Michelle Jardine, Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships, Starlight Children’s Foundation

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Starlight Children’s Foundation wanted to show our support of well-being and self-care within a workplace setting. Obi James Consultancy provided a well-structured session for a diverse group of employees at Starlight Children’s Foundation. At the onset of the session, Obi set clear boundaries that fostered a feeling of trust and confidence. Her enthusiasm and passion for the subject provided a sense of ease and reassurance for the delegates.  

Obi encouraged and supported the team and through her facilitation of practical exercises, she created a wonderful space for the team to speak honestly and openly about their level of well-being and self-care approaches. In a short period of time, the conversation was flowing and common themes from the self-care and well-being discussion were emerging from the break out brainstorm.  As a team we now have a better understanding of each other’s self-care approaches and we have adopted some new methods for taking care of ourselves.

Jeanette Bain-Burnett, Head of Community Engagement, Greater London Authority

We had never worked with a systems coach before, so there was a bit of fear of the unknown bringing Obi James Consulting in. We asked Obi to facilitate an away day with us to support us in thinking through some of the day to day challenges we face, managing a heavy workload with demanding stakeholders. We also wanted to strengthen our long term strategy, despite working in an environment in which priorities change a lot. Obi managed to maintain a clear structure while being responsive to our needs and even our mood. Her focus on ‘what’s emerging’ helped us to feel free to explore more possibilities and solutions than we ever have. As a result, we felt energised, hopeful and we had genuinely bonded as a team. We also left the session with a clear plan which felt authentic and true to our vision. We loved Obi’s mix of challenge and playfulness.

I would recommend Obi to any team who’s serious about making their working environment more human. She helped us scratch behind the surface of our work and really strengthen our relationships. Obi’s work is not for the faint-hearted. We all had to be brave together as a team.

Andrea, Director, Banking & FS Company

Managing a large team of many different personalities brings a multitude of challenges and in particular communication is always on top of our agenda. Obi and her team have been instrumental in opening up discussion and self-awareness in my team. Her approach enables each participant to be an active part in the training. Whilst this might have been an unusual experience for many in my team it was just what was needed and Obi put everybody at ease. Even during a short period of time within the session it was clear to see the difference this made, quieter team members became much more engaged and more prominent team members took notice of what others had to contribute. The whole team left on a high and built on this success since then. I would certainly use OBJ Coaching again.

Janet Thomas, President, Women in Banking & Finance (WIBF)

Thank you for bringing our agenda from strategy day back into sharp focus.  Speaking on behalf of the Executive Board, we found the techniques you employed on strategy highly effective. They have enabled the Executive Board to work in a more connected manner, be even more decisive in terms of prioritisation and confront issues that need to be addressed in a decisive manner. The result, the Executive Board has dealt with the most important matters in a quick and decisive manner.

Michelle P, SVP, Director of Human Resources, The Permal Group

I worked with Obi on a recent team building offsite. She was a pleasure to work with and was able to adapt quickly to any changes we required. She is knowledgeable and was able to hold the groups attention well and she helped make the event an enjoyable learning experience. I would have no hesitation in recommending her.

Beata Rodzoch, Finance Director LDS Lazewski Depo & Partners

Obi’s first league facilitating skills shaped us, IQPC Finance Transformation Summit & Corporate Finance Executives 2016 participants into open-hearted and open-minded individuals straight in the very first 5 minutes of the event. The remaining 2 hours were run with the same constant level of energy, finely tuned to the mood of the audience, with Obi being always with us, encouraging and maneuvering with a natural grace and ease. Group dynamics, outputs of our discussions and her agenda created a monolithic structure, where the content simply slipped into our heads and remain there for good. I truly believe that Obi was prepared to present every single topic in a few possible ways and no distraction existed that could threaten her skills and objectives as workshop leader. These things contributed to my 100% satisfaction and I am positive they shall promise the same with regards to her any future projects.

Deputy Chief Pharmacist, National Health Service (NHS)

We decided to bring Obi in to help our team to prepare for some imminent changes after hearing about her ability to enhance team collaboration during times of change. We needed help to create a better way of supporting one another particularly as the planned changes would require doing more with less. Obi and her associate did more than strengthen our collaboration. We walked away with a clear sense of purpose, enhanced creativity, excellent ideas generated by us, a better understanding of our team dynamics and a collectively-designed agreement on how we would support one another whilst staying fully committed to our team goals. Their coaching approach coupled with their remarkable intuition and energy created a safe space for all participants, and the coaches did a great job of working with emerging themes throughout the session. I highly recommend OBJ Coaching to any team going through change.

Senior Vice President, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

I hired Obi to facilitate a half-day team-building workshop for my newly expanded team. The session was engaging, enlightening and well worth the hours spent out of the office focusing on team dynamics and what we stand for.  As facilitators, Obi was engaging and dynamic with a great conversational style of facilitating which doesn’t make participants feel like they’re being coached or trained. She clearly has a solid understanding of the Investment Banking business which lends itself to a level of awareness of the challenges and culture, and ultimately results in solutions that are fit-for-purpose.

Nick W, Managing Director, Barclays

Obi worked as a true partner to my team at NT. Both in her role as L&D business partner and later as L&D program manager, she proactively identified development programs for my team, focusing on key team dynamics and was always responsive to input and ideas.

Stacie M, Business Owner

Obi was recommended to me by a fellow business owner, when I was looking for key speakers for a Women in Business Networking event. I invited her to give a motivational talk in one of our ten minutes slots.  Feedback from her talk was all extremely positive, she’s incredibly motivational and has a lot of energy which really comes across in her talk. Many of our attendees said they would definitely book a one to one session with Obi.  Following the success of the first event, I invited her to design, facilitate and lead the next event.  As expected she had great energy and really understood the audience which really brought the group together. She had arranged some great networking activities which really got the group talking and connecting. I would recommend Obi’s services to anyone!

Lin H, Management Development Consultant, Northern Trust

Obi has always impressed me with her ability to connect with people at all levels. She has a genuine interest in helping others see the possibilities open to them. She has the ability to challenge you in a positive way to unlock your true potential. She is an excellent coach and mentor who balances professionalism with a great sense of fun.

Sonia M, Inspirational YOU

Obi James is a powerful, positive and witty HR specialist who has the ability to grip you with her story within seconds. She has achieved a great deal in a short space of time, thus others being inspired by her journey.  As a senior level working mother she has demonstrated that with self belief and balance; it is possible. Obi is also an Executive coach who has a track record for bringing out the best in her clients. She has rapidly grown her business via recommendations and continues to grow. If you are seeking a coach, mentor or speaker; then you will not be disappointed.