Leadership coaching and mentoring for hospitality and retail leaders who want to stop firefighting and start leading with clarity, confidence and intention.
30+ years in hospitality and retail leadership
Former Managing Director of a bar and restaurant group
Certified & Accredited leadership coach
I’m Sarah.
I coach leaders in hospitality and retail who care deeply about their people and their businesses, and want to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
My clients are often brilliant at what they do but stretched thin, stuck in reactive cycles, and ready to lead differently. Together, we create space to pause, think, and work out what really matters. You’ll build the confidence to make clear decisions, the habits that keep you grounded, and the self-awareness to lead in a way that feels true to you.
This is real, practical coaching that helps you shift how you think, lead, and live. Because the strongest leaders know who they are - and lead from there..
You might be here because…
You’re constantly firefighting and rarely get space to think.
You care deeply about your team but the pressure of leadership is heavy.
You’re brilliant at what you do, but you’re running on empty.
You want to lead with more clarity and intention, not just react to what’s urgent.
You’re ready to pause, reflect, and lead differently.
That’s where coaching can help.
How I can support you
There are a few different ways we can work together, depending on what you or your business need most.
1:1 Leadership Coaching & Mentoring
A confidential space to pause, think clearly, and work through the real challenges of leadership. Drawing on both coaching and mentoring, I support hospitality and retail leaders to develop the clarity, confidence, and self-awareness needed to lead well in demanding environments.
Group Coaching (The Growth Collective)
A small-group coaching experience that brings together hospitality leaders from different departments and levels of leadership. Through conversation, collaboration and shared reflection, you’ll gain perspective, build stronger leadership habits, and discover you’re not the only one navigating these challenges.
Team Coaching
Coaching that brings leadership teams together to strengthen how they communicate, make decisions, and lead together. I meet with the business first to understand what the team needs most, then design sessions that build trust, alignment, and clearer ways of working - helping the team improve performance and support stronger commercial results.
Business Coaching & Mentoring
Coaching for hospitality business owners and senior leaders who want space to step back from the day-to-day and think more strategically about their business. Together we clarify priorities, strengthen decision-making, and focus on the actions that will help the business grow commercially and sustainably.
My Story
I’ve enjoyed many leadership roles within hospitality and retail over the last 30 years. I speak the language and understand the nuances of our industry in the real world.
Before I set up Nine Yards Coaching, I was the Managing Director of a start-up bar and restaurant group for 7 years. Prior to that, I worked with a number of well-respected blue-chip companies, ranging from wine bars and pubs to sandwich shops and restaurants.
Over the years I’d fulfilled others' business dreams and also been in the driving seat of my own dream machine, yet I still felt like something was missing. The irony is that I already had the answers and the ability(!) but wasn’t sure how to navigate my next steps.
My commitment to personal growth - both mine and others' - comes from my own experiences with great coaches.
In uncertain times, they helped me find courage and solutions. Becoming a certified and accredited coach has strengthened my skills and passion for supporting hospitality leaders, driven by my belief that everyone has the ability to be extraordinary.
