Before setting up her coaching business, Denise was an award-winning manager in the corporate world where she specialised in managing high-performing teams. It was whilst on her own leadership development journey that she realised she was on the wrong career path. Denise resigned from her corporate role and started up a mobile coffee van business; serving fresh coffee to visitors at shows, events and festivals across the UK- for which she won a Small Business Award.
Denise’s passion for people’s development and wellbeing led her to establish her second business, Barceidillo Ltd. She designed and delivered health and wellbeing programmes, focused on managing stress, to help leaders build their resilience in the workplace. It was a fantastic accolade when The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) used Denise’s work with QVC Shopping Channel as a case study.
Denise found her true calling in coaching and went on to train with The Coaches Training Institute and qualified as a Certified Professional Co-active Coach (CPCC), accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She set up her third business Denise Chilton Ltd in 2010 and since then has accumulated over 2500 hours of coaching experience supporting and developing managers, leaders and teams in organisations across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, nationally and internationally.
Denise has a number of long term partnerships with a range of SME and award-winning not for profit organisations providing coaching and leadership management programmes to support senior people and their teams through organisational change and growth.
For over 10 years, Denise has also been an approved business, career and executive coach and facilitator at the University of Liverpool where she delivers management training programmes for new and aspiring managers and 1:1 and group coaching for early career and mid-senior academics and professional services staff. She is an approved career coach on the award-winning Prosper, a 6-month career development programme aimed at unlocking postdocs’ potential to thrive in multiple career pathways.
In addition to running her own coaching business, Denise works as an Associate Coach and facilitator for Beyond Coaching and its sister company, Health Coaching Academy. She has worked since 2015 as part of their coaching team delivering on a number of NHS England national coaching and leadership development initiatives supporting healthcare professionals across primary and secondary care. She delivers training on their four-day Health Coach Skills programme, accredited by EMCC.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, she was privileged to be invited to join the award-winning NHS Looking After You Too service, offering coaching to both clinical and non-clincal primary care staff to manage their psychological wellbeing and build resilience.
A published author, Denise’s first book Suddenly Single was published in 2017. It aims to help women move on after the loss of a significant relationship. In the same year, she was recognised for her work, championing women leaders and awarded ‘Mentor of the Year’ by Northern Power Women. Ultimately, Denise lives her life on purpose. She knows what is important to her and why she is here. She is passionate and committed to helping others do the same.
Denise adopts the Co-Active Model in her coaching relationships which simply means ‘being in action…together’. She believes in helping people to build upon their strengths and recognises her clients’ natural resourcefulness. By staying curious and asking the right questions, she trusts that her clients will find the answers to their own questions.
With an innate ability to motivate people, Denise connects and engages with people at all levels. Her clients are stretched to raise their levels of self-awareness, to look at things from new or different perspectives, and to gain a greater understanding as to what’s going on “beneath the surface” so they can move forward.
Coaching is a process of self-discovery and Denise offers a safe and non-judgemental space where clients can identify, explore and overcome the barriers that hold them back from making the changes they want and achieving their full potential. Her guidance helps clients to understand what is really important to them and supports them to create a fulfilling life for themselves in which they fully show up.
The agenda for the coaching sessions comes from the client which means that the coaching is focused on getting the result that the client wants – not what anyone else wants for them!
Coaching Qualifications
and Accreditations
Jan 2023 | Systemic Coaching and Constellations F1 and F2 |
Oct 2022 | Emotional Culture Deck – Certificate of Practice |
Nov 2021 | Clarity 4D Accreditation |
Mar 2020 | Advanced Coaching with Neuroscience |
Nov 2019 | DISC Accreditation |
Mar 2019 | 3 Day CTI Leadership Experience |
Dec 2017 | ILM Coaching Supervision Level 7 |
Feb 2014 | Professional Certifield Coach, International Coach Federation, PCC |
Jun 2013 | ILM 5 Coaching in Clean Language |
Feb 2013 | Strengths Profile Accreditation |
Mar 2012 | Organisational and Relationship Coaching Fundamentals |
Oct 2011 | Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, CPCC Accredited Coach, International Coach Federation, ACC |
Jun 2010 | CTI Core Curriculum Coaching Programme |
Sep 2009 | ITOL Accredited Accelerated Learning Trainer |
Aug 2008 | Mental Health First Aider |
Mar 2006 | Corporate and Professional Stress Management Diploma |