CAREER + LIFE COACHING FOR FREELANCE PROFESSIONALS

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

I created Brighten+Hope because I see an urgent need in my freelance world for access to affordable trained coaches to enable a balanced, supported and healthy working life where creative energy is prioritised.

Too many of us are simply surviving.

As freelancers we have to be constantly flexible, rarely having time or resources to look after ourselves and without the support of a company to provide continued professional development. And when the creative industries in particular hit a rough patch as they are now the freelance workforce feels isolated and stranded.

Coaching is a life boat reconnecting you with your value and incredible ability. And so enabling you to thrive where you are or pivot should you need.

Working in TV production with the lens of a coach means I recognise the limiting beliefs at play, the toll of making our own momentum, the corrosiveness of stress and the barriers to progression with total clarity.

I know the impact our patterns of work can have on our home lives too. I’ve lived it, I have the shorthand and I can help. I promise.

Ceri Barnes

MY STORY well, one of them…

I have spent 30 years working in television production. From runner to show-runner.

I have had an incredible, rewarding and happy career making lifelong friendships, endlessly learning new things, creating and delivering TV that I am immensely proud of.

I have also experienced full and intense burn-out. Five years ago my body simply refused to let me continue - the body really does keep the score. I couldn’t walk for a week. My nervous system (I soon learned) was on fire. Lying on the sofa worried and confused I opened a newsletter from an organisation called ‘The Beyond Partnership’ who provide training and coaching of all kinds as well as workshops and thoughtfully curated events. I’d followed them originally because of my favourite poet - everything really is connected. They were advertising a coach training programme and something in the wording of that email just glowed off the page. I sent a message asking to speak to them and an hour later without knowing I’d needed her I had found my own personal coach. This incredibly skilled, empathetic yoda-level human proceeded to help me re-build myself. My nervous system recovered rapidly and since then she has also trained me and is my coach and supervisor still. I never make a career decision without talking to her.

Coaching enables me to work without fear of the ground giving way. Coaching helps me lead my teams better too in a world of TV and Film where this stuff isn’t taught and is fraught with mistakes.

I don’t want what had happened to me to happen to anyone else if I can possibly help it. I am now an NLP informed ‘Beyond Partnership’ trained life-coach, NLP Master, ‘Career Matters’ trained career coach, member of the ‘Association for Coaching’, licensed mediator, creative confidence and resilience trainer for the likes of Film London and a University lecturer guiding final year film and animation students out of education and into the world of work.

CONNECTION

COMMUNITY

CONVERSATION

+

YOUR STORY MATTERS

WHAT WE OFFER

COACHING and GROUP COACHING : We believe coaching for Freelancers must be accessible + affordable.

Our sessions are offered on a sliding scale.

TRAINING : We offer talks and training in creative confidence and resilience please get in touch for full details.

We want everyone to be able to benefit from a coaching conversation. Please reach out. Our first meeting is free of charge whilst we work out how much fun we’ll have working together.

Always look for the treasure

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift”

- Mary Oliver, The Uses of Sorrow.

TESTIMONIALS

  • “Working with Ceri is like opening a door out of thin air that leads to a path of improvement. She helps people and stories grow like a little sun”

    Kristina, Script Writer

  • “Ceri helped me discover the breadth of skills I’d built up over many years working in TV. She has given me tremendous confidence in focussing on what I truly want to achieve in my future career.”

    Sabine, Edit Producer/Director

  • “Ceri is an excellent coach and fantastic human all round. Her understanding, empathy and openness was incredibly helpful and uplifting. She is insightful, generous with her time and supportive beyond the sessions - it is clear that she genuinely cares. I would highly recommend Ceri to anyone.”

    Charly,  Executive Producer

  • “After a semester working with Ceri I feel super prepared for the industry having previously felt completely frozen and overwhelmed”

    Laurel, Film School Graduate

  • "Ceri provides a supportive environment and engages in the process in a way that allowed me to openly discover and discuss my thoughts. She offers swift engagement and thoughtful direction which helped me work thorough some immediate blocks but also provided the capacity and framework for future personal and professional growth.”

    Gerard, Showrunner & Executive Producer

  • “The sessions have been an incredible self-exploratory process that have forced me to properly engage with who I am and what I want out of my career.  As a freelancer, long-terms ambitions and concerns don’t often have a place to be aired but as I’ve discovered it’s so important that they are.  I can't recommend these coaching sessions highly enough!”

    Alex, Producer

  • After a traumatic experience in a toxic work environment, I was left feeling battered and uncertain, with my confidence shaken. Ceri’s calm and supportive approach helped me to recognise that I had been pursuing positions that weren’t right for me or my well-being. This realisation has encouraged me to approach job applications with a more intentional mindset—considering not just my skills but whether the role aligns with my values and goals. Thanks to Ceri’s support, I now feel more positive and hopeful.

    Fiona, Co-ordinator

  • Ceri created a comfortable environment where I felt heard and supported. She was very open and reassuring but challenged me and helped me challenge myself to identify the path I’d like to take. With her guidance I was able to identify areas to focus on, set goals and a structure to achieve them. Ceri was very flexible and accommodating I would definitely recommend her as a coach.

    Harriet, University Graduate