Sarah Creevey

Leadership Coach - London

I work with senior leaders navigating complexity, change and sustained pressure. My coaching supports leaders at moments when certainty is limited, expectations are high and the way they lead has a significant impact on others.

My approach is grounded in the simple yet often overlooked evidence that playfulness provides a strategic edge. Far from being a distraction from effective leadership, playfulness is a powerful human capacity that helps provide clarity, develop adaptability and build resilience. It is a core mechanism through which humans learn and grow. It helps us explore uncertainty, test new possibilities and remain resilient in the face of challenge. When used deliberately, it enables better sense-making, more flexible thinking and wiser responses under pressure.

Yet many leaders have learned to view playfulness as frivolous or risky. Over time, this can narrow perspective, drain energy and leave even highly capable leaders feeling stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected. From that position, leadership becomes harder than it needs to be.

As The Playful Coach, I support leadership that is both human and effective. I see coaching as a rigorous and intrinsically playful process. Together, we slow things down and get curious about what is really happening so we can explore what is really possible. We experiment with new perspectives, approaches and ways of being, using playfulness as a safe and effective way to work with complex leadership challenges.

Leaders often come to this work when they are:

- Stepping into a new or expanded leadership role
- Returning after time away and recalibrating their leadership presence
- Navigating organisational change or ongoing uncertainty
- Feeling weary, constrained or jaded by the polarities of leadership
- Holding sustained pressure while trying to maintain stability for themselves and their teams

Drawing on neuroscience and positive psychology, I work holistically with leaders to identify their core human strengths and explore how these can be brought more fully into how they lead. We focus not only on what you do as a leader, but who you are, and how your unique, playful self can support sound judgement, resilience and meaningful impact. This often leads to a renewed sense of space, capacity and perspective so you can lead with greater ease, connection and authenticity.

I have worked with leaders at all levels, from first-time managers to board-level executives, across sectors including (but not limited to) education, financial services, media/broadcasting, hospitality and the third sector. I prefer to work face-to-face, where depth, trust and lasting transformation are most possible.

If you are looking for leadership coaching that takes challenge seriously while working with the full human system, I would be glad to explore whether we are a good fit.