open air coaching

where light, movement & insight meet

"I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding."

John O’Donohue

Hello, I’m Su, and I work with mid-career professionals in transition and people experiencing mid-life change or who sense that something needs to change but aren’t sure what that looks like yet.

As your integral development coach, alongside nature as co-facilitator, I work with you to create space and place for reimagining work and life.

We can work online while you’re in your own natural surroundings, or in-person in wonderful West Yorkshire.

"Su is an excellent coach, both sensitive and intuitive. She helped me to switch a light on inside, at a time when I very much needed to see. I am no longer bumping blindly into mental obstacles blocking my way, they are dissolving in the light". Jane, MA Student

Integral Coaching

Your coaching journey begins with being seen as a whole person, not just what brings you to coaching, but all of who you are.

Integral coaching works with the whole of you: how you think, feel, relate, and move through the world. It’s developmental in nature, with the aim of helping you to become more skilled, self-aware, and alive in your life.
We work together in relationship, through conversation, practices, reflection, observation, and discovery. The work is tailored to you, your situation, and what wants to unfold.

What makes this different?

This isn’t about setting goals in the usual way. It’s about transformation, discovering a deeper way of being that allows you to show up more fully in your work and life.

How it Works

open air

In nature, there’s an openness that welcomes us back to what’s real.

When we invite nature into our coaching work, whether you’re walking in your own landscape while we talk or between our conversations, or we’re meeting in person in wonderful West Yorkshire – something shifts. Deepens. Space opens up and insight arrives differently.

Nature becomes a co-facilitator in the work, grounding, guiding, and revealing what wants to unfold.

How we work

We step into conversation in-person in West Yorkshire, walk together, sit, observe, listen. Notice how inner and outer landscapes blend, how insights arise.

We can work online while you’re in your natural surroundings and bring found objects – a leaf, a stone, a piece of moss – into our virtual conversations. Nature continues to work with you between sessions.

However nature joins us, it invites us to step into a way of being
more at home in the world.

Su Ormerod

I've always been curious. As a child, Russian dolls captured my imagination, one thing fitting inside another. Why separate them?

Now I wonder what of myself remains hidden, and what it means to be part of a bigger, interconnected whole.

Being an integral coach is part of this ongoing conversation with life and nature. So is my work across health, education, arts, and community. My academic journey through literature, adult education, management, and creative writing.

I'm a writer, reader, photographer, parent, and committed integral coach - working for growth and development, for ourselves and others, for a deepening presence and authentic expression of what it means to be human in this one precious life.

"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Artist: Judy Anderson

Su Ormerod - Accredited Coach

Writing my first novel has become part of this inquiry, a journey that explores how the creative process and neuroplasticity change the way we think and feel.

I began coaching in Cornwall, close to the sea and shifting sands. Now I'm rooted in West Yorkshire, walking in the footsteps of ancestors, sitting by the river as it flows over crags toward the sea. Place feels no coincidence.

"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Artist: Judy Anderson

Being in touch with and listening to my body has never come easily to me, and working with Su has opened up a world of possibilities in that regard. With a blend of her expertise and kind & personable approach, she has helped me navigate the world of the somatic and start to understand the power it holds – helping me move from the quite often anxious cognitive, to the much calmer and more grounded somatic. This combined with the connection to nature and encouraging tapping into that is hugely helping me to be more mindful and more present in my day to day to life, which in itself is helping me to be better connected with the people I care about.

Ellie

Su accompanied me through the first months after a challenging time in my life, with warmth, understanding and gentle challenging. Our time together has given me the first glimpses of the resources I have available in my toolbox to help me in my journey to independent life. It is a continuing journey and to know Su is there to join me if I grind to a halt, is reassuring.

Liz, MD

At the start of integral coaching I wanted to understand more about myself and my relationships with others. At the time I was burdened by a major issue in my life which, after eighteen months, I didn’t think would ever be resolved. I felt that I could trust Su to accompany me on my journey. I had never experienced integral coaching before so it seemed like a magical mystery tour with Su gently guiding me as I explored issues and patterns, discovered things about myself and others, learned to accept myself and move forward. Su encouraged me to explore new things which have become regular, useful practices, items which I have added to my toolkit as I now continue on my post coaching journey. Most importantly, integral coaching helped me overcome the issue which had been weighing on my heart.

Mary, Voluntary Sector

Su’s integral coaching has been immensely beneficial for helping me to discover & work through some of the mental obstacles & unhelpful habits picked up in a lifetime. I went into the coaching with an open mind, willing to try new things and look at different ways of doing old things. It wasn’t easy at all. Didn’t know where to start. Rip it up & start again is not an option. Su listened carefully & gave me time to look inside my own head & body more thoroughly. Occasionally bumping into very painful memories & realisations.

The thing is, it worked. Because Su was patient & realistic. There was no forcing. Much more about allowing. And there were times when we laughed our heads off! Su also gave me some very helpful & workable practices to help restore & recover from the sheer rigour of my own life. I haven’t arrived anywhere yet, but for the first time in years I am stepping back onto the creative path of the painter I know myself to be. There’s a way to go, but this time it’s for the rest of my life. Words are not enough to thank Su for guiding me safely back.

Anna, Visual Artist

I have found working with Su to be deeply supportive and transformative.

Su brings a very calming and stabilising presence to her work. Being with her helps me slow down and feel more present, which makes it easier for me to stay connected to my body rather than moving straight into analysing or pushing things along. Her steadiness creates a sense of safety and containment that supports depth and trust in the process.

I’ve known for some time that I’m more introverted than I once thought, and working with Su has helped me embrace and trust that more fully. The way she holds space supports a quieter, more inward pace, which feels strongly aligned with how I actually process and work. This has been particularly powerful in the somatic work, where her calm presence feels genuinely regulating and allows me to stay with what’s emerging.

More broadly, our work together has supported important learnings about myself and how I want to be in my work and in the world. Su’s way of being as a coach has made the process feel both deep and sustainable, and I value her contribution to my journey enormously.”

Ellie

If this resonates, message me here to start a conversation

You can Email:
su@openaircoaching-westyorkshire.co.uk

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