Coaching stories
I found that coaching was a really valuable and special part of being a student at Green Templeton.
What do Coaching Programme alumni have to say about their experiences?
Jenn Allen
Dr Jenn Allen (DPhil in Education 2016, now an Organisational Development Consultant, University of Oxford) reflects on her experience of the Coaching Programme.
Transcript: Hello, my name is Jenn and I previously completed a DPhil in Education at Green Templeton College. I’d like to spend a couple of minutes telling you about my experience of working with a coach while I was at Green Templeton, in case this is something you are considering doing as well. There’s so much I could tell you about coaching, and one thing that comes to mind is to always come prepared to your coaching sessions. So with that in mind, I hope you don’t mind if I check my notes while I’m speaking just to make sure I don’t miss anything.
I’ll start by telling you a bit about why I decided to work with a coach. I decided to work with a coach during the final stages of writing up my thesis, and the main reason why is that I was looking at lots of different career options at the time, in terms of what I would do after my DPhil, and I felt that meeting with a coach would help me with thinking through those options.
In terms of the benefits, I found that working with a coach ensured I protected time and space in my diary, which was really important in the midst of a busy writing-up schedule. And it also gave me someone impartial to speak to.
An additional benefit is that the coach helped with checking my assumptions and giving me different perspectives and different ways of thinking about the options I was considering.
In terms of things to know if you’re considering coaching, there are two that come to mind. One is that it can be really helpful to think through the outcomes you’re looking for in terms of coaching before meeting with a coach, because that can help them help you.
And secondly, the coach is not there to give you all the answers. What they will do is ask you really helpful questions to encourage your thinking around whatever the issue is you’re speaking with them about.
I found that coaching was a really valuable and special part of being a student at Green Templeton, and I’d love to see as many people as possible benefit from it. So I hope that what I’ve had to say helps you in terms of deciding whether it’s something that you’d like to pursue.
Ben Amies-Cull
Dr Ben Amies-Cull (DPhil Population Health, 2018) participated in the Coaching Programme in 2020-21. He is now a public health researcher and general practitioner.
It can be challenging to decide how we want to change, but my coach has helped me develop new practical ways of setting positive goals and move forward with personal development.
I arrived at Oxford with a fog of impostor syndrome. I soon realised it’s very common here and something that can be overcome with some support and hard work. My coach helped me to work through how to lift that fog, then to see my unique strengths to confidently value.
I learned to take that positive confidence forward to deliver excellent work and make contributions to the University I am truly proud of.
Ella Dunlop
Ella Dunlop (Clinical Medicine, 2016), joined the programme in 2020, and returned two years later. She graduated as a medical doctor in 2024.
The programme has given me the direct guidance of senior faculty in relevant fields. As a doctor I’m grateful for the conversations I had early in my medical training with Denise, a leading figure in medical training at Oxford.
In my final year of university, working with Ray, I reflected on my journey through Oxford, and looked outward and forward to the future. I recommend the programme to all of my friends and have had the pleasure of introducing them to Ray over tea and cake.
I’ve made meaningful connections with my coaches and found personal success through their guidance.
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