Hello. I’m Michelle Pratt, the owner of Dive Deeper Development. I’m a CIPD qualified trainer and coach based in the UK’s Peak District. I am also a podcaster, speaker and keen hill walker.
Hi. I’m Michelle, a learning and personal development expert with a passion for adventures big and small. Whether I am on the hills of the High Peak or in a 121 with a coaching client, I am forever on a voyage of discovery.
I have always been insatiably curious about why we behave the way we do and I have spent my career exploring different approaches to creating behavioural change. As you can probably guess by the business name, I am all about going deeper into a challenge to understand what’s really going on and focusing on training and coaching approaches that get lasting results.
My work
I started my career in Finance working for a global bank. During that time, I was fortunate enough to work with some of the country’s top speakers, authors and experts. I also got to experience countless types of coaching and training myself and I’ve seen innumerable models and approaches to personal development. It is fair to say, I have seen the good, the bad and everything in between and I have often been frustrated by interventions that make everyone feel good on the day but don't produce any lasting change or increase in performance.
That is why I started my own business whose approach to people development is to work from the inside out. The world is rapidly shifting and it is sometimes difficult to predict what is happening ‘out there’. My approach is to help people understand themselves better and to focus on what’s going on ‘in here’. I believe that by understanding ourselves better we are equipped to stay in the driving seat for achieving our goals regardless of any change life sends our way.
The advantage of having such a breadth of experiences is that while I have a range of tools under my belt, I am not wedded to any particular approach. This means I work in whichever way is needed to get my clients results.
Summit of Scafell Pike. Not that you’d know
BBC Interview: Working Remotely
My passions
When I’m not exploring my client’s challenges and goals, I am usually travelling in Freda, my campervan, or spending time outdoors walking in beautiful places. I’m a real ale lover, homebrewer and a keen cook. To me, an adventure can something big, like travel abroad, or something simple such as discovering a new recipe or a small corner of your hometown.
My passion for developing people isn’t just a job. In my spare time, I volunteer as a mentor for The Albert Kennedy Trust and as a facilitator for Diversity Role Models. Community is important to me. I love getting out and about and signing myself up for random interesting activities. I’m also an active member of several excellent networks including, Freelance Folk, Freshwalks and Trainer Talk.
If you want to know more about me and my work here at Dive Deeper Development, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If you want to know more about my work history and professional qualifications you can find out more on my LinkedIn profile.
‘Freda’
Volunteering with AKT
I ran a leadership workshop recently that reminded me of something we often forget when we're busy: we’re not meant to do it all alone. During the session we discussed collaboration, and the participants shared how much easier their work became when they invited others to help.