COACHING & DEVELOPMENT
Sometimes the next challengeisn’t a mountain.
Life brings its own turning points — in work, education, confidence, direction and the things we want to achieve.
On The Ridge brings together career development, coaching, education and real-world experience to help people find their next step — through conversation, practical support and, sometimes, the outdoors.
START WHERE YOU ARE
You don’t need the whole route.Just somewhere to begin.
Sometimes you know exactly what needs to change. Sometimes you simply know you're ready for something different.
You might be considering a new direction in work or education, returning after time away, rebuilding confidence, developing an idea or trying to work out what comes next.
There isn't one starting point — and there doesn't need to be. The first step is understanding where you are, what matters to you and where you might want to go from here.
Start where you are. See where you go.
HOW CAN ON THE RIDGE HELP?
Different challenges.Different ways forward.
Whether you’re working something out for yourself, supporting others, developing an organisation or trying to turn an idea into something real, there’s more than one way we can work together.
FOR YOU
Find your next step.
Career decisions, education and training, changing direction, returning after time away or building the confidence to move forward.
Career development · Education & pathways · Career & life transitions · Confidence · Digital Confidence & Everyday Tech · 1:1 coaching · Walk & Talk
EXPLORE SUPPORT FOR YOUFOR EDUCATION
Help people see what’s possible.
Supporting young people, parents and educators to understand pathways, build confidence and connect learning with opportunities beyond it.
Career education · Pathways · Employability · Group work · Workshops · Parents & carers · Presentations
EXPLORE EDUCATIONFOR ORGANISATIONS
Create conversations that move people forward.
Thoughtful workshops, facilitation and development that help groups explore ideas, build confidence, navigate change and turn conversation into action.
Workshops · Facilitation · Group development · Programme design · Training · Speaking & storytelling
EXPLORE ORGANISATIONSFOR SMALL BUSINESSES & PROJECTS
Turn an idea into something people can understand.
Practical support for people starting or developing something of their own — from clarifying the idea and its message to creating foundations of a website, social presence and content.
Ideas & positioning · Messaging · Website planning · Social media · Content · Digital confidence
EXPLORE GETTING STARTEDASK ABOUT WEBSITE & SOCIAL SUPPORTDIGITAL CONFIDENCE & EVERYDAY TECH
Technology should make everyday life easier.
No jargon. No judgement.
No assumption that you should already know.
From phones, computers and everyday technology at home to online forms, websites and digital services, sometimes you just need someone patient to help you work through it.
This has grown naturally from practical support I’ve provided to friends, family, professionals and others reaching out directly or through word of mouth — helping people set up and understand technology, navigate online services, complete digital tasks and contact organisations.
- Everyday & home technology
- Phones, tablets, computers, printers, Wi-Fi, apps, email, video calls, Ring, Alexa and connected home devices.
- Digital confidence & skills
- Word, Teams, Zoom, social media basics, saving and uploading documents, and everyday digital skills for life and work.
- Practical online support
- Working through forms, applications, accounts, websites and portals together. Patient hands-on help, with you remaining in control of your choices and information.
You can be highly capable in other areas and still need help with a particular technology. Start with what you need help with, and we’ll work from there.
ASK ABOUT DIGITAL SUPPORT
A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPACE
Sometimes the best conversationshappen while you’re moving.
Not every conversation needs a desk, a meeting room or a screen.
Walk & Talk offers another way to explore ideas, decisions, confidence and what comes next — side by side, outdoors and at a pace that works for you.
For some, that might be a conversation on a local path. For others, it could be about rebuilding confidence outdoors, returning after time away or gradually working towards something more challenging.
Walk & Talk focuses on practical coaching, confidence, choices and next steps; it is not counselling or therapy.
There’s no expectation to go further, faster or higher.
The walk should fit the person —
not the other way around.
AND SOMETIMES, THERE’S FOUR-LEGGED COMPANY.
Walk & Talk with the dogs
For people who enjoy the company of dogs, selected Walk & Talk sessions can include one of the On The Ridge dogs too.
You don’t need to have a dog of your own — sometimes it’s simply nice to get outside, walk alongside one and enjoy the companionship that comes with it.
One of the On The Ridge dogs joining a walk is always optional and subject to the setting, circumstances and what’s appropriate for everyone involved.
FINDING YOUR WAY OUTDOORS
It can start with a local path.
Want to get outside but aren't sure where to begin?
On The Ridge can also support people to build confidence outdoors — from choosing somewhere appropriate and understanding what to expect, to taking those first few steps together.
It doesn’t have to start with a mountain. Sometimes a local path is exactly the right place to begin.
EXPLORE STARTING OUTEXPERIENCE BEHIND IT
Professional experience.A real-world perspective.
Coaching & Development brings together experience across career development, education, coaching, leadership, business and facilitation — alongside the experience of building projects, navigating change and taking on challenges beyond the workplace.
It’s a combination that shapes the On The Ridge approach: professional where it needs to be, practical where it matters and always centred on the person or group in front of us.
Career development & education
Years of professional experience helping young people and adults explore careers, education, training, employability, transitions and what comes next — alongside extensive work with schools, parents, educators and partner organisations.
PGDip Career Guidance & Development · QCD
Coaching, training & facilitation
From one-to-one coaching and group work to workshops, presentations, practitioner development and national projects — including Professional Practice Coaching and supporting staff, trainees and apprentices across Skills Development Scotland.
Leadership & business
Experience beyond career development includes team leadership within Intelligent Finance / Bank of Scotland and sales and business development. At Bank of Scotland, this included leading a team of approximately 12, coaching and developing staff, managing performance and service, and supporting people through organisational change.
Building something from scratch
On The Ridge itself brings another kind of experience — developing an idea into a brand, website, social presence and growing community. That experience informs practical support for people trying to turn their own ideas into something clearer, more visible and more achievable.
Outdoor, mountain & expedition experience
More than 110 Munros alongside Scottish ridges, scrambling and bigger mountain days; walking and hiking across the UK; the Atlas Mountains and Toubkal; and trekking and climbing at altitude in the Himalayas. Personal experience also includes organising and leading group Ben Nevis fundraising challenges for Macmillan Cancer Support, MND fundraising during my Himalayan journey and Great Glencoe Challenge fundraising.
The common thread isn't the size of the mountain. It’s understanding where you’re starting, preparing for what’s ahead and finding the right next step.
We won't pretend to have every answer. The aim is to ask good questions, bring useful experience and help you find a way forward that makes sense for you.
COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION
Some things are betterbuilt together.
On The Ridge has always been about more than individual achievement. The outdoors can bring people together, start conversations, build confidence and create opportunities that reach far beyond the walk itself.
We're interested in working with people and organisations who share those values — combining ideas, experience and opportunity to create something worthwhile.
WALKS & COMMUNITY
Accessible social walks, dog-friendly days, opportunities for people to get outside together and experiences that help make that first step feel a little easier.
CHARITIES & GOOD CAUSES
Walks, challenges, awareness events, fundraising and collaborative ideas that use the outdoors to bring people together around something that matters.
SCHOOLS & YOUNG PEOPLE
Bringing together careers, education, confidence, personal development and real-world challenge to create experiences that help young people explore what's possible.
OUTDOOR ORGANISATIONS, BRANDS & RETAILERS
Talks, introductory walks, community events, outdoor-confidence sessions and creative collaborations that encourage more people to discover the outdoors.
TALKS, EVENTS & PROJECTS
From storytelling and speaking to workshops, challenges and new ideas — if there's a shared purpose behind it, we're open to exploring where it could lead.
Have an idea? Let’s see where it could go.
You don't need to arrive with a finished plan. If you're a school, charity, community group, organisation or brand with an idea that feels aligned with On The Ridge, we'd be happy to start a conversation.
EXPLORE A COLLABORATIONTHE DREAM
Some dreamsnever quite leave you.
My dad introduced me to the outdoors — skiing, snowboarding, walking and adventure. Later, I took my own children outside, following in some of the footsteps he had introduced me to.
Everest always existed on another scale. For years, I experienced it through books, photographs, films, documentaries and expedition stories: other people’s achievements, and the journeys that didn’t end as they hoped.
On ordinary flights, I often look out at cruising altitude and think: “That’s roughly the height of Everest.” It’s hard to comprehend what standing up there would actually mean.
BOYHOOD DREAMS DIE HARD
“But boyhood dreams die hard…”Jon Krakauer · Into Thin Air
As my outdoor experience grew, what once felt impossible gradually became more imaginable.
THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU WONDER WHAT’S POSSIBLE
My friend Kirsty Mack has climbed Everest, K2 and six of the Seven Summits. Her return to the mountains after a serious skiing accident and lasting impairment to one arm shows how a route can change without a dream disappearing. Like me, her dad introduced her to the outdoors.
Through an online friendship with Stefi Troguet, I’ve also seen determination alongside adversity and setbacks — and an openness about risk, learning and continuing the journey.
It doesn’t make the mountain any smaller.
It just makes the dream feel a little less distant.
THEN, IN 2022, THE DREAM BECAME REAL.
Walkingwith giants.
In 2022, I travelled into the Himalayas, trekking and climbing at altitude and fundraising for MND. The scenery was all I could ever have imagined. It is breathtaking.
“To wake up every morning amongst the snow capped peaks of the world’s highest mountains, then to trek in between these felt like we were merely walking with giants …”
Altitude sickness threatened the trip. I recovered, and continued.
One poignant memory is when I realised the sickness was gone and EBC was in reach, the tears of a life ambition flooded down my face as I looked over the Khumbu icefall from 5000m.
The first view of the Icefall was special. Finally, after so many years of waiting and dreaming, I was on my way there. The dream had become real.
My trip was truly amazing. It has imprinted on me so much. I long to return to the Himalaya.
WORDS ON THE TRAIL
A moment to stop.
On the Everest Base Camp trail, I stopped at the memorial to Robin Haynes Fisher. I noticed the words from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, photographed them and returned to them afterwards in my own writing.
Thukla Pass was one of the saddest and most surreal moments of the journey. I left a prayer flag at the Scott Fischer memorial. The photograph of Robin’s memorial remains a quiet moment of reflection.
“Dreams indeed are ambition, for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.”Shakespeare · Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2
THE DREAM NEVER REALLY WENT AWAY.
Life just changed
the route towards it.
Life, circumstances, health, responsibilities and opportunities can all change the route towards a dream.
PROJECT 7
Seven summits.One very big ambition.
Project 7 is my long-term Seven Summits ambition: a journey towards the highest mountain on each continent.
Will I complete all seven?
I genuinely don’t know.
Health, fitness, injuries, time, money and opportunity will all play a part, alongside age and changing circumstances. Some things I can influence; others I can’t. There may come a moment when the right decision is to stop.
Mountains teach ambition alongside preparation, judgement, respect for risk and knowing when circumstances change.
Starting doesn’t guarantee the summit. But uncertainty doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t start.
THE SEVEN SUMMITS MAY BE THE DESTINATION ON THE MAP.
The real project is discovering
how far the journey can go.
Kilimanjaro from Amboseli · © Sergey Pesterev / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and cropped for display.
Education, global citizenship and community connections are ideas being explored as this chapter develops — not established partnerships or programmes.
FOLLOW PROJECT 7WHERE NEXT?
It can startwith a conversation.
You don’t need to have everything worked out. If something here has connected with where you are — or where you’d like to go — we can start with a conversation.
Start where you are.
See where you go.