About Optimising Strengths
Recalibrating strengths to restore energy, clarity, and confidence
The pause that changed everything
In 2015, after 15 years in the human services, I found myself at a career crossroads. I wasn’t tired from a lack of passion for my work. I was tired from the mismatch between how I was working and what truly gave me energy.
When I studied psychology in the 1990s, there was little focus on strengths or how they support resilience. I didn’t yet understand how my strengths, learned behaviours, and energy interacted. I just knew I needed something more sustainable.
So I pressed pause. I returned to study and took a break to explore the science of positive psychology and wellbeing.
Image © Capp & Co Ltd 2019
The compass I didn’t know I needed
It was during that study that I was introduced to Strengths Profile. Suddenly, things clicked. For the first time, I had language for what I couldn’t yet name. There it was, in black and white, the cost of overplaying my strengths, and the untapped energy in key action-oriented strengths I hadn’t been using.
When I aligned my work with my strengths, dialled up unrealised ones to move from insight to action, and stepped away from what no longer served me, the shift in both energy and impact was clear and lasting.
When a client came to me for career coaching, I remembered how transformational Strengths Profile had been. That rediscovery proved foundational. I became accredited in the tool soon after, and strengths work now sits at the core of how I support others.
When steadiness masks strain
As I began weaving Strengths Profile into my supervision, coaching, and training, it became clear that many of the people I supported were arriving at similar crossroads.
They were capable, caring professionals, often the ones others relied on. Many leaned too heavily on learned behaviours, doing what they’d long been praised for or what systems expected, without realising the toll.
Beneath that steady exterior, the signs of strain were subtle but telling:
Feeling stretched too thin
Questioning whether they were still making an impact
Losing sight of their own strengths while holding space for others
Wanting to lead with integrity, but unsure how to sustain it
Reacting more than reflecting, with little room to plan or realign
This is where strengths work made the invisible visible.
“Sharon’s coaching gave me deeper awareness of my strengths and helped me make my work more sustainable, enjoyable, and energising. I’m now in a much better place to continue our important work without compromising my own wellbeing.”
- Rachel Lafain, Director of Contemporary Coordination
For practitioners feeling depleted, it named behaviours that seemed competent but quietly drained them.
For emerging leaders, it surfaced untapped potential and helped them hear their inner mentor, softening the voice of the inner critic.
And for those contemplating change, it offered a compass. A way to make values-aligned decisions that felt both grounded and energising.
From awareness to alignment
I’ve supported hundreds of human service professionals, graduates, and leaders to reconnect with what gives them energy, purpose, and direction, especially at times of transition.
My work centres on reflective supervision, strategic strengths coaching, and practical training that supports sustainable practice. I draw from positive psychology, social work, and trauma- informed frameworks, always tailored to the person or team in front of me.
"Your listening ear, wisdom, and the safe space you created gave me the opportunity to learn and grow, professionally and personally. Your supervision has truly reignited my faith in what this space can be."
- Manager, Human Services
Whether you’re early in your career or decades in, navigating leadership or contemplating change, I offer a space to pause, reflect, and realign. Together, we explore the patterns draining your energy and the shifts that restore clarity and momentum.
Clients describe our work together as grounding and quietly transformational. A space where they feel both seen and stretched. Where insight brings clarity, and clarity makes room for change.
A bit more about me
I live on Kaurna Country in Adelaide with my husband and two beloved Golden Retrievers.
My 25+ year career has spanned mental health, trauma counselling, university tutoring, and now my consultancy.
I hold degrees in Psychology and Social Work, and a Grad Dip in Positive Psychology.
I’m most grounded in nature, happiest mid-run or hike, and always curious about what helps people flourish.
Why strengths work matters
At the heart of my work is a deep respect for those who show up every day in service of others.
I understand the overburdened systems allied health and human service professionals work within, and the cost of holding space for people in distress. At different points in my own career, I’ve experienced uncertainty, depletion, career pivots, and identity loss. These aren’t just professional challenges. They’re deeply personal.
Strengths work offers more than insight into what energises and quietly depletes us. It gives us language, direction, and permission to live and lead in ways that feel both aligned and sustainable. It’s not about changing who you are. It’s about becoming more of who you’ve always been.
What I offer isn’t a quick fix. It’s space to restore identity and move forward with intention. An invitation into self-leadership that is grounded in reflection, strengths, and relational safety.
Ready to reconnect with what gives you energy?
Let’s explore how we can work together.