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Stu Barnes Coaching
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stubarnescoaching

Executive Coach | Empowering growth and transformation in Mid-Career Professionals through Career, Leadership and Personal Development
Three years ago, I achieved my Associate Certified Three years ago, I achieved my Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation. This year, I’ve renewed it. 🌿 Same credential. Different coach 🌿 Less about proving. More about presence 🌿 Less about seeking the perfect question. More about trusting what’s emerging 🌿 Less about frameworks. More about the human in front of me Renewing my ACC is a commitment — not just to professional standards, but to continuing to evolve how I show up as a coach. It is obtained by reaching the highest standards in Continuing Professional Development through regular training, supervision, and mentoring — for which I owe a huge thanks to Alison Stokes, PCC. Today, I support mid-career professionals at a crossroads: 🫵 Questioning success, and working out what’s next 🫵 Not stuck, but not feeling fully aligned 🫵 Not starting over, but being ready for something more If that’s you, I’d love to start a conversation. #coaching #credential #ICF #ACC #stubarnescoaching
THE POWER OF THANK YOU A simple “thank you” can f THE POWER OF THANK YOU A simple “thank you” can feel small — almost automatic. But when it’s offered with intention, it becomes one of the most powerful things we have. It says I see you. I value you. You matter. And it works both ways — lifting the receiver, grounding the giver. Lately I’ve been reflecting on where gratitude shows up in mid-career and leadership. Five quiet truths stand out: 🙏 Gratitude shifts our state Research shows it activates the brain’s “feel good” chemistry — but beyond science, you can feel it. A genuine thank you changes the atmosphere of a room. It softens edges. It steadies perspective 🙏 It strengthens relationships The colleague who goes the extra mile. The teammate who quietly holds things together. The friend who checks in without fanfare. A thoughtful thank you here doesn’t just acknowledge effort — it deepens trust 🙏 It builds self-respect This is often the hardest one. Mid-career professionals are quick to critique themselves and slow to acknowledge progress. Thanking yourself — for showing up, for persisting, for navigating complexity — isn’t indulgent. It’s stabilising 🙏 It reframes the journey Gratitude doesn’t ignore struggle. It integrates it. The difficult season. The setback. The stretch assignment that tested you. Thanking life for shaping you — not just rewarding you — builds perspective 🙏 It creates a ripple In leadership especially, consistent gratitude fosters loyalty, engagement and generosity. People rarely forget how you made them feel seen. Last week, after a demanding coaching session, I paused to thank a client for their openness and courage. Later, they messaged to say how much that acknowledgement meant. It was a small exchange — but a powerful reminder. A thank you isn’t just politeness. It’s presence. It’s recognition. It’s connection. Where might a simple, intentional thank you shift something for you this week? #coaching #midlife #reflection #gratitude #stubarnescoaching
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING Many mid-career profes FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING Many mid-career professionals I work with aren’t short on capability. They’re stretched. Holding a lot. Leading teams. Delivering results. But underneath that?  They’re tired. Pulled in multiple directions. Quietly asking, “How long can I keep this up?” The tension often shows up as a trade-off: 👉🏼 Work or life
👉🏼 Success or wellbeing
👉🏼 Ambition or balance But that framing keeps people stuck in survival mode. Because it assumes something has to give. The shift I see in coaching is different. It’s not about chasing “perfect balance” — it’s about creating alignment. Where you start asking: ❓ What actually matters most to me right now? ❓ Where is my energy going — and is it working for me? ❓ What am I saying yes to — that needs a no? ❓ What would a more sustainable way of working and living look like? From there, small but meaningful changes begin: 🌀 Clearer boundaries
🌀 More intentional choices
🌀 A better rhythm between effort and recovery Not perfect. Not static. But yours. And that’s where thriving begins. Not by doing more — but by living and working in a way that actually fits you. Where in your life are you still surviving — and what might thriving look like instead? #coaching #midcareer #thriving #surviving #stubarnescoaching
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL — CHRISTIAN Choosing the right CLIENT TESTIMONIAL — CHRISTIAN Choosing the right coach matters. Here’s how Christian described his experience working with me. This testimonial reflects what collaboration with my clients really looks like and the impact it creates. You’ll find more client recommendations on my profile. #coaching #midcareer #recommendation #stubarnescoaching #impact
SPACE TO BREATHE I’m currently away in the Algarv SPACE TO BREATHE I’m currently away in the Algarve with family and close friends. Sun on the skin. Sound of the waves. Nowhere to rush to. And it’s reminded me of something simple… and easy to forget. We don’t just need time off. We need space. Space to think. Space to feel. Space to just be. Because when that space opens up, things start to shift. Clarity returns. Energy comes back. Perspective sharpens. I see this all the time with the mid-career professionals I work with. Life gets full. Responsibilities stack up. Decisions keep coming. The pace rarely lets up. And without real space, we end up reacting… rather than choosing. This week has been a gentle reset. A reminder that sometimes the most productive thing we can do…is step away. I’d invite you to pause and reflect: Where are you creating space in your life right now? #coaching #space #breathe #relax #stubarnescoaching
SILENCING THE INNER CRITIC On paper, I was succes SILENCING THE INNER CRITIC On paper, I was successful – in a senior finance role after some rapid promotions.  In my head, it was the opposite: “You’re an overpromoted middle manager. Sooner or later, everyone will find out.” Sound familiar? Imposter feelings are more common than we admit.  Research suggests around 70% of us experience this exaggerated self-doubt at some point — and ironically, success often amplifies it. Back then, I didn’t know that my thoughts weren’t facts — or that they could be challenged.  Now, through coaching, I help clients do exactly that. 1️⃣ First, we explore the inner critic.  👉 How does it feel?  👉 When does it show up?  👉 What patterns does it follow?  Understanding these feelings is the foundation for change.
 2️⃣ Next, we experiment with strategies.  Small, practical, real-world approaches that build confidence and counter self-doubt, such as: 👉 Questioning your thoughts: “Does it make sense that I’m a fraud, given everything I know?” 👉 Talking it out with trusted people, so irrational beliefs don’t fester. 👉 Shifting focus: from inner critic to realistic curiosity — “How might this be possible?” instead of “I can’t do this.” 👉 Leveraging strengths and celebrating effort, not chasing perfection. 👉 Reducing comparison — your journey is yours, not theirs. 
3️⃣ Finally, growth is ongoing. What works best is unique to you.  We check in, adjust, and keep your toolkit alive, so confidence becomes a habit rather than a hope. Silencing the inner critic doesn’t mean it disappears. It means you recognise it, meet it, and keep moving anyway. How do you meet yours? #coaching #imposter #confidence #innercritic #stubarnescoaching
COURAGE, CONNECTION & TRUSTING THE PROCESS A mid- COURAGE, CONNECTION & TRUSTING THE PROCESS A mid-career shift tests more than skill.  It tests your confidence, your patience, and your relationship with uncertainty.  It can be easy to underestimate the emotional dimension of change. It’s not just about the ‘what’ of your next role. It’s about the ‘who’ you become on the way there. Here are the 3 lessons I’ve learned from my own shift and from my work with clients: 🔥 Courage is not absence of fear — it’s acting with it
 Shifts are inherently uncertain. Real courage is choosing the path you sense is right, even when the fear is loud. 🤝 Connection matters — and brings more than clarity 
You don’t have to navigate change alone. Trusted conversations — with peers, mentors, or a coach — reveal patterns, options, and confidence you can’t see yourself. 🧭 Trust the process — even when it feels messy 
Shifts aren’t linear. They are iterative. Each step teaches, shapes, and builds resilience. When you slow down and notice these patterns, the wobble, doubt, and uncertainty stop feeling so big. They become markers of growth. If you’re in a season of transition, here’s one question that may help: 
“What fear am I willing to step forward with this week?” #coaching #midcareer #career #transitions#stubarnescoaching
VALUES AS YOUR COMPASS One of the most powerful l VALUES AS YOUR COMPASS One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learnt is that values are often the best compass in a mid-career shift. We talk endlessly about “finding your next role” — but rarely about what makes it feel alive.  Too often, we chase titles, status, or external markers first.  The people I’ve worked with — and my own experience moving into coaching — show something different:  🧭 Your values will show you the way long before your plan does. For me, it wasn’t about “I should coach.” 
It was about noticing repeated moments: the conversations that energised me, the problem-solving that felt meaningful, the feedback that resonated.  Over time, those quiet patterns revealed themselves as direction. Here’s what this teaches mid-career professionals: 👉 Values aren’t soft — they’re strategic. Decisions made in alignment with them are clearer and easier to own 
 👉 Clarity about what matters reduces noise. Not everything on your plate deserves equal attention 
 👉 You don’t need certainty to start — you need clarity about what’s important. The right steps often come from reflection, not planning If you’re navigating a shift, ask yourself: ➡️ “What parts of my work bring me alive?” 
➡️ “What drains me — even when I’m good at it?” The answers are subtle, quiet, and usually honest. They’re worth listening to. #coaching #midcareer #career
WHAT “MAKING THE LEAP” REALLY MEANS Sometimes “ma WHAT “MAKING THE LEAP” REALLY MEANS Sometimes “making the leap” isn’t one big, dramatic moment — it’s a series of quiet decisions that slowly become the path you’re on. When I transitioned from my finance career into coaching, it wasn’t a single, heroic jump.  It started with noticing patterns in my own energy, where meaning met capability, and following that intersection, step by step. What I learned along the way: ⭐ Clarity emerges, it rarely arrives fully formed. Waiting for the perfect plan is often a delay, not preparation 
⭐ Values matter more than titles or roles. The work that aligns with who you are sustains energy in ways the next promotion never will 
⭐ Small, deliberate steps build confidence faster than waiting for certainty. Each conversation, each experiment, each reflection counts ⭐ The leap people imagine is dramatic. The real leap is cumulative, internal, and deeply human. The surprising part?  Once you start leaning into what truly matters, it becomes less about leaping and more about believing you can land safely, even if you don’t know the exact path yet. If you’re sensing the pull to shift, start with one honest question: 
❓ What small step feels most true today? #coaching #midcareer #career #transitions #stubarnescoaching
THE CROSSROADS MOMENT  One of the most important THE CROSSROADS MOMENT  One of the most important career moments I had didn’t look dramatic from the outside. No resignation letter.
No big announcement.
No visible turning point. Just a quiet realisation in my early-40s: 💭 “I can keep going like this — but I don’t want to keep going like this.” On paper, things were solid.
 Responsibility. Credibility. Stability. But internally, something had shifted. The work still made sense — but it no longer gave me energy.
 I was effective — but less engaged. Successful — but increasingly restless. What made it confusing was that nothing was “wrong enough” to justify change. And that’s the crossroads many mid-career professionals struggle to name. Not burnout.
Not failure.
Not crisis. Just misalignment — quiet, persistent, easy to override. For a while, I tried to solve it with tactics.  Push harder. Refocus. Be grateful. Stay sensible. What actually helped was different. I slowed down enough to ask better questions — not about the next role, but about the next version of me. 🤔 What do I want more of?
🤔 What do I want less of?
🤔 Where do I feel most useful?
🤔 What kind of conversations give me energy? That crossroads didn’t demand a leap. It asked for honesty. I see versions of this crossroads now in the coaching room.
 Capable people. Good careers. Quiet truth knocking. Not every crossroads means “start over.”  But it almost always means “start listening.” #coaching #midcareer #career #transitions #stubarnescoaching
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ICF Associate Certified Coach and Qualified ILM level 7 Executive Coach

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