Personalised support to empower your journey towards career success, purpose and fulfilment
About
Vera Woodhead, is a registered limited company, founded by me, Vera Woodhead ( known as V), collaborating with a handpicked selection of trusted associates.
With over two decades of dedicated experience in leadership development, coaching and mentoring, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.
From spearheading transformative leadership development initiatives to delivering strategic coaching support to executives, my expertise lies in driving individual, team and organisational change and fostering inclusive cultures.
Leveraging my multisector background, including my recent tenure at Barclays as Head of Leadership Coaching and my experience at PwC as an Executive coach, I am driven by a deep sense of purpose to enable leaders and teams to flourish and reach their full potential.
Helping more women and ethnically diverse women achieve leadership positions has been part of my repertoire since I became a coach 14 years ago. This year, I was fortunate to be selected as a UN Women UK delegate, which has refuelled my dedication to support women in this space.
Like you my path has been marked by challenges, failures and moments of self-discovery and wisdom.
Born in a developing South American country, education was my gateway out of poverty and in my early teens, I was sent to live in England in the pursuit of a better future.
Over the years I have:
- Navigated cultures, career transitions, redundancy and gender and racial discrimination
- Balanced aspirations with family life and climbing the ladder to senior positions.
- Led onsite and remote teams through restructures and transformation
- Held non-executive Directorship roles, lectured in Leadership and contributed to the Handbook of Team Coaching
- Journeyed from employment to entrepreneurship to corporate leadership and back to self-employment.
Drawing on a Master’s degree in Coaching & Mentoring and an extensive toolkit informed by a myriad of psychological, philosophical, neuroscientific and somatic modalities, I offer a holistic approach tailored to meet the evolving needs of each client.
For nearly 14 years, coaching has been more than just a profession and what I do, it’s an integral part of who I am and how I show up.
Beyond the professional
A self confessed foodie, I love nothing better than sitting around a table sharing good food with family and friends. I’m a pretty decent cook and enjoy hosting large get togethers.
I spend a lot of time outdoors on the moors where I live and for the past 20 years, this has been my running track. This came to end 2 years ago due to an injury, so it’s a steady walking pace with my springer spaniel, Maisy.
Am a book worm who grew up reading Enid Blyton books. It was either that or listening to the world service (we didn’t have a TV). I read at least one book a month – usually crime thrillers and anything to do with leadership and personal mastery.
I love travelling to far flung places and experiencing different cultures. My preference is for places where there are more wildlife than people and have been fortunate to explore South America, Africa and Canada.
I relish a challenge and am always looking to broaden my horizons, whether it’s mastering pottery, crafting a three-legged stool or completing a 100km overnight walk. I find that it helps me to be agile, adaptable, enriches my capabilities and keeps me stimuated.
