Mo Ford, Director of Live and Breathe Coaching Ltd.

About me

Hello, I’m Mo (she/they). I’m a coach, facilitator and Performance Psychology practitioner. I’m based in London but also work in Scotland, where I’m originally from.

MY STORY

I've always been passionate about understanding and supporting people, communication and performance. I didn’t know it until I was in my thirties, but I’m neurodivergent and have a highly sensitive nervous system. That led to a lot of challenges with ‘nerves’ as a young singer, and it took a long time to learn how to get calm and confidently pursue the things I loved doing most.

I spent many years working in the not-for-profit sector, supporting young people through challenging and traumatic situations, as well as leading teams and supporting organisational development. I often had many ‘plates spinning’ at the same time, and experienced burnout on a few occasions. Over the years, I’ve learned to spot warning signs of burnout and take action to prevent it, and now I’m committed to supporting others to do this too.

As a young adult, I lost my voice and had to have surgery on my vocal folds to remove a cyst. I was supported through this difficult time by Performance Psychology specialists at Noble House. They offered psychological support, embodied voice work and breathwork. I’d never done any embodiment work before, and the impact was incredible - I suddenly had ways to calm my nervous system, identify and process my emotions more easily, and express myself clearly. In fact, it was so transformative that I spent seven years training as a practitioner. I slowly built a side-hustle while leading a team at a health and wellbeing project.

I’m passionate about helping people to feel safe to show up as their authentic selves and communicate with courage. Experience tells me that we need to work with head, heart and body to create lasting change and build a toolkit of resources that support wellbeing. And I believe that moving from stress, trauma and burnout to belonging, wellbeing and authenticity takes a collective effort - even if we’re resilient and capable, we can’t do it all on our own. All of my work aims to create spaces where people can express themselves, feel valued and speak up when things need to change.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • Certified Psyche Practitioner - Performance Psychology, Embodied Voice, Psyche Breath - Performance Institute of Scotland/Noble House

  • Coaching Diploma - Association for Coaching

  • Leadership Training - Oasis School of Human Relations; The King’s Fund

  • Advanced Safeguarding - TES

  • MSc Childhood Studies - The University of Edinburgh

  • Motivational Interviewing - NHS Scotland

  • Counselling Skills - The University of Edinburgh

  • Leadership Embodiment

  • Member of the British Voice Association and the Association for Coaching

  • Advocacy training - Coram Voice; Powerful Partnerships

  • MA Indigenous Religions - The University of Edinburgh