How to consistently Live with Intent even as life shifts.

I coach people using the Living Spaces model to clarify where you are today, what a meaningful life looks like for you, and what tends to pull you away from it.

We then build the three clinically proven Psychological Pathways that help you reliably return to a more intentional space when life inevitably pulls you off track.

I'm ready to start right now.

The Living Spaces: Clarify where you are today, and what a meaningful life looks like for you.

There are Four Spaces we all find ourselves in as we live out our lives (me included):

Comfortable, Disconnected, Driven and Living with Intent.

No one spends all their time in one, single space. We spend our days and years moving across them. Where we find ourselves at any one moment is shaped by our thoughts and feelings, our choices, and whatever life throws our way.

If you want to spend more time Living with Intent, trying to cling to this space won’t work.

What you need are the 3 clinically proven psychological pathway for how to return to it, reliably, whenever life inevitably starts to pull you away.

The 3 Psychological Pathways proven to sustain a more fulfilling way of living:

A black and white line drawing representing opening up and creating space.

Create Space.

Skills to soften the struggle with your thoughts & feelings.

Learn how to ‘unhook’ from unhelpful thoughts and feelings, and how you can work with them, not against, so you can create the space to choose how you want to respond, regardless of what your mind says.

Skills building includes:

  • Hands as Thoughts

  • Naming the Story

  • Dropping Anchor

  • The Documentary Crew

A simple black and white drawing of an eye with arrows pointing in four directions: up, down, left, and right.

Connect.

Tools to regain perspective and reconnect with what matters.

Hone skills to flexibly shift your attention and choose what you want to focus on in the present moment, so you can connect more easily to life’s joys and bigger ambitions, and the ways you want to show up.

Skills building includes:

  • Observing & Allowing

  • Flavouring & Savouring

  • The NNNPW Approach

  • Leaves on a Stream

A hand with an extended finger touching a checked box, with another checked box above and an empty box to the right.

Commit.

Define your direction and take consistent action.

Build trust in a clear long-term picture of who you want to be, and the life you want to live, and choose the small, steady steps that will guide you there.

Skills building includes:

  • Your Mistaken Funeral

  • The Values Bullseye

  • The H.A.R.M. Confidence Builder

  • Values-based Goal-setting

+ more…

…easily digestible psychology ideas that put you in control of doing more of what matters to you.

To reliably return to Living with Intent for your life, I work with you to answer 3 core questions:

1. WHAT DOES A MEANINGFUL SPACE LOOK LIKE FOR ME?
2. WHAT TENDS TO PULL ME AWAY?
3. HOW CAN I RELIABLY AND CONSISTENTLY RETURN?

Knowing how to use these psychological pathways takes you:

AWAY FROM

- Overthinking that spirals into paralysis or avoidance.

- Constantly chasing perfection to the point of burnout.

- Racing thoughts and restless nights that make it harder to focus or feel motivated.

- A sense of drifting: knowing you’re capable of more but unsure how to move towards it.

- Emotional unsteadiness: Lashing out or reacting in ways we don’t want to.

- Feeling distant, distracted, or unable to be fully present with the people who matter most.

A mind that can be too loud or distracting at times:

“I know what to do… I just don’t do it.”

“My mind talks me out of things I want to do deep down.”

“I go through the motions, but something feels off.”

“I get hijacked by my own thoughts.”

“I wish I was more consistent, productive, disciplined etc.”

TOWARDS

- A steadier inner life.

- A clearer sense of who you’re choosing to be.

- A way to feel anchored without chasing perfect emotions.

- Tools that actually work in messy real life.

- Guidance that doesn’t feel patronising.

- Reliable tools feel more connected and present in the moments you care about.

A place where your relationship with your mind feels steady:

“When my mind kicks off, I know what to do with it.”

“I stop the inner struggle & take meaningful action, even when discomfort shows up.”

“I build steady, values-led habits instead of pushing myself through pressure.”

“I don’t need perfect motivation to act like the person I want to be.”

“I communicate with more openness: with myself and the people who matter.”

1,000+ studies and more than 600+ clinical trials have been proven to show that this skillset leads to:

Better Emotional Regulation.

Lower levels of distress.

Stronger Relationships.

Improved overall wellbeing.

Meta-analyses consistently find that Acceptance & Commitment Therapy principles, which trains the three 3 pathways, leads to improvements in anxiety, depression and quality of life. Mutiple research studies show that how flexibly you relate to your thoughts and feelings accounts for a quarter of the difference in overall wellbeing. Across 36 studies, key pathway skills explain over a third of how well people function day to day, even when life is difficult.

Your Coach.

I’m Chris James, an ICF- and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-trained coach who specialises in developing evidence-based Psychological Pathway skills to help you to build clarity, presence, and values-driven action in your life.

I’ve been using these skillsets to guide my own life for the past 7 years, and I now help people build their own capacity to create space, connect, and take values-led action - so you can live with clarity and presence in the moments that matter most.

I do this through a short series of weekly 1-on-1, 50mins skills training sessions, online or in person.

Each session is £80, with a free 30mins chemisty session upfront to check our fit, and I recommend committing to 4-6 sessions to get the most from the work.

Portrait of a man with short dark hair, wearing a black t-shirt, against a green gradient background.

Ready to find out more?

FAQs

  • I help people feel more fulfilled, steady and aligned with the life they keep saying they want… but haven’t quite managed to live yet.
    That usually means working on three things:

    • Understanding and regulating emotions

    • Learning more effective ways to handle unhelpful mental habits

    • Building small, meaningful actions that stick

    It’s practical psychological coaching grounded in evidence, not vague positivity or ‘manifesting’.

  • People who are functioning, capable and doing “fine”, but privately feel:

    • Stuck in unhelpful patterns

    • Drained by their own thoughts

    • Less confident than they should be

    • Unsure how to move towards a life that actually feels like theirs

    If you’re tired of overthinking, want to feel more steady, and care about living by your own values, this is for you.

  • Most people can expect noticeable shifts in:

    • Feeling more steady and less reactive

    • Being less tangled in thoughts

    • Handling difficult emotions more effectively

    • Making consistent progress on things that matter

    • Feeling more connected to themselves and others

    The aim isn’t perfection. It’s steadiness, clarity and traction.

  • No.
    This isn’t therapy, clinical treatment, or crisis support.
    It’s psychological coaching rooted in skills shown to improve wellbeing, emotional steadiness and day-to-day functioning.

    Think of it this way: therapy helps you heal. Coaching helps you build.

  • Simple, repeatable psychological skills drawn from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, and values-led action, such as:

    • Techniques to reduce overthinking

    • Tools for emotional steadiness

    • Exercises that strengthen presence and attention

    • Values-based decision frameworks

    • Ways to handle difficult thoughts without being dragged around by them

    These are practical, not abstract. You’ll actually use them day to day.

  • You should feel clearer and more grounded after the first few sessions.
    Meaningful change tends to build over 6 weeks as the skills start becoming second nature.

    This isn’t a magic switch. It’s a steady shift that compounds.

  • I don’t do “rah-rah” motivation, vision boards or forced positivity.
    My work is based on research-backed psychological skills, including:

    • Psychological flexibility

    • Values-led behaviours

    • Emotion regulation

    • Attention and presence skills

    The coaching is direct, practical, and built around your real life. Not clichés or hype.

  • Yes, but not in a school-teacher way.
    You’ll get small, manageable practices that help your progress stick.
    Think: 2–5 minute exercises, or simple choices you’ll be asked to apply during your week.
    Nothing overwhelming, everything designed with a purpose, but practice is required to make these tools stick.

  • If you’re reading this and thinking:
    “I know what to do… I just don’t do it”
    or
    “I feel capable, but something isn’t lining up internally,”
    you’re in the right place.

    A free intro chat should make it obvious either way.

  • That’s normal. Those approaches rely heavily on insight.
    What I teach is a skills-based approach: you practise small things consistently, so change becomes durable.

    You don’t need perfect discipline. You just need repetition.

  • Absolutely.
    Sessions are private, secure and held with complete confidentiality.

  • Yes.
    All coaching is online and works with most time zones.

  • Book a free intro session by filling out the form on this page..
    We’ll talk through what you’re facing, what you want, and whether I can help.
    If it’s a good fit, I’ll walk you through next steps.