Sarah’s Purpose Journey

From civil servant to dialogue coach

“While working as a psychologist at the Cabinet Office in 2000, I joined a ‘dialogue’ training programme. This communications methodology promised to help us access collective intelligence via the art of thinking together.

We began by sitting in a circle. Each person said who they were, where they were from and why they were there. As the ‘check-in’ unfolded, the room swelled with the richness of human experience and the joy of connecting.

Between formal sessions, our dialogues were agenda-free. How easily the conversation flowed! Unlike in the civil service’s stilted, stale meetings, I found myself on fire with the creative ideas and insights emerging in the group.

On the final morning, I awoke early and sat bolt upright, energy surging up my spine. ‘This is what I want to do,’ I whispered to the dawn. It made so much more sense to communicate this way, with each voice valued so new thinking could emerge. Lives could change!

A year later, I left civil service security to carve out a career as a dialogue coach. Over 15 years, I facilitated authentic dialogue to build trusting relationships amongst financial planners in a global energy company, CEOS in the South Asian not-for-profit sector, UK NHS professionals, and many others. I saw this kind of conversation create shared understanding, leading to fresh insights and energy for action.”

From dialogue coach to purpose pioneer

“Around 2015 I started to notice a pattern. When groups of leaders engaged in conversations about purpose, their perspectives shifted.

For leaders who did more of the same — restructuring, reviewing targets, refining processes — nothing significant changed. For leaders who grappled with purpose-related questions — Why are we here? What are we about? What do we offer that engages our stakeholders? — wellbeing and performance improved.

I saw how authentic dialogue with a compelling purpose transformed teams. Instead of ‘stuck’ meetings where one or two people dominated, talking about a shared purpose encouraged diverse team members to contribute ideas. I learnt how to help groups navigate the inevitable messiness of conflict as they confronted fundamental questions. A shared purpose helped to pull people together, despite competing agendas and personality clashes.

My work now focuses on creating environments for deeper dialogue and connecting people with a compelling purpose. Seeing transformative tools make a real difference to people and outcomes buzzes me every day.”