practical application and is always tailored to the individual or team. She takes a whole-person approach, considering performance, emotions, values and wellbeing, and supports leaders and teams to embed sustainable changes in how they lead, communicate and work together.