We do things differently
Meet Our Team
The team here at Changing Chances CIC® is passionate about understanding what’s going on behind the scenes when children are struggling. And we love sharing our research-based approaches and strategies to empower children and their adult supporters to build new skills and make positive changes for the future.
Our aim is to change the way that children and young people are supported at home, at school and in the community; especially those who are struggling as a result of their life experiences or due to having a neuro-divergent profile.
We provide training, coaching, guidance and resources to adults who support children and young people. We also work directly with young people and their families, providing assessments and family coaching.
Click here to hear co-founder Kit Messenger in conversation with Richard Freeman, CEO of Always Possible, about why we do what we do.
Meet our wonderful team
Kit Messenger
Co-founder of Changing Chances CIC®, and co-author of Curious not Furious, Kit is a former headteacher and tutor at the University of Sussex. Kit is determined to bring about big changes in how children are supported in the education system and in society.
Kit believes in “building unconditional, positive, supportive relationships between adults and children.”
Alison Rendle
Co-founder of Changing Chances CIC® and co-author of Curious not Furious, Alison is a former senior leader in a local authority and in secondary schools. She is a qualified coach, working with school leaders, business leaders and people with neurodivegent conditions.
Alison believes that “coaching is a powerful catalyst for change – it’s not just a nice chat.”
Naomi de Barra
A Chartered Psychologist, Naomi helps people know their strengths and understand their challenges. She is a neuro-diverse thinker who knows how frustrating learning can be. She also knows that good self-knowledge and great strategies can be transformational.
Naomi believes that “the more we can understand and embrace our unique brains and ways of thinking, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.”
Lizzy Daniel
Lizzy is one of our young people and family coaches. She is a certified coach, supporting parents, teachers and young people with their emotions, social skills, mental wellbeing and neurodiversity. She also coaches and mentors adults in the corporate and business sectors.
Lizzy believes that “we all have the ability to be the best version of ourselves; coaching can help to unlock potential, build confidence and social skills.”
Siobhan Denning
Siobhan is one of our leadership coaches. She has spent most of her career in education, latterly as a highly successful secondary headteacher. She now coaches school leaders and their teams, using solution-focused approaches based on Positive Psychology.
Siobhan believes that “great leaders lead great schools.”
Neil Dixon
Neil Dixon is one of our young people and family coaches. He has been a secondary school teacher for 13 years after previously working in Clinical Science for the NHS. He has lead a shift towards a more therapeutic approach within his current school, improving outcomes for all young person.
Neil believes in teaching young people about the “why?” behind human behaviours.
Sam Evans
Sam is one of our leadership coaches. She is an experienced coach, trainer and facilitator with a background in senior leadership in the Civil Service. Sam coaches senior leaders and professionals in the public and private sectors and supports the development of leadership teams.
Sam believes that “coaching is a powerful tool for navigating change or conflict and for achieving goals.”
Marguerite Farmer
Marguerite is one of our leadership coaches with over 15 years of coaching experience. Previously, Marguerite was in senior leadership in primary schools. Marguerite coaches leaders in sectors including finance, accountancy, government, education and health.
Marguerite believes that “positive change can happen when people move out of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone.”
Leslea Markwick
Leslea works with us to develop and deliver our programmes. She is a former Deputy Headteacher with many years of teaching and leadership experience from Early Years to Key Stage 4. She is currently a primary education advisor for looked after children and a university tutor working at the University of Brighton.
Leslea believes that “behaviour change happens when high expectations are coupled with high support.”
Muriel McClymont
Muriel is one of our leadership coaches. She has over 15 years’ experience as a coach and trainer, coaching leaders and practitioners across many sectors. With a background in corporate senior leadership, Muriel brings a refreshing perspective and skills to her coaching of school leaders.
Muriel believes that “coaching is a powerful key that can unlock untapped resources and potential”.
Faye Johnson
Faye supports with our programme and resource development. She has many years of school leadership experience and has worked in the development of curriculum design and resources for international organisations.
Sabrina believes that “positive, enriching experiences from day one of a child’s life contribute to building a strong brain architecture”
David Rendle
David is one of our leadership coaches. He had a long career in secondary teaching and leadership, latterly working in teacher training and school improvement at the universities of Durham and Chichester. David coaches school leaders and also coaches adults with neurodiverse conditions.
David believes that “coaching can help people to gain clarity and enable them to steer their own way through life’s challenges and opportunities.”
Becky Hinton
Becky supports in our business processes and particularly the development of our online materials. A qualified teacher, Becky has extensive experience working with young people, in schools and the voluntary sector. She is also an experienced trainer.
Aideen believes in the uniqueness of every person, that true progress and happiness lies in recognising and valuing our distinct differences, (not in a one-size-fits-all approach).
Chris Taylor
Chris is one of our young people and family coaches. He is a former primary Headteacher with a proven track record for building effective teams and creating shared vision and clarity. As well as being an accredited coach, Chris is a qualified yoga teacher, he loves being outdoors and has a passion for cold water immersion.
Chris believes that “everyone has their own answers within them and coaching can help them see what they are looking for.”
Jenny Turner
Jenny is one of our young people and family coaches. She specialises supporting adults and children to manage their emotions and behaviour. She now works on building better mental health and well-being for the adults in schools, empowering them to enhance a culture of inclusivity and trust.
Jenny believes “relationships matter. Positive relationships build a sense of connection; children know that they are liked and that they count.”
Peter Woodman
Peter is one of our leadership coaches. He has a background in school leadership and was a secondary headteacher in West Sussex and Worcestershire. He acts as an external advisor to schools, leads training for new headteachers and is as an Ofsted Inspector.
Peter believes that “When people feel better, they can do better.”
Kelli Clifton
Kelli is our fabulous administrator. Queen of organisation, she keeps us on track with projects and makes sure everything runs smoothly.
Our board of directors
In addition to our core team, we are fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm of a group of committed professionals who make up our board of directors. Click here to meet our board.