How I Found My Voice in Human Skills Coaching

My human skills journey didn’t start with a course, a book, or a lightbulb moment. It started with frustration.

Back in 2021, I stepped into leading the CNS group. Amazing clinicians. Smart. Skilled. Dedicated. But when it came to handling challenging conversations, confidence was close to zero. And it wasn’t their fault.

They were expected to lead… but never given a safe place to practice the skills that leadership actually requires: empathy, self-awareness and regulation, clarity under pressure, dealing with conflict.

It's funny, we obsess over clinical, trade, or teaching skills. We’ll sit through yearly competencies, redo training, study guidelines. But human skills? They’re expected to magically develop on their own.

The truth is, they don’t.

That gap is where everything changed for me. I realised no one was teaching these skills. Not properly. Not consistently. Not safely.
So, I started doing it myself.

And, honestly, I had no idea it would lead me here, writing a blog, running workshops, coaching people from different industries, and trying to help others build confidence under pressure.

This is the beginning of my next chapter. I’m glad you’re here for the ride.

My First Blog (Ever). Why Human Skills Matter More Than We Think.

My first blog… how exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Since launching my business back in January, 2025 I’ve gone through every emotion you can imagine: fear, doubt, excitement, anxiety, anger, and that little voice that says, “Mate, who do you think you are writing a blog?” If you’ve ever hesitated to start something because you didn’t feel ready enough, you’re in good company. This is me ripping the band-aid off. I figured the best place to start is with the beginning — my own human skills journey.

Why now? A colleague once asked why I started running human skills sessions with my team. We spent so much time improving our clinical skills, trade skills, teaching skills… but almost none on communication, emotional intelligence, or confidence under pressure. It went awkwardly quiet for a moment. Then she said: “When you put it that way… yeah, we don’t really do much about it.” That moment stuck with me. Since then I’ve had ideas, doubts, more ideas, more doubts, and eventually I hit that point where you ask yourself,

What’s the worst that would happen if I just tried?

Now I’m almost 40, a dad of 2 and honestly — no one has ever said anything so bad that it wasn’t worth giving something a go. So here we are. The moment everything clicked Back in 2021, I took on the CNS leadership group. Quickly I realised something: People weren’t lacking skill — they were lacking confidence. Challenging conversations, leadership, empathy… these weren’t part of any “competency checklist.” There’s no yearly assessment for emotional intelligence. There’s no curriculum for human skills. Yet these skills are the difference between a good clinician, educator or tradie… and a genuine leader.

What I wish more people understood Emotional intelligence, communication, resilience, motivation — they’re all trainable skills. They’re not personality traits. They’re not magic. They’re not reserved for “good communicators.” If you don’t pick up a guitar and play a whole song perfectly the first time… or walk into a gym and throw 100kg on the bar… why do we expect a difficult conversation to magically go well without practice? Human skills need reps too. And yes, sometimes you’ll get it wrong — and that’s normal. That’s part of the process. One moment I didn’t get it right Early in my Associate Manager role, stress and insecurity got the better of me and I snapped at a nurse. Nothing dramatic — but damaging enough. It hurt our relationship, it dented team morale, and it taught me one of the biggest lessons in leadership:

Pause. Lead with curiosity, not authority.

Trust is built slowly and broken quickly. That moment changed the way I show up for people. What I’m seeing in workplaces everywhere Nursing, childcare, trades, schools — the industries look different, but the challenges are the same. People are exhausted. Communication breaks down. Confidence disappears. Small issues snowball into bigger ones. Most problems don’t come from bad people… they come from people who don’t know how to navigate pressure, conflict, or emotion. Human skills bridge that gap. They make workplaces safer, calmer, clearer, and more connected. One small tool you can use today If you want to grow in any area — pick a skill, share it with someone you trust, and tell them: “I’m practising this. I won’t get it right every time. I want your feedback so I can improve quickly.” That one sentence can completely shift your learning curve.

Why connection matters to me working in emergency care, you see life change in seconds. Families come together when tragedy strikes. People say things they should’ve said months or years earlier. Connection shouldn’t only matter in crisis. The people who seem the most fulfilled are the ones who take a moment to ask a real question, call someone they love just to check in, or pause long enough to truly listen. And sometimes connection saves a life. I’ve seen that first-hand. It’s why I’m doing all of this. What I hope you take away If I can shift your perspective even 1 degree, that’s a win. Try leading with curiosity for one conversation this week. Try pausing for five seconds before you respond. See what changes. Small shifts, over time, lead you somewhere completely different. Where this blog is heading Right now, I just want to share what I’ve learned and why I believe Human Skills Matter. If you’re interested, you can check out my social channels or join my Skool community (it’s free).

This is just the start. Thanks for being here — it honestly means a lot.