/ WHO WE ARE
we’re birdsoup; two professionals inextricably linked by shared life experiences and the double X chromosome. but you can call us jo, and alison.
ALISON WILDE
Co-founder
I enjoy (in no particular order): time with my husband and daughter, laughing, my hound, good wine, the sea, dog walks (by the sea), shoes, travel, singing and eating delicious food.
We’ve all been there; after many years working in marketing and new business – despite satisfying chapters with organisations like ITV, AOL, Dentsu Aegis and PHD – I felt the need to change my focus.
I enrolled on the MSc Organisational Behaviour and Coaching at Birkbeck in 2009 and after 2 gruelling years, fuelled almost entirely by coffee and Ritz crackers, I completed the course in 2011.
Since then I have been working with organisations to develop their employees into prize people, providing coaching, 360 feedback andconsultancy.
Maternity coaching is my speciality; it’s a natural crossroads for both the expectant – or returning – mothers and their organisations, but I have seen tangible benefits for both parties in terms of retention and performance.
I love working with women at all stages of their career to help them develop deeper self-awareness, find their strengths, and challenge their negative beliefs (we’re all guilty of it), in order to really grab hold of that career they deserve.
JO HIND
Co-founder
I enjoy many forms of exercise, dancing, margaritas, talking, people, Nordic Noir, Coronation Street and being cooked for. I am a lifelong, long-suffering Norwich City supporter.
We’re talking about careers – yours, your employees’ – but let me take a moment to tell you about my own. My career started out on the media owner side before moving over to the agency world. After a few years, I returned to the (relative) safety of TV.
In 2000, when a lot of the world was dipping their technical toe into the water, I took a chance on the ‘digital’ thing being more than just a fad. I became a native and expanded my brain and adaptability during seven years at Google.
I did my coaching training with the NeuroLeadership Institute. I’m interested in how our brains affect how we feel, how we think and how we behave at work. I focus on developing new ways to deal with obstacles, setbacks and difficult decisions or people. I also train people in all aspects of communication, presenting, influencing and personal impact.
I love to help women maintain the enthusiasm and passion that they entered the workplace with.
