After years in nursing and mental health project management, Steph Scragg discovered her true calling: guiding people and organisations to step into their power and live with purpose. Combining professional expertise with personal experience, she helps individuals reconnect with their intuition, embrace self-love, and create meaningful, balanced lives. Through her holistic coaching and transformative programs, Steph shows that thriving—personally and professionally—is possible at any stage, and that true impact comes from aligning passion with purpose.

Partnering with individuals & organisations to create transformation. Empowering individuals to thrive & organisations to deliver excellence & lasting impact.

What inspired you to transition from a career in nursing and mental health project management to becoming a life coach and entrepreneur?

After years of working in clinical practice and mental health project management, I realised that while I could create systems, deliver care and improve services, what truly excited me was supporting people to step into their own power and potential. I have always led from a holistic perspective, which is exactly how coaching and quality improvement allow me to combine my professional expertise with my passion for personal transformation, guiding individuals and supporting teams to live lives and work aligned with their values and purpose. Becoming an entrepreneur gave me the freedom to create programs that address the whole person, mind, body and spirit. Bridging the limitations & gaps of traditional healthcare frameworks while also offering solutions that enhance organisational culture and performance.

How did your personal journey of self-love and trusting your intuition influence your approach to coaching?

My personal journey has been pivotal. Learning to trust my intuition and cultivate self-love shifted the way I see challenges, relationships and opportunities. Previous experiences personally have included many times when I have not lived in alignment with my true calling & have been influenced by the perspectives or actions of others – through my own journey of finding purpose and soul alignment, this enables a blended approach encompassing professional knowledge and lived experience. 

In coaching, this translates into helping clients reconnect with their inner guidance and inherent wisdom to shape the life they truly want to live.

For organisations, this means fostering leadership and teams that operate from a place of authenticity, emotional intelligence and aligned decision-making, which boosts engagement, innovation and resilience.

Can you share a defining moment when you realized that living a purposeful life was essential for you and your family?

There have been many defining moments, in all honesty. One of those pivotal moments came early in my project management role supporting community health transformation. I challenged senior leadership about the value being placed on my role, specifically highlighting that other managers at the same level were being paid at a higher band. The response I received was dismissive: I was told that nothing would change and that my experience did not warrant the same recognition.

That moment hit hard. It made me realise that despite my skills and contributions, I was not being truly valued. It also highlighted how my perspective and approach were disruptive within an outdated system. By the end of the role the lack of purpose had become even more apparent. I was being asked to save and document everything, share it widely, knowing full well that none of it would be continued or implemented. Two years of hard work, relationship building, and impact with the communities that needed the support so desperately, and it would simply be filed away. That experience was pivotal because it forced me to reflect on what I truly wanted from my career. I had entered nursing and then project management to help others, be in a space where my contributions were recognised, where I could challenge the status quo to make improvements and where I could create meaningful impact. 

It ultimately planted the seed for my transition into coaching and entrepreneurship, where I could create value in alignment with my purpose and support others in finding the same.

How does your professional experience in mental health and neurodiversity inform your holistic coaching methods?

My background gives me insight into how people process, respond to and handle stress, trauma and neurodiverse ways of thinking. I not only have this clinical knowledge and experience of the challenges within the system from a professional perspective, but also from a lived experience angle, as I have been an advocate for my own son as we have navigated this convoluted system through support & learning of how to achieve the best outcomes for him and our other neurodiverse children. 

I use this understanding to create coaching strategies that are inclusive, compassionate and tailored. In a corporate setting, this translates into building psychologically safe workplaces, promoting neurodiverse talent and equipping leaders with strategies to support team wellbeing, engagement and productivity.

What strategies do you teach clients to manage overwhelm and prevent burnout in high-pressure environments?

I teach clients practical tools such as energy audits, boundary-setting, prioritisation techniques and mindfulness practices. In addition, I facilitate healing and community-based events, as well as immersive experiences, providing clients with dedicated time to pause, reflect and connect with others in a supportive environment. I also nurture consistency in their practice by sharing tools and resources through weekly mailing lists, giving clients ongoing access to these powerful modalities whenever it suits their schedule.

For organisations, I work with leaders and teams to embed systemic solutions and review processes that address workload management, supportive communication frameworks, well-being policies and reflective practices that prevent burnout and sustain high performance across the organisation. I also support organisations with long-term strategic quality improvements, ensuring that structures, processes and initiatives are fully aligned with wider organisational goals. This includes developing expertise, creating progression pathways and implementing strategies that enhance staff retention, build capability and drive sustainable business growth.

How do you help individuals align with their true purpose while balancing personal and professional responsibilities?

I guide clients through clarity exercises, values mapping and purpose-alignment frameworks. Many clients come to me feeling overwhelmed, believing they need to manage every aspect of their lives perfectly. I support them in implementing practical strategies such as setting boundaries, delegating effectively, and trusting those around them. We also work on recognising the unique contributions they bring to the table and releasing the need for perfection. This approach helps clients step out of people-pleasing and trauma-driven patterns, creating space to focus on meaningful action, cultivate alignment and live in accordance with their true purpose.

For corporate leaders and teams, I support aligning organisational strategy, culture and employee experience with core values and purpose. This ensures that individuals can contribute authentically while balancing their personal and professional lives, leading to both engagement and organisational success. Ensuring that staff and leaders feel heard & valued is key to positive outcomes within organisations. Reminding them that we each have professional and personal responsibilities in an ever-demanding world, I support organisations to remember the human aspects that are the underpinning of any organisation’s success.

In your experience, what are the common barriers people face in prioritizing self-love and personal fulfillment?

Common barriers include limiting beliefs, societal expectations, guilt, lack of clarity, and fear of judgment or failure. Interestingly, these are often not only the reasons individuals seek coaching but also the obstacles that prevent them from engaging in the first place. Many believe they cannot prioritise their own growth due to the needs of others, feel they “cannot afford” the time to focus on themselves, or fear what the process might reveal. Only a small percentage of people take the courageous step into coaching and personal development, which is a real shame given the profound benefits and ripple effects it can create.

In organisations, similar barriers exist at a cultural level. Teams often prioritise outputs over wellbeing, leaders struggle with vulnerability, and employees feel pressure to conform rather than thrive. Finances are also commonly perceived as a barrier, with coaching and development seen as costs rather than strategic investments. Yet the true cost of inaction is pain, stagnation, burnout and unfulfilled potential is far greater.

My work addresses both individual and systemic blocks, creating environments where self-awareness, fulfilment and high performance can coexist, enabling both people and organisations to thrive.

How do you integrate physical, mental, and emotional well-being into your coaching programs?

I take a holistic approach that considers the mind, body and emotions as interconnected. Programs include reflective exercises, mindset tools, emotional awareness techniques and practical lifestyle strategies. The level and approach is co-designed with access being enabled to our wider community, The Inspiration Society, where peer support & connection is encouraged. Through initial audits at the start of the journey, we pinpoint the areas for initial focus and ways in which the various aspects of physical health, nutrition, emotional health and mental health all can be supported depending upon the interests, needs and outcomes of the individual.

In organisational settings, I create bespoke programs, workshops and immersive experiences that embed wellbeing into workplace culture, helping teams stay resilient, focused and aligned with organisational values.

What advice would you give to women who feel stuck in “existence” rather than truly living a life of purpose?

I am privileged within my business to work inclusively; the advice is the same, no matter what gender. 

Start small but intentionally. Identify one area you wish to improve upon; it could be as simple as starting to read more or drinking more water. Seek to understand your own values and what this means for achieving your goals, whether it’s setting a boundary, pursuing a passion or prioritising self-care. A life of purpose isn’t a distant destination; it’s a series of daily, conscious choices. 

In corporate life, I also encourage individuals to advocate for alignment in their roles, seek projects that resonate with their strengths and contribute in ways that feel meaningful so they thrive personally and professionally.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for your coaching business and the impact you hope to make on your clients’ lives?

My vision has always been to create transformative programs, immersive experiences and communities that empower individuals and organisations to live fully aligned, purposeful lives. 

For individuals, this means breaking through self-limiting patterns and embracing authenticity. 

For organisations, it means fostering cultures that prioritise wellbeing, engagement and leadership resilience. 

Ultimately, I want my clients, both personal and corporate, not just to survive but thrive, creating ripple effects of fulfilment, innovation and positive impact across workplaces, families and communities.

The business has undergone significant developments recently, which have truly demonstrated the foundational work laid over the past two years. I am currently working with three organisations that are driving large-scale initiatives to improve the quality of their services, not just for staff, but for the communities they serve through strategic projects, training and transformational programmes.

This work perfectly aligns my coaching expertise, clinical knowledge and deep focus on systemic improvement. By bringing this combination of skills to the table, these organisations can embed lasting, impactful change that supports staff development, enhances organisational culture and creates meaningful community impact.

The launch of Inspiration Coaching & Support was born from this vision: to integrate my professional experience with my passion for personal and organisational transformation, supporting both individuals and organisations to unlock their potential, foster self-awareness, and embed sustainable improvements that drive fulfilment, growth and positive change.

Looking ahead, I am eager to grow this work further and am keen to connect with organisations that share a focus on improving staff wellbeing, embedding development opportunities and driving impactful transformation. I am particularly interested in collaborating on initiatives that create long-term value for both people and communities. If this is you or your organisation ,please reach out by emailing [email protected]