About Madeline
MY JOURNEY
Back in 2015, I was outwardly succeeding in life—I had a good job as a solicitor, loved ones around me and sporadic energy for adventure and fun.
But underneath it all, I was filled with insecurity, self-doubt, and anxiety. My life lacked true zest and I was irritable and lacking in motivation or consistency in lots of aspects of life.
I wasn’t living intentionally. I didn’t take care of my mind or body and I was drinking too much, under the guise of being carefree and embracing a ‘YOLO’ way of life.
It was as thought I’d lost agency over my life, my health and happiness. I’d become so consumed by what the world around me expected or seemed to want, that I’d become disconnected from who I was or how I wanted to live.
Drinking and hangovers kept me largely distracted from that truth for much of the time, but there was always a part of me that knew things could and should be different than they were.
The first and biggest turning point for me was making the decision to remove alcohol altogether. I had been inspired by others that I’d seen, who seemed to be living a full and joyful life. Those other people seemed to have broken through society’s popular version of what happiness and fun looks like, one that needs to include alcohol - why couldn’t I?
After feeling transformed and gaining so much clarity about myself and my life after a few months without drinking, I started 1:1 and group coaching which helped me to take stock of my life further - what other narratives was I living because the world around me, or experiences or traditions that were not relevant to me at present, said so.
I began eating a plant-based diet and found that my health and endurance to show up fully in my life were enhanced by that lifestyle change. That felt ethically and spiritually the right decision too.
DISCOVERING IFS
After a particularly stressful turn of events some months later - and without alcohol as my go-to avoidant of the challenges life unavoidably brings - I attended a healing retreat in northern Italy, hosted by Dr Richard Schwartz, creator of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model.
Learning about IFS during that retreat helped me to make sense of myself, others and the world in a way that seemed so resonant, clear and obvious.
I took my healing and self-awareness to a new level. I understood the importance of vulnerability. I felt like I had learnt a new language for expressing what was going on in my mind when I was struggling or facing inner resistance blocking the path to a life that felt more true.
I re-accessed a place within me that was calm, courageous and deeply compassionate towards myself and others.
Whilst quitting drinking had relieved the majority of my day-to-day anxiety, I was early in my journey of self-discovery and embracing the IFS philosophy of life came at the perfect time.
Seeing the world through this lens meant that I was more in control and less reactive to the world around me.Reconnecting with what was really going on inside, beneath my behaviours that felt unauthentic, empowered me to live in ways that felt true to me.
IFS AND COACHING
Whilst working full-time in a corporate position, I trained as an IFS Practitioner, learning from some of the most influential practitioners in the field.
I started working with clients 1:1, leading workshops and guiding group programmes, sharing the gift of this healing modality with others, who I saw were similarly positively impacted.
As a qualified coach trained in Positive Psychology Coaching, I offer sessions that integrate IFS within a broader coaching context that really helps my clients to flourish in their lives.
I call upon the lessons I’ve learnt from the IFS model in my own life everyday. When I connect with my inner wisdom and the gifts I want to share with the world, and when I face new challenges - from parenting to growing a business, to facing the climate emergency.
Just as I help my clients to do, IFS supports me to have greater resilience in the difficult moments in life and to continually reconnect with the most powerful healing influence in my life - the one constantly available within me.
Originally from Manchester, UK, I live in Lake Como, Italy with my young daughter and husband. Alongside my IFS work with clients, I am the founder of Lake Como Wellness, which offers yoga and other retreats & workshops in Lake Como, including, in 2023, IFS-Inspired Personal Development Retreats. You can hear about those first via my newsletter.
“I’ve worked with Madeline for a few months and felt so much change in my business and in my life! Madeline is compassionate, patient and truly supportive. The non-judging space she creates allowed me to feel safe from the very beginning. I recommend her with my eyes closed!”
CAMILLE TOMAT, NUTRITIONAL HEALTH COACH, SLOVENIA
“I’ve worked with a number of different IFS Practitioners and Madeline is literally world-class at what she does. There is a real commitment to the process of what IFS can do. She understands it to the point where it creates a different level of shift than I’ve experienced before.
Parts of me that were causing pain, or relationship issues or creating blocks that were stopping me from getting to the next layer of where I want to go in my life – there is really noticeable relief for those parts after the sessions with Madeline.
The stress, the anxiety, the worry, the doubt, the fear that I was feeling is noticeably different and as I work more and more with her; the results of how I’m feeling are stacking up.
It’s well worth my time and energy and money to be working with Madeline. She’s really world-class at what she does.”
PARKER JAY LAZESKI, MENS’ PERFORMANCE COACH, NASHVILLE
“Madeline was recommended to me by two separate people that did not know one another, so I saw it as a definite possibility to ask her for some sessions.
I am so glad that I did! As a therapist who uses IFS myself, I can be very discerning about who I go to see. I needn’t have worried at all, as I felt in safe and kind hands, in our first meeting.
Madeline was able to quickly guide me through the IFS work, with gentle, firm, reassuring and knowledgeable ease. I was astounded by the results that happened within the first two sessions. I immediately noticed that I was waking up in the morning and thinking differently. Differently, in that, I had none of the usual negative cognitions about myself! I recognised that I was ‘thinking differently’ since my perception of myself had changed.
I have continued to work with Madeline on different emotions and parts of myself and could not recommend her highly enough.
I have an EMDR Supervisee having sessions and an ex-client, both of whom are also feeling enormous benefits from working with Madeline.
I am delighted with how differently I now feel, at the ripe old age of 65, and only wish that I had started the work earlier in my life.”
SUE THORGOOD, EMDR PRACTITIONER
“Madeline is a highly skilled practitioner with clear insight and commitment to her professional practice. She is able to hold space in a sensitive manner whilst also enabling her clients to make progress in an effective way. I would have no hesitation in recommending her.”
DEBBIE LEWIS, FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONER, UK
“Madeline oozes Self energy and encourages my parts to feel safe to come as they are.
Through our work together, I have met and deepened connection to parts of me that are feeling validated, and cared for, and I am feeling more ‘real’.
Coaching with Madeline has enriched both my personal life and creativity, and I believe my work with her also enhances the IFS work that I do with my own clients.
Madeline has a gentle, encouraging and re-assuring approach. She is a great listener and is wonderfully accommodating.
I find the note taking from our sessions, that she shares with me, to be very affirming of the work we have done together.
I also love the fact that I can pop over to Italy from the UK for an hour during my day, to have our remote sessions together. She is far away by distance but energetically feels very close.”
HANNAH, COUNSELLOR, UK
“Madeline is a highly skilled practitioner with clear insight and commitment to her professional practice. She is able to hold space in a sensitive manner whilst also enabling her clients to make progress in an effective way. I would have no hesitation in recommending her.”