About me

Performing well on paper, but feeling misaligned

Amar Parkinson, career transition coach in London

I've spent much of my adult life navigating moments of change - sometimes by choice, sometimes because something no longer felt right.

I've built and explored a range of ventures, from small businesses and creative projects to community-led events, and now a coaching business. In the corporate world, I've worked in structured, high-responsibility environments as well as spaces that invited creativity, experimentation, and risk. I know what it's like to perform well on paper while quietly feeling misaligned - and what it takes to stay with that feeling long enough to understand what it's pointing towards.

At various points in my career, I've questioned paths I had invested in and found myself drawn towards new ideas, creative projects, or ways of working that felt more aligned. For a long time, I interpreted this as not knowing what I wanted, or being distracted by the "next shiny thing."

With time, I've come to see something else. Those moments weren't a lack of direction - they were information. They were showing me, in real time, what felt aligned, what didn't, and what conditions allowed me to do my best work.

What coaching changed for me

The first time I truly learned how to make sense of my experience was when I worked with a coach myself. In 2019, after eight years in the same organisation, I felt fed up and stuck, without being able to clearly articulate why. After just a few coaching sessions, my perspective shifted. I gained clarity around my values, understood what was and wasn't aligned, and began to see my experience not as a problem to solve, but as something I could work with and refine.

That shift stayed with me, and eventually led me to train and work as a Transformational Coach. I hold a Diploma in Transformational Coaching and EMCC Global Individual Accreditation (EIA) at Foundation level, and I'm a member of EMCC UK, working to its code of ethics.

Who I work with

Today, I support people who are capable, reflective, and often outwardly successful, yet feel stuck or at a crossroads in their career. Some are professionals weighing up a career change; others are founders and leaders working out what comes next. My clients come from both corporate and creative backgrounds, and many share a sense that something needs to change - even if they can't yet name what.

How I work

My approach is calm, grounded, and practical. Together, we explore beliefs, identity, and emotional patterns - including how emotions show up in the body - always in service of clearer decisions and sustainable action. I don't offer quick fixes or prescriptive answers. Instead, I help people learn how to listen to themselves more carefully, so they can move forward with confidence and integrity.

I coach in person in London and online, so you can work with me wherever you're based.

Beyond coaching

Alongside my coaching work, I am a Chartered Civil Engineer working in urban regeneration, and a practitioner with Rainbow Mind, an LGBTQ+ mental health charity supporting resilience, self-care, and mindfulness.

Across all of my work, whether it's a client rethinking their career or a part of London being rebuilt, the thread is the same: helping people navigate change with clarity, care, and self-trust.