I’m Liz Goodchild and I’m here to help you take your life off hold.

I’m a certified coach, and yet beyond the qualifications nailed to my wall, I’ve learned how to help other people lead better lives through the lessons I’ve learned by living my own. From wanting to stick pencils in my eyes while sitting at the desk of my 9-5 in a corporate career that stifled me, to running ultra-marathons, to moving to a country I didn’t speak the language of—with a 4 month old baby in tow—I know that daily life can be fucking hard.

My mum died when I was 18. She chose to end her life and her death was a huge wake-up call for me. It hit me—square in the heart—that we all get to choose who we are and how we live. As for me? I choose to live simply and brave, gravitating towards everything that nudges me towards personal and physical growth, and most importantly, that lets me just be me.

When I’m not coaching, I find myself walking my talk and signing up for physical challenges such as open water swimming races despite having an all-out fear of open water (if you want to find out more about the daft and mildly terrifying things I’m up to, you can always find me on Facebook or read some more of my writing right here.) I am a complete introvert. Small talk and parties make my head hurt and yet I love public speaking and hosting workshops. I’m scared of birds. Especially big, dead ones. I’m scared of a lot of things, in fact. And yet, I’ve taught myself, and continue to teach myself, that the only way through is to act in spite of my fears. To move forward when I’m the most uncertain and scared. To challenge myself to do the things the voice in my head tells me I can’t. This is why my coaching is effective. I’m very familiar with the hurdles that my clients come up against—because I’ve been there myself—and so I teach what I know from a place of deep personal experience and understanding.

I believe that I can do most things I put my mind to. And I believe that my clients can do most things they put their mind to, too. This way of thinking has changed my life. In so many ways.

The bottom line is that you can change your life for the better. It’s totally within your reach, even if it feels just about as likely as winning the lottery. All you need is the right amount of help to get you moving.

I’m in your corner. Let’s do this.

Life Coach Liz Goodchild

QUALIFICATIONS

Foundation Year in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy at The Berne Institute (current training)

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Protections: Neurodivergence in TA Therapy – Jo Moores and Steff Oates

Accredited Dip. Integrative Coaching Supervision (International Centre for Coaching Supervision
International Centre for Coaching Supervision

IAFPD Primary Certificate in Developing Psychological Resilience
Centre for Coaching

Accredited Dip. Coaching
Animas Centre for Coaching, London

Advanced Certificate in Integrative Counselling:
Kingston College, London

Certificate in Group Coaching & Facilitation
Animas Centre for Coaching, London

Certificate in Existential Coaching under the teaching of Yannick Jacob
Animas Centre for Coaching, London

Performance Coach Training under the teachings of Leon Taylor, Mike Weeks and Daryll Scott.

CPD Introduction to Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems UK

CPD Neurodiversity Conference
National Council of Integrative Therapists

COACHING CREDENTIALS

A FEW MORE FACTS ABOUT ME

I grow chillies and tomatoes in the summer. I don’t use plant-food or follow any fancy gardening tips. I just put them in sunlight and water them daily. I believe we should treat our bodies in a similar way.

I’m a deep-thinking INFJ, if personality types float your boat.

After years of trying to meditate, and not being very consistent, I now meditate every day, for 10 minutes. Sometimes, during these 10 minutes, I want to rip my head off. Other times, it feels like a massage for my mind and has changed the way I think about things. You can read more about how I finally created the habit of daily meditation here.

I eat mostly plant-based food (this means no animal products at all). No, I don’t miss bacon. Yes, I really miss cheese.

E.T. terrifies me. I wrote a blog post about it in 2011 and unknowingly created an online hub for people from all over the world to connect and share their own fear of E.T.

I used to run ultra-marathons, but then, well, there was a trampoline and a very swollen, injured ankle and ultra marathon running has been off the table ever since. And so I taught myself to swim (after spending 20 years telling myself, and anyone who’d listen, that I hated swimming). In 2016, I trained for, and completed a 5-mile lake swim and now genuinely love swimming. My big life lesson: Try new things.

I love all kinds of music, but Brandi Carlile is my favourite singer of all time. Whenever I need to know where my soul is, I listen to this.

I believe in saying yes more and doing things even though I’m scared.

I spend some of my time transcribing the 200-year old diaries of Anne Lister, as part of a voluntary project with the West Yorkshire Archives. There’s something magical about being one of the first people, in over 200 years, to see and read her words and bring them back to life.

When I see lots of feathers on the ground, I feel sad. It’s like I’ve stepped into an FBI bird murder scene.

I’m glad you found your way here.

My favourite poet, Mary Oliver, once wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

And I’m wondering what your answer is.