I feel my most "tiger" when I'm in open water. Last summer I learnt to swim front crawl, not in a pool, but in a loch. This year, I'm taking on the 27-mile length of Loch Lomond with a great group of people, raising money for charity and seeing what we're capable of together. There's something about swimming outdoors, the steady rhythm of breathing, the cold water, putting one arm in front of the other, that reminds me we're often capable of more than we think, especially when we approach challenges with flexibility, good support around us, and self-compassion.

Living with a long-term health condition has shaped how I approach both life and performance: with flexibility, careful listening to my body, and a focus on what's sustainable. That way of being underpins how I work as a psychologist too. I'm less interested in quick fixes and more interested in helping people build something steady, compassionate and workable for the long term.

Swimming the length of Loch Lomond feels like a natural extension of that. It's not about gritting your teeth and pushing through at any cost. It's about showing up, adjusting when conditions change, and recognising that sustainable performance, in sport, work, relationships or day-to-day life, grows from compassion rather than criticism.

My background includes work across mental health services, sport and exercise psychology, and organisational settings. I'm a founding member of the Applied Psychologists in Physical Activity Network and have published research on Walk and Talk therapy. I specialise in nature-based approaches to wellbeing and offer Walk and Talk sessions alongside more traditional therapy, both outdoors and online.

I enjoy working with people who are curious about themselves and who want to find ways of looking after their wellbeing while still performing at their best. For me, performance isn't just about race day or big presentations, it's something we all do every day in how we show up at work, in relationships, in training, and in the quieter moments no one else sees. Together, we can explore what meaningful, sustainable performance looks like for you.

The relationship at the heart of therapy matters deeply to me. The one between you and me, built on trust, honesty and working things through together. But also the relationship you have with yourself, how you speak to yourself, especially under pressure, and how you relate to your body. Not just how you speak to your body, but how your body speaks to you through tension, fatigue, energy or emotion. Often, we've learnt to override those signals in order to cope or achieve. Part of the work can be gently rebuilding that connection, so performance doesn't come at the expense of wellbeing.

For some people, being outdoors supports that process. For others, it's about slowing down enough to notice what's already there. Either way, there's no pressure to "perform" in therapy. It's a collaborative space where you can be completely human; adapting, growing and figuring things out at your own pace.

Available :Mondays and Tuesdays; although I may be able to flex.

Fee: 50 minutes online £80; 60 minutes walk and talk £100

I also accept sessions funded by AXA, Aviva, and Vitality. I work across central Scotland including Stirling, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs area.