Is this really it?
You're good at what you do. On paper, things look fine. But somewhere along the way, the spark faded and a quiet question keeps surfacing that you can't un-hear.
"My time with Sarah has by far been the best investment in my career to date."
Regina - Marketing
Who is this for?
Does any of this sound familiar?
Work is fine. But only fine.
You're competent, even successful but something quiet and persistent is telling you this isn't enough anymore.
You've been thinking about a change for a while. Nothing's happened.
You've read the articles, done the quizzes, listened to the podcasts. You're no further forward.
Whether you have no ideas or too many you're stuck.
The roles you're qualified for don't inspire you. The ones that do feel out of reach. Holding it all together feels impossible.
You want to make an impact but you can't see the path yet.
You want work that means something. A career that fits your life. Not the other way around.
You don't want to rush into the wrong thing.
But you can't keep doing this either. A pause now could change the next decade.
This is what a mid-career rut often looks like…
Not a meltdown - more a slow, nagging sense that your work no longer fits who you are.
90,000 hours. That's roughly how many hours we'll spend working over a lifetime. Time is your most valuable currency.
Career coaching isn't about burning everything down or making reckless leaps. It's about creating space to think clearly — and making intentional decisions about what comes next.
A different approach
Three things that make the difference.
Most people try to think their way to a career change. That's why they stay stuck. Here's what actually works and why this programme is built differently.
1: Act it out don't figure it out.
Made lists, taken quizzes, read every career change article going? If you're stuck in analysis paralysis, more analysis won't help. Action generates clarity in a way that thinking never can.
This programme gets you into motion running small experiments, having real conversations, testing ideas in low-risk ways. Every session builds on what you learn in the real world.
2: Understand yourself before you look outward.
The best career decisions aren't made by scanning job boards. They come from knowing clearly and honestly what you need from work: your values, your strengths, what gives you energy, what drains it.
We spend the first phase of the programme building that foundation. It becomes the acid test for every direction you explore.
3: Name the fear then move with it.
The inner critic. The financial anxiety. The identity questions. The fear of what other people will think. These aren't obstacles to get around - they're part of the work.
Most coaching programmes ignore this entirely. We go there on purpose because that's where the real movement begins.
The programme
Three phases. One year. A programme built for the long game.
This isn't a quick sprint. Meaningful career change takes time and a structure that respects that. Each phase has a distinct job to do.
Phase 1: Uncover
Find the signal in the noise
Before we look forward, we understand where you actually are and why. This is the foundation everything else is built on.
Pre-work: Values workbook + intake questionnaire (before we meet)
S1: Career mapping - highs, lows, patterns, and what keeps showing up
S2: Values, strengths, and what meaningful work actually looks like for you
S3: The inner critic, the real fears, and the beliefs holding you back
Phase 2: Experiment
Test before you leap
Instead of deciding in your head, you design small real-world experiments that generate actual evidence. This is where real clarity comes from.
S4: Generating possibilities - opening up options you can't currently see
S5: Designing your experiments: informational interviews, side projects, job crafting
3 to 4 weeks: you go and do the experiments in the real world
S6: Experiment debrief - what did you learn? Where are the glimmers?
Phase 3: Launch
Own your next chapter
With clarity comes confidence. Now we build the practical tools - your story, your CV, your pitch and close the programme with a real plan.
S7: Your story - shaping a coherent narrative that explains the change (brand pitch)
S8: CV + LinkedIn
Close: Purpose Playbook + your 90-day plan for what comes next
Optional: monthly momentum sessions post-programme
Why the programme runs over 12 months, not 12 weeks
The gap between sessions isn't dead time - it's where the work happens. Real experiments, real conversations, real discoveries. Career change unfolds in the world, not in a Zoom room. The spacing between sessions is a feature, not a gap. We meet roughly every 6 weeks, which gives you time to actually try things between sessions - not just think about trying them.
The finer details
Duration: Up to 12 months | Sessions: 9 total (4 in-person + 5 online) | Support: WhatsApp + email between sessions | Investment: €1800 VAT inclusive (payment plans available)
The format
Walking changes the conversation.
Ideally, half our sessions will happen side-by-side, outdoors, in a real forest. Research consistently shows that nature reduces stress, removes cognitive load, and opens up a kind of honesty that a screen rarely can.
Clients tell me the walk-and-talk sessions are where things really click. It's not a gimmick - it's a genuinely different thinking environment.
Locations such as: Donadea Forest, The Hellfire Club, Moore Abbey Woods, Castletown House
Side-by-side changes things: Not face-to-face, more candid, less performative
Reduces cortisol: Less stress means deeper access to what you actually think
Movement supports thinking: Literally helps break old thought patterns
Space from the everyday: Out of your normal environment, new perspectives arrive
Format: 4 sessions in-person, 5 online (if you are Kildare/Dublin-based, otherwise we can do all online)
Before you decide
This works - if you're ready.
I don't have a magic wand. Coaching is not a quick fix or a therapy session - it's a collaborative, honest process that only works when you're truly in it.
The clients who get the most from this programme come in with:
An open mind and a willingness to be genuinely honest - with me, and with themselves
A readiness to take action in the real world, not just reflect in sessions
Realistic expectations about pace; meaningful change takes time
A commitment to the process, even when it gets uncomfortable
If you're not sure whether you're ready, that's exactly what the connection call is for. There's no commitment involved, just an honest conversation about whether this is the right fit, right now.
The result
You leave with a Purpose Playbook - not just a decision.
The Purpose Playbook is a living document we build across the programme. By the end, it contains:
A clear articulation of your values, strengths, and what you need from work
Evidence from real experiments - what you tried, what you learned, what fits
A focused direction with a rationale behind it (not just a feeling)
Your career story - the narrative that makes sense of the change
A 90-day action plan for what comes next
Your coach
Hello. I’m Sarah
I'm an ICF-accredited career coach with 600+ hours of 1:1 coaching experience and a conviction that the work you spend most of your life doing should actually fit who you are.
I take an evidence-based, whole-person approach - drawing on values work, narrative coaching, positive psychology, and (yes) the occasional forest. I work primarily with women at the mid-level of their careers across many industries including: FMCG, Tech, Nonprofit, and Finance though the fit matters more than the sector.
Clients often describe our work together using three words:
Heard
Transformed
Partnership
I'm currently working with people across 5 countries. Perhaps you'll make it six?
Client stories
What happens when the work begins.
“Sarah helped me find my direction again. She taught me that investing in yourself is one of the best things you can do. Through her coaching, I learned who I am both personally and professionally, how to position my brand, and how to recognise and own my wins.”
- Laura, Marketing“Sarah is an amazing and supportive coach. My very first session with her provided the exact clarity I needed to determine my next career move. She gave me the confidence to pursue a new venture and has been instrumental throughout the entire process.”
- Nara, Entrepreneur“Sarah helped me dig deep to understand the why behind my frustration - my values. Working with her has been one of the best investments I have made in myself. I got way more out of this than I ever envisaged.”
- Ailish, Innovation ManagementYour investment
One Programme, One Year
A pause now can change the next decade of your working life. This is what that's worth.
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Up to 12 months. 4 sessions face-to-face if geography allows, 5 online via Zoom. Each 60 minutes in length - although the in-person ones may stretch slightly! Cadence-wise, generally we would meet every 6 weeks.
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Between sessions you can avail of both Whatsapp and Email support. Together throughout the programme we will work on your Purpose Playbook so you have something tangible - and actionable to walk away with. I think of myself as a Career Partner working alongside my clients.
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The programme is €1800 inclusive of VAT. You can choose to pay in-full at the start or we can set up a 2-phase or 3-phase payment plan. Corporate funding welcome. At least 50% of coaching I've delivered has been employer-funded via learning budgets. I can help you make the case.
Questions
The things people usually ask.
Anything not answered here?
Drop a note to sarah@storycoach.ie - happy to talk before you commit to anything.
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Coaching works best when you're ready to take ownership of your goals, invest real time and energy, and be honest in the process. It's collaborative - not a quick-fix, not therapy. The strongest signal you're ready: you're convinced coaching can help, you're willing to act on what you discover, and you're not expecting a magic answer to appear. If you're unsure, that's what the discovery call is for.
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Completely okay and very normal! Whether you have no ideas at all, or so many you're overwhelmed, the programme starts from where you are. You don't need to come in with an answer. The whole point is to find one.
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The spacing is intentional and it's one of the most important design choices in the programme. I’ve learned after more than 100 clients! The gap between sessions is where you run experiments, have conversations, and actually test things in the real world. Career change that sticks happens through lived experience - not just insight in a coaching session. We meet roughly every 6 weeks, which gives you enough time to act between sessions, not just reflect.
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Primarily women - around 80%, those at the mid-level of their careers. FMCG, Tech, Nonprofit, and Finance are the most common sectors, though this isn't a hard rule. The most important factor is fit: do we connect, do our values align, and does the programme match what you genuinely need? I currently work with people across 5 countries.
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Geography matters! The four in-person sessions are walk-and-talk sessions at agreed forest locations in South Dublin and North Kildare, the Hell Fire Club, Donadea Forest, Moore Abbey Woods, and Castletown House are regular spots. The online sessions take place via Zoom. We agree each location between us in advance.
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Not as a service but we'll work through your CV together. I'll do an audit, and we'll use the coaching work (and AI tools where useful) to optimise and target it properly. I believe learning to own and tell your own story on paper is a long-term skill worth having and one this programme specifically builds.