Saunders Fearns Catalyst Coaching

Saunders Fearns Catalyst Coaching Hi I’m Niki, founder of Saunders-Fearns Catalyst Coaching. Helping midlife women perform at their best without losing their edge. Clarity. Confidence. Performance

I used to think leaving my corporate career would automatically make me more present.The reality?It’s more complicated t...
31/07/2026

I used to think leaving my corporate career would automatically make me more present.

The reality?

It’s more complicated than that.

I’ve swapped a structured diary for a business that often spills into evenings, weekends and unexpected opportunities.

That’s the privilege of building something you care about.

But it’s also the challenge.

This holiday has made me realise something.

I’ve been really good at being present here.

I’m not always as good at being present at home.

And maybe that’s because when you’re building a business, there isn’t a manager telling you to stop at 5pm.

You have to make that decision yourself.

This summer feels particularly important.

Next term my little boy starts high school.

Life is moving.

He’s growing up.

And while the business matters deeply to me…

He matters more.

So this week I’m reminding myself why I started all of this in the first place.

Not just to build a successful business.

But to build a life I didn’t need a holiday to enjoy.

❤️ If you’re building something of your own, have you found it harder or easier to switch off than you expected?

The irony isn’t lost on me.For the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about high-performing women who:• struggle to switc...
27/07/2026

The irony isn’t lost on me.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about high-performing women who:

• struggle to switch off
• always think about what’s next
• feel guilty for resting
• forget they’re allowed to simply enjoy their lives

So this week…

I’m taking my own advice.

No pressure to create.

No chasing the algorithm.

No trying to squeeze “just one more thing” into the day.

Just making memories with the people who matter most.

Because if I believe rest makes us better leaders, better parents, better partners and better humans…

…then I have to believe it for myself too.

You’ll probably see more holiday photos than taxi stories this week.

And I’m completely OK with that.

Tell me… when was the last time you took proper time off without feeling guilty? ❤️

25/07/2026

A woman got into my taxi and admitted something I think far more women feel than we’ll ever admit out loud.

“I’m worried she’s better than me.”

It wasn’t jealousy.

It wasn’t spite.

It wasn’t because the other woman had done anything wrong.

It was fear.

Fear that there isn’t enough room.

Fear that someone else succeeding somehow means we’ll lose our place.

I’ve coached enough women to know this feeling is incredibly common.

Not because women want to compete with each other.

Because for years many of us have been taught—directly or indirectly—that there are only so many seats at the table.

So I asked her a question.

“What if the table was full of women?”

Women who celebrated each other’s strengths.

Women who shared what they knew.

Women who helped each other grow instead of quietly worrying about who was “better.”

She paused.

Then asked me,

“But what if she is better?”

I smiled.

“Then how lucky are you to have someone you can learn from?”

She got out of the taxi, left me a £5 tip, and I’ve thought about that conversation ever since.

Because maybe the women who grow the most aren’t the ones trying to be the smartest person in the room.

Maybe they’re the ones who aren’t afraid to learn from the women standing beside them.

👇 I’d love to know…

Have you ever caught yourself comparing yourself to another woman—and what helped you move past it?

23/07/2026

The people who inspire me most aren’t always the ones who succeed.

Today I drove:

⚽ A young woman who’d moved from Australia to play football for Everton.

🎵 A man who’d left a legal career in Brazil to pursue music in Liverpool.

Neither of them knows how their story ends.

But both have given themselves the chance to find out.

Then I met another woman.

Successful.

Experienced.

Smart.

She told me what she’d always wanted to do.

Then she quietly said:

“I don’t like thinking about it because it’s never going to happen.”

That sentence has stayed with me all day.

Not because she’d failed.

Because somewhere along the way she’d decided the dream no longer belonged to her.

And I wonder how many of us do that.

We stop talking about the thing we really want.

Not because it’s impossible…

But because convincing ourselves it can’t happen feels safer than risking disappointment.

The people who achieve extraordinary things aren’t the ones with guarantees.

They’re the ones who refuse to decide the story is over

21/07/2026

Do you know what ambitious women tell me about most?

Not their promotion.

Not the business they built.

Not the team they lead.

🚕 They tell me about everything they didn’t do.

The school event they missed.

The email they haven’t replied to.

The workout they skipped.

The friend they forgot to call.

The dinner they weren’t home for.

It’s as though their achievements disappear behind a running list of perceived failures.

I’ve lost count of how many conversations like this I’ve had.

And it’s made me wonder…

What if the way we measure ourselves is the problem?

What if we’ve become so focused on what we haven’t done that we’ve stopped seeing everything we have?

You don’t have to ignore the things that matter to you.

But you do deserve to recognise the things you’re doing well too.

Because if your inner scoreboard only records what you missed…

You’ll never feel like you’re winning.

🚕 Follow me for the conversations high-performing women are finally having out loud

19/07/2026

Brilliant evening for World Cup 2026! Food was incredible and a great view of the game

Still not over the emotion of this week. My boy leaving primary school and the start of a whole new chapter BUT this las...
18/07/2026

Still not over the emotion of this week. My boy leaving primary school and the start of a whole new chapter BUT this last few days he’s amazed me. He’s held my hand, he’s hugged me as we’ve walked, he’s spent time with us, he’s messaged friends old and new to continue friendships and build new as he moves to a school without his primary friends. Nathaniel you rock and we’ve still got SATS results to come which I know you’ll have smashed.
Love you son ###x Jon MK

So the day has finally arrived for you to finish primary school. Not quite sure of where the last 7 years have gone but ...
16/07/2026

So the day has finally arrived for you to finish primary school. Not quite sure of where the last 7 years have gone but I am sure of this. Nathaniel, you have taken every single challenge, day, lesson, activity on with enthusiasm, commitment and a willingness to learn. Whether it be playing Boris (which you decided to do), playing the lead in the Christmas production (which was a quiz show) or playing Noel Edmond’s (which I think was the best yet and I didn’t think you could top the others). You are my sunshine (our song), and I’m so proud of you….your certificates over the years say it all. Go smash secondary school son but for now; we have our summer ☀️

16/07/2026

Open this if you’ve ever convinced yourself you’re failing as a mum.

🚕 A woman in my taxi quietly admitted something today that broke my heart.

“I think I’m a bad mum.”

Then she told me why.

She misses the school run sometimes.

She’s not always home for dinner.

She can’t make every school event.

And that was all she could see.

What she couldn’t see…

Was the incredible business she’d built.

The women she mentors.

The charities she supports.

The example she’s setting for her daughters every single day.

She saw absence.

I saw courage.

She saw guilt.

I saw a woman proving to her daughters that they never have to choose small because they’re women.

It made me think…

If your children described you…

Would they talk about the school runs you missed…

Or would they tell people how proud they are of you?

Sometimes we’re so busy measuring ourselves against impossible standards…

We forget to ask the people who matter most what they actually see.

🚕 Follow me for the conversations high-performing women are finally having out loud. 🖤

13/07/2026

Open this if Sunday evenings leave you feeling exhausted instead of rested.

🚕 A woman got into my taxi on Sunday and said something that stayed with me.

“I don’t even feel like I’ve had a weekend.”

The more I thought about it…

The more I realised she wasn’t talking about Monday.

She was talking about never really stopping.

Because somewhere between the laundry…

The food shop…

The life admin…

The children…

The messages…

And mentally preparing for the week ahead…

The weekend disappeared.

I don’t think most high-performing women dread Monday.

I think they arrive at Monday already exhausted.

So before you tell yourself you need to work harder this week…

Ask yourself something different.

When was the last time you actually rested?

Because maybe you don’t hate Mondays.

Maybe you’ve just forgotten what it feels like to actually rest.

🚕 Follow me for the conversations high-performing women are finally having out loud

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