Client Experiences
In Their Words
Rachel Lafain
Senior Social Worker, Director - Contemporary Coordination
“I completed a strengths-based profile and coaching session with Sharon from Optimising Strengths, and it gave me a much deeper awareness of my strengths and how to get the most from them. It really helped me refocus across my career, my business, and my roles within Contemporary Coordination.
My goal was to find how I could make my work more sustainable, enjoyable, and energising. Over the past 11 months, I’ve made several changes, and this coaching really helped me reach a much better place to continue the important work we do without compromising my own health and wellbeing.
I also found it very valuable to do Leader Profile coaching to understand more about my key leadership strengths and how I can use these to support Contemporary Coordination, my team, our participants, and those we assist and connect with across the industry.
I would highly recommend strengths profiling and coaching with Sharon to any professional who wants to understand not only what their strengths are, but also how best to apply them, whether working as a sole trader or running a national business.
This style of coaching would be fantastic for students, and I feel that many of our participants with disabilities would benefit from this too. Many people come to services feeling disempowered within a deficit model, so this strengths-based framework is very refreshing.”
Patricia Muncey
Manager Field Education, School of Social Work and Social Care, Adelaide University
Participant, Strengths Compass for Leaders Workshop (2 days)
“I attended Sharon’s Strengths Compass for Leaders workshop and found it to be an insightful and perceptive approach to supporting students to identify and work with their strengths.
Sharon brings a calm and knowledgeable presence to facilitation and group discussion. I came away with a clear understanding of how this strengths-based approach can be applied in practice, particularly in educational and supervisory contexts.”
Charlotte Blue
Social Work Practitioner
“Sharon’s mentorship had a profound impact on me, both personally and professionally. Her support was deeply attuned to how I learn, think, and communicate, which made every interaction feel thoughtful, respectful, and genuinely supportive. The care she brought to our conversations, including the time and attention she gave before and after our sessions, created a sense of being truly seen and understood.
What stood out most was Sharon’s ability to understand me at a deep level as a person, not just as a developing practitioner. She translated that understanding into strengths-based guidance that helped me see how I could thrive in my social work career, rather than simply fit into it. Through this process, I gained clarity about which aspects of social work genuinely give me energy, and how these align with my values, interests, and ways of working.
The strengths-focused work helped me connect the dots between what challenges and stimulates me intellectually and the environments in which I do my best work. As a result, I was able to identify and move into a role that feels like a true embodiment of those insights: a values-based workplace that recognises and values me as a person and as a team member, offers responsibility, and provides work that is meaningful, challenging, and mentally engaging.
Sharon’s mentorship never felt like being fixed or directed. It felt like being supported to understand myself more clearly, and to move forward with confidence, self-trust, and purpose.”
Cherice Jenner
Training Specialist
“Doing the Leader Strengths Profile was particularly helpful as I prepared to step back into a people leadership role. In previous management roles, I tended to get a little burned out, and I wanted to better understand how I could use my existing strengths in a way that didn’t bleed as much into my personal time.
Completing the profiling at that point enabled me to set myself up more sustainably for leading a team within a very busy IT program. It helped me identify which strengths I was overplaying, and how these were linked to learned behaviours I had also come to rely on too heavily. Seeing how these patterns interacted gave me insight into why the balance had been slipping over time. The questions Sharon asked helped me recognise which underplayed strengths I could draw on to restore that balance.
The process also uncovered an unrealised strength that I had not previously had the opportunity to focus on in my work. At the time, I was already contemplating my next career steps, knowing I was nearing the end of my time in the sector I was working in. This work helped me see those possibilities more clearly.
The way the strengths framework builds on what is already working, rather than focusing on deficits, made this an incredibly rewarding experience. That approach was particularly helpful at a point where I was already reflecting on how I could do things differently.
I’m very grateful for Sharon’s time, her considerate approach, and the guidance she offered. This work has supported me to become a more effective leader and has helped me move towards roles that feel more aligned with how I want to work in the later stages of my career.”
Sandra Constantine
Senior Practitioner
Participant, Strengths Compass for Leaders Workshop (2 days)
“This workshop challenged me in all the right ways, not just in content, but in the quality of interaction and reflection it encouraged.
Sharon held the space with confidence, calm, and deep knowledge. No matter what was raised, she responded with care and relevance, especially for those navigating real workplace challenges.
Her willingness to share personal examples made the learning feel authentic and grounded. I left with a lot to reflect on, and a strong sense that this work matters.
A great workshop that I’ll be recommending to others.”