I spent over a decade leading humanitarian teams through some of the world's most complex crises. Typhoons in the Philippines, earthquakes in Nepal and Indonesia, conflict and displacement across the Middle East, West and Central Africa, Bangladesh and Myanmar. I know what it feels like to lead when the ground is shifting beneath you.

What I learned in those years wasn't just about crisis management. It was about people. About what happens when you create space for someone to be honest. About how trust is built, and how quickly it breaks. Leading children's consultations in the Rohingya camps, and turning their stories into a waterproof book because of the annual flooding, taught me something I've never put down: the best work happens when you actually see people.

That's what I carried with me when I left the humanitarian system and trained as a coach. I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring from Leeds Beckett University and became an EMCC-certified Senior Practitioner — drawing on approaches including Transactional Analysis, Gestalt coaching, systemic coaching, and Brief Coaching. I wanted to create the kind of space I'd needed most during my own transitions: somewhere to pause, be honest, and figure out what really matters.

That's what Touching Distance is. It's coaching and development rooted in real experience, not textbook theory. It's for leaders who want to show up with more clarity, confidence, and connection. And it's for organisations who know that investing in their people is the most important thing they can do.