Hello, and welcome! Ever wonder ... what a career & life coach does?
It's hearing what's in the way.
And helping you to understand it clearly.
ICF Accredited Coach
Australia / Global
About coachingwithLydia
Hello I'm Lydia!
For 25 years, I've worked alongside professionals going through change: career moves, leadership opportunities or a sense that something needs to shift. What I’ve learned is this: what’s “getting in the way” is rarely what people first think it is.
I help you find what's really underneath that stuck feeling, get clear on what matters next and start moving toward it.
There’s a question I often come back to:
Are you willing to be honest with yourself, even if it changes how you currently see the situation?
For many clients, that’s where things begin to shift.
“Pushed me into a deeper level of thinking, which I have not experienced with other coaches”
- LA
Behind the scenes
When I'm not coaching, you'll find me exploring new places, spending time with family and my four wonderful grandchildren, or reflecting on life's lessons.
I’ve travelled across many countries and seasons of life, always curiously taking in how people live, think and see the world. That shapes how I see things. It's also taught me something every coach learns eventually: the people I work with change me too. That's part of what I bring to every coaching conversation.
Every coaching conversation is different. A selection of client stories is shared below.
Client Stories
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
It was absolutely amazing to connect with you. I felt heard in each session. With my busy schedule as a doula, I sometimes forget to give myself time to rest. Since starting coaching sessions with you, I have become more productive and feel like everything is coming together like a puzzle.
Finding a purpose in life sometimes requires having someone there to support and accompany you along the way. You have definitely helped me become more conscious that I am capable of achieving my goals realistically by setting timelines and organizing my agenda.
Thank you for your amazing work.
Michelle Smith (May 2026)
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
When I first met with Lydia I was feeling very blocked regarding certain tasks I needed to accomplish after I had experienced a significant amount of loss and change in my life.
In our work together, I have gained a better understanding of my Myers-Briggs personality type, which, along with Lydia's thoughtful coaching questions, have sparked new insights and thoughtful self-reflection.
As someone living in the US, it has been fun to meet across time zones and something I have looked forward to. If you are looking for coaching that will provide clarity, focus, and accountability to help you achieve your desired forward moving progress, I highly recommend Lydia.
Tiffany Criddle (Apr 2026)
GLORIA VINTIMILLA (JUL 2026)
Tiffany Criddle (Apr 2026)
Working with Lydia has been an incredibly valuable experience. She created a safe, non-judgemental and supportive space while gently supporting me to uncover my own insights and solutions.
From our first session, I felt comfortable reflecting on my strengths and areas for growth. She helped me refine my goals, strengthen my communication skills, and develop a more structured and thoughtful approach to problem-solving, particularly when navigating complex situations with staff and stakeholders.
Her approach also helped me gain clarity, build confidence and develop a more thoughtful way of tackling challenges. I consistently left our sessions feeling focused, motivated and empowered.
I’m incredibly grateful for her support and would highly recommend Lydia to anyone looking to grow both personally and professionally.
Fran B (Mar 2026)
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
Tiffany Criddle (Apr 2026)
Working with Lydia has been a valuable experience. Lydia is a great listener who creates a thoughtful, supportive space to reflect and explore ideas. Through our sessions, she encouraged me to expand my thinking about what is possible within my current workplace, rather than assuming growth required leaving an environment I am very happy in.
Lydia helped me see how I could continue to grow professionally within an organisation that has different pillars under one umbrella. Her questions supported me to recognise opportunities for development and progression, while staying true to what already works well for me.
A particular strength of Lydia’s coaching is her ability to explore personality and working style. She helped me identify and appreciate my strengths, while also gently challenging me to listen, learn, and adapt when working with others who approach tasks differently. This has given me practical strategies I continue to use.
I would highly recommend Lydia to anyone seeking clarity, professional growth, and a coach who listens whilst encouraging meaningful and realistic growth/change.
Alice P (Feb 2026)
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
After hearing Lydia speak at a networking event, something in her message really struck a chord with me. I’d been out of a pure Exec Assistant role for a while, and although I was excited to step back into that space, I also felt a bit disconnected from the leadership side of myself that used to feel so natural.
Working with Lydia changed that. Her coaching didn’t feel like a program or a process. It felt like someone genuinely seeing me, reminding me of what I already had within me, and giving me the tools to bring it forward again.
I loved exploring different personality styles and understanding how they shape the way we show up and support others. It made me feel grounded, capable, and more self-aware than I’ve been in a long time.
I walked away from each session feeling lighter, clearer, and more confident in who I am as an EA and as a leader. I’m really grateful for the experience, and for the way Lydia helped me reconnect with my strengths in such an authentic, empowering way.
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
Antonia Rossello (Nov 2025)
I valued the encouragement and insightful questions regarding next steps and possible pathways.
Lydia supported me in breaking down future opportunities so that they were reachable. I identified useful tools to work towards my future with more conviction.
Thank you for all the support. Looking forward to catching up online while we are both travelling.
Client Stories
Cath F (Oct 2025)
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
Angie Carvajal (Sep 2025)
Lydia has been such a support in my journey as an Executive Assistant. Her coaching is practical, thoughtful and really speaks to the unique challenges of the EA role. She understands what it’s like working with senior leaders and supported me in finding strategies that made a difference.
What I value most is her kindness, her ability to really listen to what I am saying and the way she asks questions that open up new ways of thinking for me. She has supported me in strengthening how I work and building the confidence to approach my role with clarity.
Lydia’s coaching has elevated the way I work, how I manage relationships and how I see myself as a leader in my own right. I am grateful for her support and highly recommend her to any office professional wanting to grow and succeed in their career.
Angie Carvajal (Sep 2025)
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
Angie Carvajal (Sep 2025)
I was initially skeptical about coaching, but after a friend's strong recommendation, I decided to give it a try.
From the very first session, I was completely blown away by how empowered I felt. Lydia listened; and she asked questions that helped me reframe my thoughts and see my situation differently. I then was able to create a simple yet effective plan that took steps that fixed the issue.
I couldn't recommend Lydia enough. Her coaching is for anyone that wants practical clarity and momentum.
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
Working with Lydia over just a few sessions has been a genuinely empowering experience. As an Executive Assistant, I often navigate complex situations that require both confidence and agility, and Lydia’s coaching enabled me to see fresh perspectives and practical tools to strengthen my leadership skills. Her calm, insightful approach made it easy to explore challenges I face day-to-day, while still keeping focus on the bigger picture of who I want to be professionally.
Lydia’s ability to ask thought provoking questions encouraged deep self-reflection. Through personal values, I was able to identify what drives me and how to align my actions with those principles. Her coaching helped me build clarity and confidence not just in my role, but in how I approach life more broadly.
The coaching helped me develop practical strategies to enhance my skillset. I’m incredibly grateful for her support and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking to grow and lead with intention.
Sarah Messenger(JUL 2025)
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
Juliette Pillar (Aug 2025)
I met Lydia at a networking event earlier this year and from our first meeting she felt warm, welcoming, and empowering.
I did the MBTI assessment with her, which gave me some real insight into how I work and what my next opportunity may look like for me.
I’d absolutely recommend Lydia’s coaching to anyone looking to develop personally or professionally.
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
Working with Lydia this year has been such a rewarding and energising experience. We met at a networking event earlier in the year, turned into a meaningful connection. From the very beginning, Lydia created an environment that felt both welcoming and empowering.
Through our coaching sessions, I’ve had the opportunity to lean into new challenges, tap into my creativity, and push past comfort zones in ways that felt exciting rather than overwhelming. It’s not just about professional growth, it’s been personal too. Lydia has a way of asking the right questions and holding space, helping confidence and clarity to grow side by side.
Thank you Lydia for creating space where both curiosity and confidence are not only welcomed but encouraged to thrive.
Nadine Amesz (May 2025)
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
Vanessa Phillips (Jun 2025)
I met Lydia at a networking event earlier in the year which led me to engaging her for 1-on-1 coaching services.
Lydia's approach is both practical and effective, through discussing my current challenges to then encouraging me to explore various avenues and potential outcomes, through to working with me to develop an action plan.
Her coaching style is a balanced mix of support and challenge, encouraging reflection and commitment to actionable steps, whilst providing a safe space to talk freely without judgement.
I also completed the MBTI assessment with Lydia, which has helped me understand myself on a deeper level and identify areas for growth. I recommend Lydia’s coaching sessions to anyone looking to achieve personal or professional growth.
Carol Keay (Mar 2025)
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
When I first booked a coaching session with Lydia, I’ll admit I was more curious about how the process worked than whether it would actually help me.
But I'm so glad I took the leap. Lydia has been incredible at helping me unlock the knowledge I already have and put it into action.
I said, "I’ve thought about these things, but just haven’t acted on them." That’s exactly what coaching has been for me right now, working through the areas I want to grow in and realising that I’ve had the skills all along. They just got buried under the busyness of life.
I still have a few more sessions ahead, but I’m already so grateful for the progress Lydia has helped me make!
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
I had the opportunity to work with Lydia in the past and reached out to her recently for guidance and coaching with choosing my career path.
The time spent with Lydia was very insightful and prepared me thoroughly for my interviews. I gained insights into how to connect and build rapport with a potential employer. I have now been able to utilise the various practical methods discussed, such as staying self-aware, focusing and better managing my goals.
I now have a better understanding of ways to communicate and present my skills and experience gained over the years. The coaching has helped me shift to a more positive mindset, viewing my various experiences at work as opportunities to develop new skills.
I found the coaching experience with Lydia most beneficial, positive and encouraging.
Elyse Amon (Dec 2024)
Yvonne Boreback (Jan 2025)
Elyse Amon (Dec 2024)
This year I have been lucky enough to connect with Lydia and engaged in my first formal coaching relationship. I am so pleased I said yes to this opportunity.
What I have enjoyed is being able to discuss a variety of matters, both small and big picture topics. I’ve been able to gain very practical ideas, support and alternative ways to look at each topic. This has helped me to step out of my usual thinking style and look at all things in a different way. I’ve been able to focus on setting goals, consider desired outcomes and proactively make action plans to achieve. I’m now comfortable to take the next step with confidence (and spending much less time in a spiral of indecision/uncertainty).
I’ve enrolled for further education in 2025 and will continue seeking Lydia’s coaching as a tool as I navigate these new waters! Thank you, Lydia!
Mavis Yang (Nov 2024)
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Elyse Amon (Dec 2024)
I reached out to Lydia because I was struggling to navigate my career path after the birth of my daughter in 2023, and to find the right balance between work and life. From the very first session Lydia took the time to understand my challenges and helped me reset my career goals, refine my personal brand and tailor my job applications.
Lydia encouraged me to think outside the box, expanding my job search to new industries. Through structured sessions and a job hunting logbook, I received invaluable feedback and support. After three months of focused job search I successfully landed a part-time role within the healthcare sector that offers great work-life balance.
Lydia’s support, even while she was traveling, made me feel heard and confident throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Lydia to anyone looking to advance their career or navigate a career transition.
M. McDonnell (Oct 2024)
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Lydia was recommended to me by a Director in the company I have just started working for. The Director had met Lydia previously and was aware of her work and thought it would be very beneficial for us to connect and I am so glad he put us in touch!
I was very nervous of returning to the professional environment after a long career break but the coaching sessions with Lydia gave me the confidence to believe in myself and my capabilities. Our sessions gave me a chance to step back and reflect on me, how my interests/skills have evolved over time, where they are strongest now and I realised I can refine and recalibrate my career goals. Lydia really helped me to clarify my goals and how I can realistically achieve them.
At each session, Lydia would check to see where I was with my goals / was I on track which was great and kept me very focused. Lydia helped me with some communication problems I encountered, I was unsure of how to navigate them but with her guidance I was able to look at the situation and develop new skills to help me going forward.
Lydia’s experience, expertise, guidance and support has really helped me – it’s up to me now to achieve the goals I have set myself and I feel very confident I can do it! Thank you very much Lydia. I look forward to catching up again soon and I would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone & everyone!
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Alison Horvath (Sept 2024)
Lydia has been my Mentor for the past five months. The sessions with Lydia have brought clarity to my role and made me rethink a number of my current work style practices. I think sometimes you need someone to give you a gentle push or make your thoughts come into action, and Lydia is that person. Lydia provides suggestions and guidance on a variety of topics, including career development or role related improvement topics, and does not push her ideals onto you, rather allows you to find solutions in an interactive way. I would recommend Lydia’s mentoring or coaching to others who are look for an injection of courage and to keep looking forward in your career goals.
C. Ristovski (Jul 2024)
This was my first experience meeting with a coach and at first was not sure what to expect. Lydia made me immediately feel comfortable and at ease, allowing me to share my thoughts with her freely and without fear of judgement. She managed to create an environment that you usually get with people you have known for years, all in a very short period of time & I always felt reassured that she was acting with my best interest at heart.
I was quite amazed at how once we started working together, I was starting to come to solutions that I had never considered, all by being guided gently in the right direction, trusting myself and by not jumping ahead to solution mode without having gone through a thoughtful process.
I don’t think I would have come up with a lot of the solutions that I did without Lydia’s guidance here, as I rush to “solve” the problem, but Lydia made sure I truly understood it prior to getting to that point, allowing me to reach a more solid and sustainable outcome in most cases.
The sense of clarity and achievement I felt at the end of every session is really a credit to the work Lydia has done. I felt like it set me up in a positive mindset to be able to approach other challenges in my life with confidence and ease and most importantly Clarity.
I have no doubt that working with Lydia will have a lasting impact on how I approach future challenges and it definitely eliminated a lot of the stress and anxiety I felt about these issues previously.
Really grateful for the sessions and in working with Lydia & have no doubt that she will find great success in her future endeavours as a Coach.
Thanks a million Lydia!
E. Grant (Jul 2024)
The coaching sessions have been incredibly helpful, giving me valuable insights and practical strategies for my personal and professional growth. I felt very comfortable with Lydia, who created a supportive and encouraging environment. This made it easy for me to talk about my goals and challenges. I’ve some real improvement in my confidence, time management, and decision making skills.
Overall, the experience has been very positive and empowering, helping me take steps toward my goals. I highly recommend these coaching sessions to anyone looking to improve their personal or professional life.
Lydia’s expertise, empathy, and guidance have made a big difference for me, and I’m very grateful.
Melinda Leach (Jul 2024)
With Lydia’s guidance, I felt empowered to establish and act on my goals. Her support gave me the confidence to speak up, set boundaries, and step outside my comfort zone, both at work and at home. I found it fascinating how she drew feelings of satisfaction out of me. Feeling safe and supported during our sessions was invaluable, as her insights and unwavering encouragement consistently motivated me to strive for excellence.
Lydia’s dedication to my growth has been remarkable. Her thoughtful feedback, constructive criticism, and belief in my potential have helped me navigate challenges and achieve career progression I had not imagined. I am grateful to have gained not just a mentor but also a role model, and the lessons I have learned will continue to benefit me for years to come.
Liz A. (Mar 2024)
Lydia has been my 3rd coach during my 20 year working career. I can honestly say that she was very intuitive and was able to push me into a deeper level of thinking, which I have not previously experienced with my other coaches. Whilst some of the sessions were really challenging for me from a reflection perspective, her ability to bring me back to my opening statement and to help me focus on the overall goal, was wonderful and kept the session on track, while creating a safe space for me to challenge myself.
Matthew Waddy (Jan 2023)
Matthew Waddy (Jan 2023)
It's safe to say you were instrumental in my success as a business support team member, and in getting me to where I am today. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor, one able to provide guidance when it was needed and patience while I moved toward where I am today. Thank you!