How it all began 

Michele Armstrong

Born and bred in Edinburgh, I grew up with a love of learning and began my professional career as a community education worker for 20+ years. In 2001, I engaged in additional training as a Life & Business Coach and my heart told me I was born to do this! So, I set up a private coaching practice, left community education and took on further studies (Neuroleadership and Mindfulness studies), to support me in building a coaching business that would enable me to train leaders and managers in the finer skills of coaching. This involved working with a range of organisations (such as, Buccleuch Estates, NHS, Scottish Universities, and Scottish Government), supporting them to develop positive coaching cultures as well as running courses to provide accredited coach training for independent coaches. I love delivering individual coaching to people who are navigating life transitions - such as career changes, retirement and life journeys.

In 2016, I trained a young couple who proposed that we go into business together to create a global online Coach Training Academy. Raymy joined me in the business and we built an incredible partnership that focused on transformational change through coaching. After working with Mindful Talent for 7 years I became aware of God's calling on my life to take the talents and skills I'd built up over the years and bring it into the church, "to equip His people for works of service..." (Ephesians 4:12).

Soon after this, I joined a small bible study group, and, after the session, I was approached by a woman who said that she sensed God wanted her to share a picture that had just come to her mind. It was of a well and from this well, living water would flow. This sowed the seed for the Living Well which became the beginning of a journey to bring together the group of trustees that would work with me to form the charity Living Well in Christ.

On a personal level, I have raised three children, and am now blessed to have 7 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and 2 well-loved dogs: Nessa and Harvey.

I love gardening and touring in our campervan.

My current life-goal is about transitioning from my business to serve God more fully through the Living Well and through being a member of Davidsons Mains Parish Church in Edinburgh, where Raymy and I lead on the Alpha Course and support the thriving Discipleship Team. 

Raymy Boyle

I first trained as a coach in 2004, applying it mainly to my day-job, working within children and family social work services in a range of statutory and voluntary organisations. As both a front-line practitioner and  manager/leader, I have over 30 years’ experience working in this sector.

Since 2016, I have worked with my wife and business partners Michele, delivering coach training, coaching and supervision through our company Acorn Principle Plus. We work with a range of organisations including the Scottish Government, NHS Boards, numerous Scottish Universities and various third sector agencies and social enterprises. From 2016- 2022, I was also part of Mindful Talent Coaching Academy, delivering coach training to people across the world.

I attend Davidsons Mains Parish Church in Edinburgh with Michele, where I am involved in some of the youth work provision and am part of the Discipleship Team.

Since 2022, Michele and I have both felt a strong call from God to offer our coach training and support to Christians who want to develop their own support of others. With a small group of like-minded people, we have developed Living Well and continue to explore how we can share our knowledge, experience and skillset through the lens of our faith.

I am passionate about the difference coaching can make in the lives of individuals, who want to grow and develop and organisations who want to cultivate a coaching culture.

I have two grown children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, who I have the pleasure of spending time with regularly (and am blessed with the company of 2 dogs).

A verse that has meant a lot to me over the past year or so is Proverbs 27:17

This short verse speaks volumes to me about relationship and the role that coaching can play in helping others on their journey with God.

Shahrukh Gill

I am an ordained Minister at Inverleith, St Serf's Parish Church having graduated from Edinburgh's New College. As a psychology graduate with a Masters of Divinity I find that I have been preparing for Living Well Christian Coaching for a long time.

I previously worked in SAMH and also delivered Scottish Mental Health First Aid courses, finding that there was something lacking and I couldn't speak about the true answer to the immense challenges in life. Since completing my studies, I've dedicated myself to understanding and applying all that I have learned. I've been privileged to serve communities and share God's love in various ministerial roles. My interactions with others have been deeply fulfilling, as I've witnessed the transformative power of faith first-hand. I think that there is no greater message than the gospel to shape and empower people.

I am a third generation minister, with my granddad and dad having paved some steps so I didn't have to struggle. Much of their ministry was in Pakistan where I was born and carried immense stress and persecution.

Relying on the spirit of God is immensely important to sustain yourself. The Spirit of God is a great catalyst for personal growth and community strengthening. It's a source of hope, resilience, and connection.

My journey to ministry has been a profound exploration of faith and purpose. I've found solace and direction in:

This verse speaks about the knowledge and love of God made known through scripture and the word made flesh.

Dot McLaughlin

I qualified as a coach in April 2022, with Michele and Raymy at Acorn Principle Plus. Following my qualification, I have been particularly interested in exploring creative and outdoor approaches to coaching with individual clients. I have also explored systemic coaching working with teams in Scottish Government, Education, and an independent not-for-profit business. I have worked with clients in both the public and the third sector.

Prior to qualifying as a coach, I worked in local government both at Council and national  level. I worked latterly in Scottish Government developing a national  approach to collective leadership. Part of that work involved delivering development to senior leaders in Police and Local Government. I was involved in both developing facilitators who would work with groups of leaders to tackle complex social issues and working directly to facilitate systemic change around, for example, sectarianism, families with complex needs, place-based community led development. I have now retired from this work.

I am a member of the Link Church in Dunfermline where I serve on the Leadership team and lead worship.

I undertook training in spiritual accompaniment in the Ignatian tradition, qualifying as a spiritual director in 2012.

I have been actively involved since then working 1:1 with people from different Christian traditions to accompany them in their faith journey and in deepening their relationship with God. I have tutored on courses which focus on prayer and reflective living and courses developing people to become spiritual directors run by the Epiphany Group, of which I am a member.

I am interested in the intersection between what coaching offers to people and what spiritual direction offers. I believe they are different. I have a great desire to see people connect deeply to God and to themselves, exploring and journeying to discover more of their whole person in God.

I am excited to be involved in the development of this coaching offer and a verse which inspires me is: 

Pamela Macphee

It’s been a long-term vision of mine to work alongside like-minded Christian coaches, with the intention of bringing my professional life in alignment with my faith to bring glory to God.

I started my coaching career in a corporate environment over 20 years ago working in Financial Services. During that time, I had the privilege to coach many talented individuals, as leaders and individual contributors, both in their job and career development. Since 2014, I have had my own business, specialising in Coaching, Training and Facilitation, with a particular specialism around Career Development and Transition. I’ve had the incredible opportunity of working across many sectors including Manufacturing, Retail, Utilities, Government and Oil and Gas in addition to many others.  I put Jesus in the driving seat of my business when I first started out, and I’m constantly in awe at the work opportunities created and connections that have been established to work with truly inspirational professionals.

I’m a member of St Stephens Comely Bank Church, Edinburgh, which I attend regularly with my family. I have recently taken on a Family Outreach Worker role at my church, I am involved in Children’s ministry and am part of the prayer ministry team.

On my own family front, I’ve been married to my husband Steven for 21 years, and we have two teenage children, Hannah who’s 17 and about to start at the University of Edinburgh studying Chemistry, and Sean who’s 13 and loves all things sport, especially football. 

Coaching has been a large part of my own professional life, I ultimately want to make a difference in the lives of those I serve, contributing in big and small ways in service of God’s Kingdom. A verse that has meant a lot to me since I became a Christian is Romans 12:2:

Being given the opportunity to work alongside Christian organisations, I feel passionate that coaching will be a mechanism by which God will create lasting transformation through the Holy Spirit according to his will.

Denisa Lorincova

Ever since my early childhood years and all through my teenage years, I loved God, and firmly believed that I could rely and trust God - "The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in him and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him" Psalm 28:7.

I am living in Scotland with my husband, Kenneth, and our daughter, Hannah.

When I moved to the United Kingdom, my journey with God took an unexpected shift. One of my nursing colleagues, June, who was 76, invited me to her church and the Alpha course. I was hesitant at first, as I was raised in a Catholic church, but I sensed in my spirit to go. The first night of the Alpha course, I remember June giving me a bible and a bible verse from Matthew 7:7:8: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks the door will be opened”.

Over the past 20 years, I remained curious and hungry to learn more about God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. The passion to know the heart of God —to seek and know it on a heart-to-heart, real, authentic experiential level — has continued to fuel my heart.

Colossians 3:10-11 NLT is a verse that deeply resonates with my heart and on my journey with God:

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilised, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us”.

It is Jesus Christ who matters most, and he is living within us. My identity and purpose are found in Him, and I am called to live well in a way that reflects the image of our creator, becoming more like Christ, who is the perfect image of God.

I’ve been an accredited coach since 2020 and completed the Principle Lead Coach Supervision programme in 2022. I am excited to serve with the Living Well Christian Leadership team, fostering spiritual growth and maturity of God’s people so that everyone who belongs to God’s family is able to walk in the fullness of life, experiencing truths and the abundant life available in Christ.