About the Book
Will the 'real you' please stand up?
You know that feeling when you're nodding, smiling, saying "I'm fine" for the hundredth time, while something inside whispers, "This isn't really me?"
She'll Do It Her Way is a soulful, intimate memoir and invitation to remember who you truly are beneath the roles, masks, and expectations. So you can do things your way and shine softly from within.
Inspired by my Gran's timeless wisdom from the mid-90s: "You can't be a great mum, wife, daughter, friend, neighbour, boss, etc., if you're not a great you. It all starts with you." This book shares four decades of personal stories, lessons, and reflections from my journey towards authenticity, as well as family wisdom from wise souls like my Gran, Dad, and many more. Along the way, you'll start to notice hidden clues: secret whispers from your soul that show up through your energy, intuition, and body's wisdom. They appear when you're conforming to expectations or living out of alignment with your true self.
This isn't a quick-fix or how-to book. Each chapter offers a mirror reflecting moments you might recognise in your own life, along with gentle invitations to slow down, reflect, and begin your own journey to reconnect with the 'real you.' Think of this book as a chat over coffee. I'll share my experiences and ideas to inspire you, challenge you when needed and nurture you when called for.
I won't tell you what to do or who to be. That wisdom is already within you.
Since 2000, I've worked with hundreds of people across three continents, who felt pressured to conform and show up each day with their 'pretend selves.' In public, they smiled. In private, the pain spilled out. I've seen it over and over again: the 'go-to' people who always do the 'right' things wake up one day and realise they've lost themselves trying to meet everyone else's expectations.
Over the years, I've picked up a bunch of qualifications, but the foundation of who I am isn't something I learned on a course. It's my innate ability to tune into energy and intuitive guidance. Like when you're saying yes but your energy is quietly saying no. I combine this natural gift with my professional expertise to help you reconnect with your own inner wisdom, so you can feel like you again, but better.
Leadership coach has been my label for many years, but what you really get with me is something much deeper - your 'Soulful Challenger.' Think of me as that straight-talking friend who'll challenge you to challenge yourself, always with warmth, heart, and honesty.
If this book is for you, you'll know. You'll feel it. That's your first hidden clue. Now, follow it. Gently. Slowly. Softly. Let's see where it leads.
At the back, you'll find reflections from readers: parents, professionals, women, and men from all walks of life, reminding us that the search for authenticity is universal.
"A real-you guidebook, filled with warmth and authenticity. Her reflections triggered mine, and her experiences helped me reconnect with my own." Keith Scott, UK
"It's like being hit with a giant mirror, reading the real and raw northern experiences of Andrea brings it all to life and then you're faced with your own reflection. It shows me I'm in control, I choose, and I can find the answers myself." James Williams, UK
"This book is genuine and appealed to me to stop dreaming, to stop thinking of doing, to stop the constant planning to do, and just let go." Jessica McCurdy Crooks, Jamaica
"It's like having a two-way catch up with a good friend who truly gets you." Joshi Jariwala, UK
About the Author :
While 'leadership coach' has been my label since 2000, what you'll really get with me is something much deeper - your 'Soulful Challenger.' Think of me as that straight-talking friend who'll challenge you to challenge yourself, but always with warmth, heart, and honesty.It comes from who I am at my core. That Northern grit for cutting through the noise and saying it as it is, combined with deep compassion from walking this path myself.I had my wake-up call in the mid-90s as a new Mum, when my Gran shared a piece of wisdom that sent me on a serious soul-searching mission!What started as my personal self-discovery led me to help others find their authentic selves too. I quickly realised the struggle I felt wasn't unique to me or to being a new Mum. It was a challenge faced by people from all walks of life. In essence, we're all carrying similar worries, just behind different masks.Since that day, I've been working with my intuition and energy to help people reconnect with their authentic selves, so they can feel like themselves again, but better. Whether someone comes to me as an executive, a clinician, a full-time Mum, or somewhere in between. It doesn't matter what title, or role they've picked up because I don't work with labels. What matters most is who you are beneath all of that. And it's pretty amazing to watch when people finally give themselves permission to step away from the labels, and prioritise who they are, not just what they do.Like you, I have many labels - business owner, coach, facilitator, writer, mum, wife. But at my core, I'm Andrea, a girl from Oldham who believes amazing things happen when we reconnect with our true selves.
