Testimonials

"I would wholeheartedly recommend Anne as a coach. Not only is Anne an experienced coach, but she is also a genuinely caring person who takes great pleasure in supporting others to achieve their goals and seeing them thrive. Anne is dedicated to helping people achieve their best, and she has been an invaluable member of my team."

"Anne is such a thoughtful and supportive coach. When I met her, I was doubting myself, but she helped me realise what I truly wanted from life and work – goals I have since achieved. Her gentle, non-judgmental approach made all the difference. Even after our sessions ended, she still reaches out with helpful messages. I truly appreciate her ongoing support."

"I have been working with Anne for nearly two years in a life-coaching capacity, and her support, guidance, and direction have empowered me to confront a range of issues I had long avoided. Anne’s calm and considered approach has enabled me to address emotional matters that were difficult to process, all with great sympathy and depth of understanding. She has encouraged me to view challenges from different perspectives, which has led to meaningful changes that have made my life easier. I am now moving toward a level of inner peace I once only dreamed of, thanks to the work I’ve done with Anne. Anne’s expertise extends beyond coaching; her gentle probing style, resilience, and ability to engage with others make her a highly effective coach. I would highly recommend Anne to anyone seeking guidance on their wellbeing, life choices, and emotional health."

"I found the experience very useful, as it resolved many frustrations and improved our overall family wellbeing. Anne gave my son tangible actions to work with, making things much easier to navigate. I would recommend Anne to everyone, even if you don’t have a specific issue to address. The process involves self-reflection, and some surprising insights emerge. In a world where we rarely stop to connect with ourselves, Anne’s structured guidance helps uncover the root causes and provides tools for navigating challenges."

“I felt complete acceptance and empathy for the issues I brought to the table. I preferred the free-flowing conversations to structured sessions, as I could explore any topic, and Anne always met me with professionalism and relevant research. I made significant progress toward self-acceptance and building my self-esteem. Everything was addressed with sympathy and depth of understanding. Anne also provided invaluable support as I navigated my studies after being diagnosed with ADHD."

"Anne helped me become more confident in myself, stand up to bullies, and talk to people I hadn’t seen in a while. I now find it easier to include myself in friend groups, deal with bullies, and walk around school with friends without worrying. I really liked how Anne is easy to talk to, and she explains everything clearly so I understand. This experience has been very helpful, and I would definitely recommend Anne to anyone struggling to overcome challenges."

From Carla's Mother
 "Anne has been working with my teenage daughter for several weeks now, splitting six sessions over a few months. My daughter has ADHD and struggled with controlling her emotions, particularly around friendships. Anne helped her define her values and focus on using her positive traits to expand her friendship circle. Together, they worked on strategies to handle verbal bullying, which my daughter has successfully started to implement.

I’ve seen a visible improvement in my daughter's confidence. She now takes more pride in her appearance and approaches difficulties with more positivity and foresight. She is beginning to understand the importance of knowing and staying true to her values while navigating life's challenges.

Anne has a calm, approachable manner that instantly put my daughter at ease. She listens attentively with compassion, which allowed my daughter to open up and express herself freely. The progress my daughter has made during her sessions with Anne has been wonderful, and she is eager to continue working on herself. As a parent, it’s incredibly heartwarming to hear her feel more confident after each session. We look forward to continuing the work we’ve started with Anne and wholeheartedly recommend her life coaching for neurodiverse children." Carla (13-year-old)

"We have had the pleasure of knowing Anne for many years. She was our son’s Learning Disability Nurse throughout the majority of his secondary education and played a crucial role in his transition to adult services.
Anne worked closely with our son, developing tailored Anger Management and Anxiety Management strategies that were continually adjusted to meet his evolving needs. She was always reflective in her approach, ensuring that her strategies were effective not only for him but also for the teams working with him, both at home and in day care settings. During the Covid pandemic, she provided unwavering support to both our son and us, ensuring that he received the right care from a distance when face-to-face contact was limited.
After her retirement, Anne continued to be an incredible support during our son’s transition to a new adult service placement. She worked diligently alongside us and the receiving team to ensure a smooth and efficient process. We had anticipated challenges, but thanks to Anne’s vast experience and expertise, the transition was much quicker and smoother than expected, and it has been a resounding success. Our son is now settled in his new placement, and much of that success is due to Anne’s ability to guide him and his new team through the process. Anne’s coaching empowered our son to effectively voice his concerns with staff, something he had struggled with before. As parents, we could not have hoped for a more positive outcome.

Anne is, without a doubt, the most professional care worker we have ever worked with—both of us are trained nurses, and we have high standards when it comes to care. Anne was always a strong advocate for our son’s needs, ensuring that he received the best possible support. Her written communication with both us and other professionals was clear, detailed, and always thoughtfully planned. Not only did Anne create care plans that other professionals could follow with ease, but she also developed plans that our son could easily understand, including social stories that he could engage with.

Her sessions with our son were meticulously planned, with every detail carefully considered—nothing was ever overlooked. We would wholeheartedly recommend Anne to any neurodiverse service. Her years of experience are unparalleled, and she has always stayed up to date with her training and knowledge. On numerous occasions, she has shared valuable resources, such as books, articles, and podcasts, that have helped us deepen our own understanding.

What truly sets Anne apart is her genuine kindness and problem-solving skills. The support she has provided to our family has been immeasurable. Our son continues to speak of Anne with great fondness, and he still relies on the strategies she taught him. Whenever he faces challenges, he often asks himself, “What would Anne say?” Her positive and lasting impact on his life cannot be overstated." Parents of a young man I worked in my nursing role with further work out with my NHS role.

I confirm that I worked as a colleague of Anne Robertson in her role as a Community Learning Disability Charge Nurse for NHS Lothian from February 1999 until August 2022.

I am pleased to provide this reference in support of Anne’s skills and abilities, particularly in the context of her role as a coach specialising in neurodiversity across the age range, including working with children, families, teenagers, and adults. Below, I have commented on her performance in several key areas:

Professional Relationship with Anne
I have worked with Anne for over 23 years, and she has always been approachable, easy to work with and had a wealth of knowledge she loved to share. She always showed mutual respect, empathy and trust to all her colleagues and was willing to help when she could. Anne is a lovely, genuine person, who loves to support and help others, showing empathy and respect at all times. She worked well in a multidisciplinary team and was dedicated to her role.

Work Ethic & Character
Anne always remained professional within her role. She was an honest and trustworthy person and respected those she worked with including, patients, carers and colleagues. She was always there for colleagues, respecting their privacy in private conversations. She was responsible for her own actions and communicated any issues she felt needed raised. She was an excellent role model for junior staff and students and set good examples relating to their learning need. She always maintained professional boundaries and did not let her personal beliefs affect professional judgement or actions.

Patience and Persistence

Anne worked with patients who had complex healthcare needs and challenging behaviours. Through this, she had the ability to stay calm and focused on how to help the patient and family. She actively listened and had the ability to tolerate and endure the challenging situations, without giving up.
Anne continuously supported these patients and encouraged the family or carers to accept the nursing interventions required, to help reduce these difficult situations. For some families, this work took several years of visits, changing guidelines, using appropriate tools to help decrease the behaviours and she always remained positive, no matter what the challenge was.

Evidence of Success
Anne was able to achieve success by listening to the individual, being supportive, suggest ways to help, being positive by letting the person know she believed in them and monitoring their progress. A plans of action would be in place to help if required.

Anne carried out this work with patients, carers, families, student nurses and the staff she worked with. As a mentor and supervisor, she was an excellent role model for the student nurses and junior staff within the team and led by example. Anne was always a very positive person, which was received well by all those she worked with. She demonstrated leadership and worked well autonomously and as part of a wider team.

Personal Attributes
Anne has all the skills to be an excellent coach, some of which she has shown in her role as a Nurse. She is enthusiastic, trustworthy, reliable, observant of people’s feelings and emotions, knowledgeable, takes time to listen and is professional at all times

Protocols, Documentation, and Reporting
Anne followed all guidelines, policies and procedures relating to her Nursing role. She adhered to any changes made and contributed to discussions had within the team, when developing pathways, protocols and reports.
She completed all relevant paperwork ensuring notes on her patients were accurate and up to date. She would also highlight any concerns she had to the relevant people, maintaining confidentiality at all times.

Overall Endorsement and final Considerations
Anne has been a community nurse since 1993, and as part of her nursing role, she has gained years of experiencing in coaching, guiding people, helping others and de-escalating situations that could have been harmful. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with people who are neurodiverse and I believe this will help Anne in her coaching capacity.

Anne is a delight to work with. She played a crucial role within the team, helping patients carers, families and colleagues when required. She has a healthy perspective on life and remains a very positive person, who performs well under pressure. She has a good work ethic and never ever refrained from challenges that she came up against.

I believe Anne makes an excellent coach.

I am pleased to provide this professional reference for Anne Robertson, with whom I worked closely for 20 years as part of a multidisciplinary team in the NHS. Anne held the role of Community Learning Disability Charge Nurse, and throughout our time together,
she consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to professionalism, respect, and confidentiality.

Anne’s Expertise in Supporting Neurodiverse Individuals:

Anne has been an integral part of the team in the support of neurodiverse children, adults, and their families. She collaborated with a wide range of healthcare professionals, including psychiatrists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, and dietitians,
to create individualised treatment plans for each person. Anne’s holistic approach focused on understanding the unique needs and abilities of every person she worked with, ensuring that care was patient-centred and tailoring her treatment plans to their needs and abilities. Her ability to advocate for her patients, often through many setbacks, ensured they received the best possible care.

Anne’s Coaching Approach

Anne would excel as a coach for individuals who are neurodiverse. Anne has many years of experience working closely with neurodiverse children and adults and their families. She is experienced in managing a wide range of difficulties that are common in neurodiverse people. Anne would always be kind, considerate and understanding in her role as coach. Anne has a deep understanding of neurodiversity and a commitment to empowering those she works with.