“I really loved working with Trudy. She was kind, patient and challenging in the best way – and introduced me to practical tools that I am still using months later. Her insights and reflections were spot on and helped me to see things from different angles. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again.”
Emily Dyson, Deputy Director at the Institute for Voluntary Action Research
“Working with Trudy has benefitted me on both a personal and professional level and has made a lasting difference to my work. She has a gift for understanding the individual and a knack for getting to the heart of a problem. Her deep knowledge of the music business is invaluable and she is alert to the particular demands of our industry. Sessions with Trudy can be in turns playful, challenging and surprising, but they always take place in an environment of complete support where trying out new things, expressing crazy ideas and dreaming big are actively encouraged.”
Sam Wilcock, Head of Birdsong Music Publishing
“The coaching sessions have shown me the value of making time and space to really think deeply about an issue rather than rushing from one meeting or task to another. As a result of the sessions, I know I have been better equipped to support colleagues in my Trust as they have faced the challenges of leading their schools. The sessions have also encouraged me to be kinder to myself and more self-confident in who I am for what I bring to my role and to my profession. Thank you Trudy!”
Ben Bartlett, CEO, Hinchley Wood Learning Partnership (HWLP)
“Trudy is an extremely warm and welcoming coach. As much as I knew that I wanted coaching and felt confident in what it could do for me, I was naturally quite nervous, and being so open and vulnerable with someone new was slightly daunting. Right from the off, however, I felt able to establish a good rapport with Trudy and completely trusted her. This meant we were able to get into nitty-gritty topics very quickly, and our ‘default’ setting was strongly set for the rest of the coaching sessions.”
Adam Crighton, Trombonist
“I came to coaching with Trudy for help with a big professional transition and life choice. The tools I learnt and the discussions we had as part of the process I found to be invaluable support and guidance throughout and I still often draw on everything I learnt about myself. I found Trudy’s method/approach encouraging, understanding, inspiring and super professional. The sessions hugely motivated me and made me more aware of and accountable for my own attitudes and approach to playing music, auditioning and life in general. I can honestly say the process has changed my life and way of thinking. I highly recommend coaching with Trudy for anyone wanting to face professional challenges and big life transitions with courage and excitement instead of fear.”
Helen Benson, Principal Piccolo City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)
“Trudy is a class act. She is the definition of professionalism. She treated every interaction with care and respect. And her sharp observations were imbued with kindness. The tools you receive from this experience are with you for a lifetime. I recommend Trudy to everyone.”
Hanako Yamaguchi, Independent Arts Professional
“Trudy is an inspiration. Her coaching style is encouraging at every turn. As a long-term client I cannot recommend her highly enough. Whatever professional or personal aims and goals you may have, Trudy has the ability to motivate you to develop, evaluate, question, create, understand and achieve.”
Kate Johnson, Director, Wise Music Group
“Working with Trudy has been absolutely fantastic. She brings immense warmth, wisdom and expertise as a coach, so you feel completely in safe hands. It has been huge fun starting a journey with Trudy by my side and I have been surprised at how quickly I was able to take positive action on certain things as a result of our sessions. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
Alix de Mauny, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Geneva
“Trudy’s style of coaching is entirely non-judgmental and relaxed, yet she has been able to offer very intelligent observations and advice to help me identify and work towards my goals. The sessions were thoughtfully structured, but Trudy was always ready to respond to any particular questions or concerns that I brought to her. Working with Trudy has been very enjoyable, and I feel much more confident in myself and with a clearer plan ahead of me.”
Joseph Chadwick, Enticott Music Management, VP Artist Management
“Trudy created a coaching environment which supported me to access the best of myself in preparing for a major shift in my working life. Her sessions allowed me to identify strategies to manage both the transition itself, and to set myself up for the longer term. I cannot thank Trudy enough for her coaching during this big change in my life.”
Susanna Eastburn MBE, Independent Consultant & Coach
“Trudy is exceptional at what she does; truly exceptional. I approached Trudy at a time in my life when I felt I’d veered off the tracks a little having roared through a very meteoric and fast-paced decade both personally and professionally. I was seeking to re-calibrate, re-connect with my values and ultimately re-find myself. Trudy has remarkable intuition, a depth of knowledge, and a genuine interest and personal warmth, and our work together has played a part bigger than she knows in opening the next chapter in my life. Thank you Trudy – I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending you to anyone.””
AP, former Director of Virgin Wines UK plc
“I came to coaching in order to gain some clarity and direction in my professional, creative and personal life. I found the whole process immensely constructive, empowering and fun. Trudy creates a space to interrogate unhelpful behaviours, like procrastination, and develop strategies to counteract them without blame or judgment. There is also a real focus on positive psychology which was really motivating and energising. Ultimately, Trudy helped me find a balance of personal, professional and creative priorities which has resulted in real contentment and fulfilment.
Trudy has many years of experience, and this is clear in her calm, knowledgeable and compassionate approach. Her insights, exercises and goal-setting are invaluable. What I personally valued was the invitation to hold myself accountable to a process and invest time and effort in it. This really worked for me. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
Johanna Whelehan, Workplace Mediator and Facilitator
“Thanks so much for all of your time and expertise this year, it’s been truly eye-opening for me working with you. I know that looking back in the future, I will see this as some of the most important work of my career. Thank you!”
Lewis, Musician
“I have found the coaching sessions with Trudy very helpful and inspiring.
I come from a dance background and wanted to work on focus and to move forward in my work and personal life. Trudy was able to understand my creativity and adapt the sessions to my way of thinking. This enabled me to be more self aware which in turn helped when dealing with other people.
I have got more out of the sessions than I thought I would, as not only have they helped me with focus, I also feel happier within.
Thank you Trudy.”
Robert, Massage Therapist, Barre and Ballet Teacher
“On my first meeting with Trudy I told her I needed a miracle. She did not work the miracle, she taught me how to do it myself! Trudy is an endless source of inspiration and encouragement and helped me find the better version of myself. I just wish I had met her earlier!”
Rosana Orsini, Soprano
“Within about 10 days of the lockdown at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I realized that I was not equipped to deal with the stress of the situation on my own. So I reached out immediately to Trudy to ask for her help to support me through the crisis, and find a way forward for my business during these incredibly challenging times. After 6 sessions with Trudy I can say I’m in a far better place and I feel I have the tools to deal with whatever challenges come my way now. Working on my values and strengths gave me a really strong foundation to build on and although we’re not out of the woods yet, I feel much more positive about the future. I can’t thank Trudy enough.”
Sarah Bruce, Director, Lomonaco Artists
“”Trudy played an instrumental role in my transition from diplomat to coach. As my tutor she did all the difficult things like enlarging perspective, deepening reflection and strengthening courage with skilled ease. Each tutorial provided enjoyable discovery and powerful motivation. I first met Trudy when she delivered a great seminar at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Working with her in subsequent 1:1 sessions showed me a talented and thoughtful coach in action. The experience felt like a great partnership – Trudy shaped the learning space, I learned, and the laughter we had remains memorable.”
S.G., diplomat turned coach
“Thanks so much for yesterday’s session, it was so helpful. I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you always get to the ‘crux’ of the issue in the most apparently effortless and elegant manner. What skills you have! Thank you!”
MV – classical singer and vocal coach
“Trudy is a highly intuitive, observant and practiced coach. Her practical methodology, exercises and guidance are incredibly informative and her warm, non-judgemental manner means that she is an absolute pleasure to work with. Trudy puts you completely at ease, she works with your schedule and is happy to work remotely. Best of all, the results are illuminating and encouraging.”
NMB – conductor & creative director
“Working with Trudy has helped me so much. I’ve got a clear sense of direction for my career now, a better work/life balance and a much better understanding of my values and what is actually important to me. I’ve managed to make steps that I did not think were possible and I am so grateful for her guidance, her support, her understanding and her good humour amongst it all. It has been an absolute pleasure to have these sessions with Trudy and I look forward to sharing my future progress with her.”
SB, freelance musician
“My 1-1 coaching sessions with Trudy have been complete guilt-free ‘me’ time. The calmness and space she offers allowed me to pull up the brakes in my hectic schedule to stop and unravel my thoughts. I was able to breathe, step back and discover more about the person that I already am. This has helped me to move forward with renewed vision and focus, believing in my own potential and future possibilities in my life and work.”
Ruth Montgomery, Musician and Clore Fellow
“I decided to give coaching a try for the first time to help me plan and strategise for a move towards a freelance career. I had a very specific idea of who my coach should be: someone with extensive experience of working in the arts, who could also offer permissioned advice and mentorship. I did a lot of research to find the right person, and after a few unsuccessful “chemistry tests”, I met Trudy and knew very quickly that I’d found my coach. She is warm, kind, intelligent and experienced, and intuitively asked all the right questions in our very first consultation session together. Although my reasons for seeking out coaching were ostensibly professional, I was also grappling with some big questions and tough decisions in my personal life that were inextricably linked to the decision to try freelance work. Right from the start, I felt comfortable talking to Trudy about these personal challenges and the work I did with her, in particular to identify my own life values, was crucial in helping me move forward and actively make some decisions with a newfound confidence and clarity. Having first met Trudy in emotional turmoil, I ended our last session with a feeling of calm confidence, optimism and excitement for a new chapter. I am so grateful to her and cannot recommend her as a coach highly enough. Thank you Trudy!”
Chloë Richardson, Creative Producer
“Trudy is an absolutely brilliant coach – deeply committed, non-judgemental, compassionate and competent. She helped identify my strengths, dreams and values which led me to revise key aspects of my professional and personal life. I benefitted greatly from the variety of her coaching techniques, from discussions and visualisation to embodiment and writing work. She has a magical ability to ask all the right questions at the right time – not always easy questions but deeply beneficial. On a practical level, I have discovered new things about myself and received an array of tools to explore my potential and growth. It has been a transformative and very enlightening time for me. Thank you!”
Marie-Louise Zervides, Classical Music Consultant
“Trudy Wright is a complete professional. Diligently objective and perceptive. She very quickly penetrates to the core of the issue and will aim for positive resolutions with nothing but the client’s interests at heart. I enjoyed our sessions enormously and took a lot a important stuff from them; mostly about what motivates me and my core values.”
A Music Professional
“In connection with our work with young emerging classical soloists, Trudy led a very inspiring and highly useful workshop. She offered a good mix of topics to discuss – both to-the-point, practical issues as well as more philosophical ones for the young artists to ponder over. The combination of Trudy’s intimate core knowledge of the music business – through her own practical experience as an ex-Director of a major London music agency – along with her professional training in coaching created a very sensitive and skillful approach and Trudy quickly gained the trust of the group. They all left the session with new ideas and inspiration – and immediately asking for more sessions in the future.”
JP, Crescendo Mentoring Programme, Norway
“Trudy was amazing at what she picked up on in conversation and made me question. I don’t know what made her lead me down those paths of thought but she hit the nail on the head each time. I was nervous coming to her because I am naturally a closed and guarded personality, but in our sessions she was kind, friendly and non judgmental which allowed me to vocalise thoughts I wouldn’t want to say in any other situations. I didn’t realise that a subtle change of thought here or there could make such a big difference to my professional work”.
MW, Music Industry Executive
“I approached Trudy for some coaching, and was very glad I did! I was at a juncture in my career where I needed someone to help direct my thinking and clarify what it is that I’m looking for. Trudy really helped me work out what my values are, what motivates me and how to work through things which hold me back as a human being (as opposed to ‘just’ a professional). The sessions were always engaging and thought-provoking. I’d encourage anyone who’s considering coaching to speak to Trudy.”
CY
“Trudy tailors the coaching to adjust to your needs and to work in a way that suits you, and her experience and understanding of the music business is invaluable. She strikes a perfect balance between challenging your preconceptions, whilst keeping each session comfortable, creative and fun. I found it extremely helpful to step back and consider the bigger picture and the values that are important to me in my professional life and beyond, as well as to explore practical ways of keeping these in focus. As a result, I feel better equipped to work more effectively, feel more in control of my work and perhaps not be quite so hard on myself when things don’t go according to plan!”.
Music Industry Executive
“I recently completed a course of five sessions of coaching with Trudy. By the end I had a much clearer perspective on what direction I wanted my career to go in and what steps I needed to take in order to get there.
Trudy’s approach to helping me do this took into consideration all aspects of my life as opposed to just my professional life and so my goals are completely realistic and achievable.
Trudy totally revitalised my enthusiasm for my job.”.
MM, Promotion Manager
“I approached Trudy when I realised I wanted to make a change in my life, but not knowing what or how. Trudy helped me to focus on both professional and personal goals. I found Trudy inspirational, positive and warm. Trudy has the perfect balance of gentle support and encouragement, and pushing you to the limit when she feels you need it. I now feel mentally and physically prepared for whatever comes next with renewed confidence and a positive outlook. I would highly recommend Trudy”.
LvE, Manager
“I found the experience of working with Trudy extremely positive; I have come away with a new perspective and renewed energy to deal with the work issues where I felt stuck. Trudy is generous, warm, encouraging and fun, and creates a safe environment for the coaching to take place.”
JW, Music Consultant
“Inspired by watching a session at the ABO [Association of British Orchestras] conference, I dipped my toe in for one session with Trudy: It was really important for me to make a good impression at a professional workshop that I was leading – and one which I was feeling a bit overwhelmed in preparing for. I don’t know how Trudy did it but our session moved seamlessly from a chat with an old friend, to me opening up about my personal goals and fears, to becoming very aware of what was really bothering me, to leaving with a tool box of tricks that gave me a sense of direction and renewed confidence – all of which paid off in spades on the day of the workshop. For anyone in the music industry considering coaching – I do think that Trudy’s professional and personal skills are enhanced by the depth of her experience in the music industry – she was able to get just right the balance of allowing me the time and space to find a way of expressing myself, then replaying back to me with an appropriate level of insightful context what I had been struggling to express. Really impressive – and I would have no hesitation in calling on her skills again and in recommending her to anyone. Thank you Trudy!”
PH, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
“Thank you very much indeed for our fantastic Away Day. Everyone found it extremely beneficial and it is a great foundation upon which we can build our work together and as individuals on a day-to-day basis. You were so great with us, steering us in all the right direction to encourage the best possible results. You made everyone feel at ease and we look forward to working with you again in the future.”
London Promotion Team, Wise Music Group
“I greatly appreciate the positive and empowering sessions with Trudy. With a cool head and warm heart, Trudy listens with empathy and is a tremendous source of support for me. She has helped me to successfully figure out my own steps towards both personal and professional goals. Her vast experience in the music business is invaluable.”
AY, Pianist
“Prior to coaching I often felt stressed and anxious, but with Trudy’s positive encouragement and enlightened approach to life in the work place, I found the experience extremely beneficial. I would certainly pursue further coaching and recommend it to others.”
Andy H King
“I went into Trudy’s session not sure about where I was in my career and seeking some direction. After 30 minutes I’d found a moment to stand tall and look positively on everything I’d achieved, and gained a sense of purpose about where my next steps would take me. You can’t ask for more than that.”
NB, Music Programme Manager
“Coaching with Trudy has been the most beneficial professional development opportunity I’ve had in my career to date. I have learnt so much about myself over these past few months and Trudy has helped me develop new ways of handling situations and problems that sometimes I wondered if I would ever overcome. I am a stronger, more confident and self-aware person from my coaching experience with a new focus now on what is possible for me in my future.”
JL / Events Manager
“Trudy ran two sessions with our senior management team which we all found highly beneficial in developing our identity and performance as a leadership team. She is highly attuned to what is happening with the people in the room and is responsive to their needs and to different dynamics. Although it is early days, these sessions are already bearing fruit in terms of our ability to think and plan together more effectively”.
Susanna Eastburn MBE, former Chief Executive, Sound & Music
“Has it been 2 years since we started working together?! Wow. Coaching – You – have totally changed my life. I have loved the journey and the outcome. Thank you for guiding me.”
ED, former Orchestral Touring Manager
“Trudy was a huge help in sorting out career direction and in untangling aims and ambitions short and long term. A careful listener she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight from her extensive experience in the business. She helped to crystallise goals and routes to them; from solid nuts and bolts advice to deeper unpackings of obstacles and reasons for them.”
TB / Musician
“I’ve had coaching before (albeit career coaching rather than personal coaching), but this was much better than previous experiences! Trudy is a very patient and understanding coach. Non-judgemental. Easy to talk to. She encouraged me to think about myself in a more positive light and identify all my positive attributes. Trudy is also straight talking, and happy to point out just how crazy some of the negative thoughts I have about myself really are!”
BL, Music Industry Executive
“I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from coaching, but Trudy’s approach was really practical which was very helpful for me in my situation. I was certainly challenged at times, and pushed out of my comfort zone, but have come away with some real insights and tools to put into practice going forward. I found my coaching with Trudy to be really helpful and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to anyone.”
EB, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
“Trudy has challenged me to reassess my approach to all aspects of life during a period of significant personal and professional change. She has focused particularly on those areas of life where the personal and professional meet, challenging me to reassess my work/life balance and to question many aspects of life which I had previously accepted as being non-negotiable, or beyond improvement. She has given me a safe space in which to explore different ideas and offered me new ways of thinking and problem solving. Her gentle probing, combined with not-so gentle challenges where necessary, is supported by clear-sighted observations, patience and good humour, helping me to approach the next phase of my life with far greater clarity and confidence.“
Susie York Skinner, former CEO, Gabrieli Consort
Collaboration - Communication - Compassion