Starbuck&Associates Reviews 

I took the NED program led by Paul Starbuck. It was very informative and helped me to understand what is involved with becoming a NED and the process to find roles. Paige was also very helpful in guiding me through the process. I can not speak highly enough about Starbuck & Associates.

I recently completed the ICF ACC programme with Paul and Liz and cannot recommend it highly enough. I am a former Headteacher, with 28 years of experience in education and 12 years as a school leader. The power of coaching was something I never truly experienced in my career and it is something I believe can make a huge impact in schools, as well as in other areas of industry. Paul and Liz kept the course going at pace, the quality of the materials was excellent, and they created a culture where each of the attendees on the course learned from each other, as well as our tutors. Thanks to Paul and Liz for an excellent course!

Working with Paul Starbuck has been a pivotal point in my professional journey. His approach to executive coaching is both insightful and empowering, fostering a space where I could genuinely explore and enhance my leadership capabilities.

Paul's extensive experience in retail and healthcare leadership, brings a depth of understanding that's both rare and invaluable. He challenged me to reflect deeply on my leadership style, encouraging growth through honest conversations and practical strategies.

What sets Paul apart is his ability to balance support with constructive challenge, always aiming to unlock his clients' full potential. His sessions are not just about professional development; they are about personal transformation, leading to increased confidence and clarity in my career path.

I highly recommend Paul to anyone seeking to elevate their leadership skills and achieve meaningful growth.

I had the pleasure of receiving two sessions with Zoe through Starbuck&Associates, and they exceeded all expectations. The sessions were incredibly informative and provided real clarity in my new entrepreneurial journey, helping me focus on what truly matters for the year ahead.

What stood out most was Zoe’s ability to create a genuine sense of partnership. Her approach was both insightful and collaborative, and I came away feeling supported, motivated, and better equipped to move forward with purpose. I’m confident this is the beginning of a professional relationship that will continue to grow as I progress in my career.

Highly recommended to anyone seeking thoughtful, empowering guidance from someone who just gets it.

And thank you to Alex who connected us in the first place.

Working with Paul over the past six months has been an incredibly valuable journey. I truly appreciated our open and honest conversations, and the way Paul consistently challenged me to think beyond my usual patterns. His guidance helped me grow both personally and professionally, broaden my leadership vision, and consider new perspectives I hadn’t thought of before. I feel fortunate to have chosen him from a pool of excellent coaches—not only is he a great coach, but his previous leadership experience brought practical insights that added real depth and value to our sessions. Highly recommended!

I've just completed a transformative period of exec coaching with Paul. I engaged Paul during a period when I wanted to take a significant step forward in my leadership journey and because of Paul's challenge and encouragement I was able to take on things I never before thought possible. His sessions are relaxed but still directive and he draws on a wealth of senior leadership experience and leadership theory. I highly recommend Paul to others!

An excellent series of sessions with Paul over a 6 month period. Paul is clearly experienced and insightful. He has an excellent deck of slides to pull upon which help to visually demonstrate the points he wants to make.
His approach is to draw out the points from you and he lets / makes you find your own solutions which he then re-enforces. This is empowering as well as thought provoking. I feel better equipped in my role following my time with Paul.

I had a 30 minute coaching session with Zoe and it was so powerful! With her ability to make you feel seen, heard and supported she helps you to dive deeper and think in a completely different way to help you find what you need. I can't recommend a coaching session with Zoe enough!

Our leadership team completed the Mental Health Awareness course for managers with Starbuck & Associates. The session was thought-provoking, informative and practical; leaving us all more confident and better equipped for conversations with our team. Cathy's facilitation was great, covering all the material while taking time to cover questions and allow for team discussion. Recommended for anyone who talks to other humans!

I have known Paul for 5 years since when I started my NED journey. We just finished my 121 sessions together. What I like about Paul as a coach is that he is a very good listener and observer. This is vital for personal development as he spots the blind spots of the person being coached. He is an excellent animated communicator. He has definitely provided me with valuable insights into myself needed to change the way I communicate & operate.

I recently attended the 6-week NED course delivered by Paul and supported by Paige. The course gives a good insight into what a NED is, the expectations of one, and some of the skills needed to fit the role. I found it particularly useful in helping me to frame my thinking around what skills I already have that I could bring to a NED role and where some of my gaps lie.
I also enjoyed the group work element of the course as it allowed me to connect with people from different industries and to share knowledge and best practice.

I honestly couldn't recommend Zoe enough for her selfless mentorship insights, guidance and support she's given me. I found myself stuck at certain sections of trying to complete my ILM 7 Task work, and with her guidance and support, I've been able to navigate the toughest bits seamlessly, even much more than I had expected. I love the way she challenges. She goes straight to the point, helping you get clearer on your objectives and priorities. She gives full value for time in just 60 mins and beyond, and I will definitely use her again. Thank you so much Zoe.

I recently attended the 6 week NED programme and found the training, and the accompanying resource material, extremely helpful and beneficial. Paul is very knowledgable and regularly drew from his experience to put information across in a relevant way. The regular breakout rooms with other group members were great and helped reinforce each weeks learning. Paige was also extremely helpful and has a great way of getting you to think outside the box. I would recommend this course and Paul and his team to anyone looking to develop their career.

Zoe was fantastic! gave me more advice in an hour that I could've ever imagined - so insightful, to the point and knows how to get to the core of what you want, v v quickly would highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of working with Zoe for executive coaching, and the impact has been truly transformative. She helped me prepare for a crucial conversation that completely changed my experience at work, giving me clarity, confidence, and a fresh perspective.

Her coaching has not only benefited me personally but has also inspired me to want to become a better coach to my own team.

When coaching is done well, it feels like magic and that’s exactly what Zoe delivers. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to grow as a leader and unlock their full potential.

Zoe is incredibly supportive.

I first worked with her while editing some material, and from day one, she was fantastic—clear on what she needed but also open to new ideas that came up in our chats. Then she took the time to coach me over three sessions, helping me shape a CV that really showed off my skills and craft LinkedIn posts that definitely played a part in landing my new role.

Highly recommend—not just the company, but Zoe herself. She’s brilliant.

Paul is a great coach. He listens really carefully and empathetically and then responds with gentle but persistent challenge. He has a wealth of experience, understanding and ideas which meant that wherever the conversation went he could bring something new and inspirational. Above all else, he really met me where I was and helped me to find the direction I wanted to go in for the future. As it turned out this was very different from the direction I thought I was going to go, but over time he helped me to see properly what I wanted for myself.

Excellent Exec Coach
I worked with Paul over a six month period during a particularly intense period professionally. He helped me to think clearly around the planning and implementation of successful business change, and also helped me learn a lot about myself along the way. I found all of our sessions to be relaxed in style yet challenging (as I requested) and productive in terms of what I got out of them.

I have found working with Paul incredibly beneficial. He has an impressive CV working at senior level in large organisations, which makes him very credible. He's seen it, and done it, so can relate to my challenges. Paul has a wonderful manner, which makes sessions engaging and fun. He actively listens and can quickly get to the nub of the issue then provide a toolkit to overcome it. Furthermore, from the outset Paul was able to adapt his coaching style to suit my learning style.

Paul is been a fantastic coach - exactly the right balance of challenge, listening, thoughtful questions and insight. He's been a valuable support and I've benefitted hugely from his approach