A career shaped by psychology, people and business
The story behind ExecutiveVA and the experience that continues to shape the way I work.
Careers don't always follow a straight line. Sometimes, the most interesting ones develop through a combination of opportunities, experiences and the things you discover you're particularly good at along the way.
For me, that journey has brought together three things: psychology, business operations and a genuine interest in understanding how people and organisations work.
Today, these are at the heart of ExecutiveVA, but the foundations were laid long before I started the business in 2017.
An interest in people, behaviour and organisations
My interest in psychology began during my school years, and later with a degree in Psychology and further postgraduate study in Occupational Psychology.
I was interested in the relationship between people and the world of work: how individuals behave, what helps people reach their potential, how organisations function and what makes a difference to professional development.
I developed my professional knowledge through the British Psychological Society, including qualifications as a Registered Test User in Ability and Personality. I subsequently became a Chartered Psychologist.
My career took shape within an Occupational Psychology consultancy, where I spent over 13 years working alongside psychologists and executive coaches.
I joined as an Administration Assistant and, over time, progressed to become Manager of the consultancy. My responsibilities grew considerably, spanning business and office management, executive support to the Director, client and account management, and the coordination of consultancy projects.
It was a varied and often demanding role, giving me exposure to many different aspects of the business. I worked closely with senior professionals, supported client engagements and developed an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes to make a professional services business work well.
That experience was particularly valuable because it gave me more than an understanding of administration. I developed a broader appreciation of business operations, commercial relationships, project management and the practical demands of working within a specialist professional environment.
It's also where I discovered that I particularly enjoy being involved in the bigger picture: understanding what a business needs, identifying where things could work better and helping to put the right structures in place.
A change of direction
After more than a decade in consultancy, I began to think about what I wanted from the next stage of my working life.
There were some personal changes happening too. Having spent years commuting, sometimes for four hours a day, I wanted a different balance and a more sustainable way of working. My husband and I also fulfilled an ambition to move back to the countryside.
Professionally, I was ready for a new challenge. I wanted to use the experience I'd gained in a different way, build something of my own and have greater autonomy over the work I undertook and the people I worked with.
In 2017, ExecutiveVA was established.
The name reflected the executive and business support services I initially offered, drawing on my experience within consultancy. I hadn't set out with a particularly elaborate business plan or a fixed idea of exactly where it would lead. Like many businesses, it evolved through the people I worked with, the projects I became involved in and the opportunities that presented themselves.
Finding my specialism
It wasn't long before much of my work centred around psychologists, coaches and consultancy businesses.
In hindsight, this was a very natural direction. I already understood the professional environment, the terminology, the nature of the work and many of the operational challenges involved. I could work alongside practitioners with an understanding of their business, rather than having to learn the sector from scratch.
Over the years, my work has developed well beyond traditional executive or administrative support.
I've supported complex assessment and selection processes, leadership and development programmes, coaching engagements and consultancy projects. I've also become increasingly involved in the operational side of businesses, from practice management and systems to associate onboarding, processes, documentation and compliance.
Each client and project brings its own requirements, but the underlying theme is often the same: helping professionals manage the practical and operational demands that sit alongside their specialist work.
I've come to appreciate just how much is involved in running a psychology or coaching business. The client work is only one part of it. There are systems to maintain, people to coordinate, processes to manage, professional responsibilities to consider and all the day-to-day business activity that needs to happen in the background.
Having worked within a consultancy myself, I understand that environment from the inside. It's a perspective I continue to bring to my work.
What has shaped the way I work
Nearly ten years on, ExecutiveVA looks quite different from the business I first established.
My experience has developed, my understanding of the sector has deepened and I've become much clearer about where I add the most value.
I'm interested in how businesses operate, how people work together and how things can be made more effective. I enjoy getting to grips with a challenge, understanding the detail without losing sight of the bigger picture, and finding practical ways forward.
I also believe good working relationships matter. I value trust, integrity, clear communication and the ability to work collaboratively. I want clients to feel that they have someone alongside them who understands their business, takes responsibility for their work and can be relied upon.
Technology is another area that's increasingly influencing how professional businesses operate. I'm interested in how tools, including AI, can be used thoughtfully to improve processes and support the way businesses work, without losing the importance of professional knowledge, judgement and human oversight.
ExecutiveVA today
ExecutiveVA has evolved into a specialist business support and operations service, working predominantly with psychologists, coaches and consultancies across a range of professional specialisms.
I bring together my background in psychology, more than 13 years of experience within consultancy and nearly a decade of running my own business.
It's a combination that allows me to offer something a little different: an understanding of the professional sector alongside practical experience of the business and operational work that supports it.
I still enjoy variety, learning about different businesses and getting involved in interesting projects. But perhaps the biggest change since those early days is that I now have a much clearer understanding of the work I enjoy, the experience I bring and the relationships I want to build.
Looking back, starting ExecutiveVA was a significant change in direction. I didn't know exactly where it would take me, but it gave me the opportunity to bring together different parts of my professional experience and develop them in a way that feels right.
And that, perhaps, is what makes a career interesting. Not necessarily having everything mapped out from the beginning, but allowing experience, curiosity and the right opportunities to shape where you go next.
