Kristen Birt

12/10/2026

I've been spending quite a bit of time recently getting clearer about how I explain what I do.

Which, as you'll know from my recent post about over-explaining, is quite an achievement for me!

But there's something I've realised while bringing the different parts of my business together.

People don't always know what sort of support they need.

They just know something isn't quite working.

Perhaps they're feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or stuck.

Perhaps they're trying to understand themselves better, or work out why certain things feel harder than they seem to for other people.

Perhaps something is happening at work and they're struggling to understand the situation or communicate what they need.

Or perhaps they're a manager or business owner who genuinely wants to support someone but isn't sure where to start.

And that's where much of my work begins. Not with a ready-made solution, but with curiosity, understanding and space to work out what's actually happening.

I do this through individual coaching and mentoring, workplace support, and consultancy with businesses and organisations.

Different ways of working, but all built around the same principle: Clarity before Intervention.

I've now updated my website to explain the different support available, including my 1:1 work, workplace services and the guided group programmes I'm developing.

So if you've ever wondered what I actually do (beyond talking quite a lot!), you can have a look here: www.kristenbirt.com

If something resonates, you're welcome to get in touch.

24/09/2026

I am an over-explainer.

Anyone who knows me is probably nodding.

Ask me a question and you'll rarely just get the answer. You'll get the context. The thinking behind it. Three different perspectives. Possibly a relevant story. And then I'll remember something else...

I've been noticing this while working on my business recently.

The funny thing is, when my over explaining hits at work, I don't think it's because I'm unclear about what I do.

I think it's partly because I see lots of connections and detail, and partly because I've spent a fair amount of my life feeling misunderstood. So I try VERY hard to make sure other people understand me.

What I haven't always considered quite so well is whether the other person actually needs all that information.

So I'm experimenting.

If you asked me: "What do you do?"
.. instead of giving you my full coaching /
mentoring / HR / workplace support / facilitation / workshop-design life history, I simply said:

"I help people understand themselves and what they need, so they can navigate work, learning, and life with greater clarity."

Would that be enough?
Genuine question.

Would you understand what I meant? And what, if anything, would you want to ask me next?

(I'm now going to resist the urge to explain the sentence further. This may be harder than writing the post.)

21/09/2026

Workplace support shouldn't begin when someone reaches breaking point.

Last week, I shared a little about how I've brought the different areas of my work together, including workplace the confidence to stand up for myself and properly understand the situation I was facing."

They had been navigating a complicated workplace and HR process. The situation had become overwhelming, affecting their confidence and wellbeing.

And it wasn't simply about understanding the process.

It was about having someone take the time to listen, understand their circumstances, help them make sense of what was happening and recognise the choices available to them.

Clarity before intervention.

That's the principle that sits underneath all my work.

Whether I'm supporting an individual, coaching a manager or working with an organisation, I believe we need to understand the person AND the context before deciding what might help.

And increasingly, I'm interested in how we can create opportunities for that understanding much earlier.

Before someone feels completely overwhelmed.

Before misunderstandings escalate.

Before someone loses confidence in their own voice.

Because workplace support shouldn't only be available when things have already become difficult.

If you're navigating a workplace situation, or you're a manager or organisation looking to better support your people, I'd be happy to have a conversation.

You can explore my workplace support and consultancy services at www.kristenbirt.com or send me a message.

18/09/2026

A little update from me.

I've spent some time recently getting clearer about how the different parts of my work fit together.

Over the years, I've worked across HR & People, coaching and mentoring, learning and development, consultancy, leadership development and, more recently, academic mentoring, and neurodivergence-informed practice.

For a while, I've treated some of those as separate parts of what I do.

Increasingly, I've realised they're not.

The common thread is understanding what's happening before deciding what to do about it.

That's true when I'm supporting someone who feels overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure what they need.

And it's equally true when something isn't working at work and an individual, manager, or organisation is trying to understand what might actually help.

So I've brought my work together more clearly around:

Coaching & Mentoring - support for individuals who want to understand themselves, their situation, and what might genuinely help.

Workplace Support & Consultancy - support for individuals and organisations, from employee support and workplace reviews to coaching, learning, neuroinclusion, workshops, and more bespoke work.

Underneath both is the same principle: Clarity before intervention.
Understand the person.
Understand the context.
Identify what's getting in the way.
Then make a more informed choice about what might help.

I've updated my website to reflect all of this too: www.kristenbirt.com

25/08/2026

I've been thinking carefully about whether to say anything about Channel 4's documentary *The Great ADHD Myth?*

I think I need to.

Not because difficult conversations about ADHD shouldn't happen.

They absolutely should.

We can ask questions about diagnosis.

We can talk about medication.

We can explore how environment, education, technology, stress, and modern life affect people.

We can question whether every person experiencing difficulty needs exactly the same kind of support.

What worries me is something different.

It's the person sitting at home who has spent years thinking: "Why can't I just cope like everyone else?". The parent finally beginning to understand their child. The adult who received a diagnosis and, for the first time, stopped blaming themselves. Or the person still waiting for assessment who is only just beginning to trust what they've been noticing.

What happens when the conversation suddenly makes them think:
- Maybe I made it all up.
- Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough.
- Maybe I shouldn't ask for support.

That's where I struggle with the framing.

My own belief is actually much broader than ADHD. I believe that EVERY person processes the world differently. Diagnosis or no diagnosis.

And I don't believe anybody should have to wait until crisis before they're allowed to become curious about what they need.

We can notice sensory differences.

Capacity.

Attention.

Working memory.

Nervous system responses.

Emotions.

Physical signals.

Environmental fit.

We can understand ourselves better and make choices from that understanding.

None of that requires us to prove that we're struggling enough first.

So, if all the discussion around "The Great ADHD Myth?" has unsettled you, made you doubt yourself, or left you questioning something you'd previously begun to understand about yourself, please message me.

I'm going to open some additional diary space for free 1-hour Clarity Sessions for anyone adversely affected by the debate.

This isn't about confirming or challenging a diagnosis. It's simply a space to slow everything down, talk through what's been stirred up, and return to your own experience before deciding what you think or need next.

13/08/2026

A coconut latte, made in the awning of my caravan and enjoyed outside in the fresh air.

Today's very ordinary piece of joy.

Sitting here drinking it, I noticed something else I've come to really value about being here.

We've been coming to the same campsite for five years, and there's a kind of community that seems to happen naturally.

No fences between pitches. Children playing outside together until it gets dark. Parents chatting across caravans. People welcoming someone they've never met before into the conversation.

We see some of the same families every year now, and for a single parent with an only child, it's magic.

Amelia doesn't need me to organise every interaction for her. I don't have to create all of our connection. We can wander out of the caravan and find people we know - or meet someone we don't.

Equally, when we've had enough, we can disappear back into our own little space.

I've been thinking a lot recently about the environments in which we feel most like ourselves.

The ones where connection isn't forced.

Where there is space for company AND space to retreat.

Where our nervous systems aren't having to work quite so hard.

Because perhaps looking after ourselves isn't always about what we need to do.

Sometimes it's noticing the places, people, and environments that already make things feel a little easier.

Where do you notice yourself exhale?

For me, this place is definitely one of them.

If you'd like support understanding your own patterns, capacity, and needs through 1:1 coaching, you're welcome to message me to enquire about my next available space.

I'm also working on a series of free clarity resources and some new group sessions for October, so there will be other ways to explore this work too.

11/08/2026

A little reminder from our summer holidays:

Rest isn't something I have to earn.

I'm still unlearning the idea that relaxation comes after everything else.

After the jobs.
After the work.
After everyone else is okay.
After I've done enough to justify it.

These holidays are looking different.

Coffee and my journal while Amelia does her own thing. Slow mornings. Stopping when we've had enough input rather than squeezing something else into the day. And finding joy in really ordinary moments.

I'm realising more and more that rest isn't a reward for using all of my capacity - it's part of how I protect it.

My body doesn't care whether I've finished my to-do list before it needs recovery and waiting until I'm exhausted before resting isn't really listening to myself.

So I'm practising rest before depletion.

Not because I've earned it - because I need it.

Interestingly, there's a lot more space to notice the good stuff when I'm not rushing through it.

Do you give yourself permission to rest before you've reached empty?

I have one 1:1 coaching space available from September if you'd like support understanding your own capacity and creating ways of working with yourself rather than continually pushing against what you need. Send me a message if you'd like to know more.

06/08/2026

This IS life ❤️

This afternoon Amelia decided she wanted her hair curled.

My first thought: "But we're not going anywhere, no one will even see it".

She'd already had an afternoon bath because that's what she fancied doing. She'd put on nice clothes, a bracelet, and a little lip gloss.

Then she smiled and said, "It's not for anyone else, Mum. It's for me".

That one sentence changed the whole afternoon.

I curled her hair. We watched a wonderfully silly zombie musical. We laughed. We chatted. I decided that beautiful hair deserved a fancy dinner, so I cooked sirloin steak and poured myself a rhubarb & ginger gin with frozen strawberries.

Halfway through the evening I realised... this is life.

Why do we wait for guests before using the good food?

Why do we save things for "special occasions"?

Why not curl your hair on a random Thursday afternoon? There will come a day when she won't ask me to do it anymore.

Today reminded me that some moments are worth choosing simply because they make today a little more joyful.

If you're finding the school holidays are highlighting your own capacity, old habits, or nervous system patterns: I have one coaching space available from September if you'd like someone to explore those things with.

06/08/2026

Anyone in the Exeter area ... I can highly recommend Emily

🌿 Still spaces available this August for Bowen, Holistic Massage, Lymphatic Bowen, Facials & more Zamora Exeter 🙌