Carol Stewart, Executive, Career, Leadership Coach, Facilitator, Trainer & Speaker
4 x LinkedIn Top Voice UK | The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women - Executive & Career Coach | Speaker |Trainer
Carol Stewart is known as the Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women. She is an Executive and Career Coach, Founder of Abounding Solutions and author of Quietly Visible: Leading with Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman (listed as one of the 10 best self-development books written by women to read during lockdown by BE YOUR OWN).
With over 25 years of coaching and leadership experience, Carol coaches women (with a specialism in introverted women) who are senior leaders, to raise their visibility and profile, exude presence, and excel as leaders, whilst being their authentic selves.
She also provides workshops, webinars, training and talks on career development, personal development, and leadership development. As well as improving their leadership effectiveness and thriving, Carol's clients have secured positions such as Chief Operating Officer; Head of Learning and Organisational Development; Director; leadership roles in other organisations; promotion (including to two positions senior) career change; overcome stress; improved self-confidence; overcome imposter syndrome; achieved peak performance; become confident at public speaking; and more.
Carol has provided coaching, training and talks to organisations such as the GLA (Greater London Authority), Nat West Group, Barclays, Asurion, Department of Health and Social Security, NHS England, NHS London, Westminster City Council, Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police service, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Waltham Forest, London Borough of Lambeth, Warner Music Group, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, Bloomberg, and more as well as private clients.
Carol was named as one of Britain's Top 50 Business Advisers in 2015 by Enterprise Nation; a LinkedIn Top Voice UK in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020; a 'We Are The City Rising Star Champion' in 2018 for her work helping women to develop as leaders; and listed as one of Britain's inspirational Christian women making major impact by Keep the Faith Magazine in 2019.
Prior to starting her business, Carol worked for the Ministry of Justice. Starting in one of the most junior roles, she progressed to a senior role with responsibility for the operation of a group of magistrates' courts where she was also a member of the Local Criminal Justice Board for four London boroughs.
Carol is a semi-regular columnist for the Sheffield Telegraph and has also written for several other publications, including US sites CNBC and The Muse. She has been the featured expert in The Telegraph, Woman and Home magazine, Good Housekeeping magazine and more.
She has an MSc Coaching Psychology, PG Diploma in Management Studies, is a Member of the Association for Coaching, and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
I am an Executive and Career Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Author. Author of Quietly Visible: Leading With Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman, and Founder of Abounding Solutions. Known as The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, I coach women who are senior leaders to be visible, exude presence, influence, and impact.
I also provide personal development, career development, leadership development training, workshops, webinars and talks to organisations. I advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion, particularly when it comes to women, Black and other ethnic minorities, and introversion.
Additionally, because the corporate environment is very much favoured to those with a preference for extroversion, I raise awareness of unfavourable bias towards introversion through my work.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
Making a difference through my work and providing platforms that support women to achieve their full potential.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
My faith, family and close friends are very important to me. This has been even more so over the past year.
I enjoy travelling and playing badminton. As a child, I used to play the guitar, and during the lockdown, after about 40 years, I got myself a guitar and started playing again.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
I have a saying that goes…
"Before you can lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself. Self-leadership is key."
What are you most proud of in your life?
Starting my business in my 40's and within such a short space of time, being named as one of Britain's Top 50 Business Advisers, going on to be named a LinkedIn Top Voice UK 4 years running, and writing my first book and it being listed as one of the 10 best self-development books written by women to read during the lockdown.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
When I first started out in my career, I wish I had known that the only limitations are the ones we put on ourselves.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
Michelle Obama. She is inspirational, compassionate, intelligent, and so much more.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I like the fact that there have been so many new businesses that started during the pandemic, particularly those that are ethical.
I like Super Food of Africa, which supplies African natural and nutritious crops with a vision to create economic opportunities for local farmers in Africa and offer alternatives and diversity in healthy diets.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Just get on and do it." – Advice was given to me when I first started my business.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Making a difference and an impact through what I do.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
Social media will continue to evolve and become even more integrated with our daily lives, with a greater need for us to get the balance right.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn. I have been publishing articles on LinkedIn since the platform was opened up.
It has enabled me to get my voice heard globally on the causes that I care about and has been beneficial for my business.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
Yes, I have mentors and coaches. I also mentor others both formally and informally.
One of my mentees who I mentored through the Cherie Blair Foundation is Beatrice Achaleke, who is based in South Africa. It was a pleasure to mentor her and see what was just an idea grow to her writing and publishing a series of books called Africa for Smart Kids (which were approved for schools by the South African education department) and set up a publishing company where children write their own books, and so much more.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
I prefer to go to networking events that have a focus. I also utilise social media for networking.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Get clear on your business's vision and purpose, why this is important to you, and develop your strategy to achieve it. Stay focused and be consistent with taking action.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Fear. Also, not laying the right foundations and, as a result, not able to sustain things.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
To me, success is utilising my skills and abilities in a sufficiently challenging and rewarding way whilst making a positive impact on peoples' lives and generating sufficient income from it.
It is also about living a meaningful and purposeful life. Success is what you make it and is very subjective. My advice is to define your own measure of success based on what matters to you.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
Aside from the day to day skills required to do what I do, curiosity and being a lifelong learner.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
I have recently started the Quietly Visible podcast for introverted women who are leaders and will continue to grow the Quietly Visible brand.