When Hazel came to have a tour of the Maven coworking space, she immediately filled the room with her friendly, calming and extremely sophisticated aura.  Currently making waves in the space of resilience and using psychology as a route to effective leadership skills we can’t wait to work with Hazel at Maven.

Tell me about a woman who inspires you.

I think it has to be Brené Brown, her research and writing about courage, compassion and vulnerability have inspired my in both my work and my life.  I remember watching her TED talk in 2013 and just being overwhelmed with relief that somebody got it.  I love the fact that she is not only a researcher, she also talks openly about her own struggles with her thoughts and emotions.  I believe that this is such an important message to share, that those of us who research human behaviour and teach it, are still constantly working on it ourselves.

When did you decide to pursue your business?

When I was growing up my parents had their own business.  They brought me up to be very independent and I had always had the dream of being an entrepreneur.  Finally three years ago I took a leap of faith and started my own business, working as an independent Business Psychologist, delivering leadership and team development workshops, coaching and teaching psychology masterclasses.  As well as the opportunity to focus my energy on work that I loved it gave me the flexibility to spend time with my daughter and to juggle all the different elements of my life.

What drives you creatively?

I am driven by anything that helps me to help others.  I have always loved learning and I read a lot of books and research papers, constantly looking out for insights I can share with my clients.  I like to take quite complex concepts and make them really simple and relatable. So much of my work is about normalising our experience of being human and humour plays a key role for me in how I share insights through storytelling.

 

What is your proudest accomplishment?

In work it is probably the amazing opportunity that I have been given to provide resilience coaching within the NHS.  I lead a small team of coaches and psychologists providing support during the pandemic.  The feedback has been amazing and I feel proud that my team has been able to help in some way.

In life, a few years ago I experienced postnatal depression after the birth of my daughter.  I’m really proud of myself for throwing everything at it; for seeking out help, for trying lots of different interventions and ultimately for building a close relationship with her.  This experience has helped me to relate to clients who are facing their own challenges and I am able to say that every technique I teach or we work on together, I have used myself.

 

What are you looking forward to most about Maven?

I am really looking forward to being part of a community.  Working by myself has been rewarding but I miss feeling part of something bigger.  I’m also really excited about being around some fantastic women, who have different perspectives, experience and expertise.  I’m imagining that there will be many opportunities to learn and grow, both individually and collectively.

 

Thank you Hazel, I’m a big fan of Brene Brown too and love her podcast Unlocking Us.  I can’t wait to create a vibrant community of female entrepreneurs and raise the roof here in Winchester.  Community, collaboration and networking is a vital lifeline for solo business women. Through our new, coworking community together we can create, share and get stuff done!

Natalie x