What we do

 

We provide coaching, therapy and training that addresses the root cause of the challenges you face and supports you to find a place of strength from which to grow your professional and personal life. We work from a systemic perspective, which means that we consider your issues within the context of the systems to which you belong: your family, culture, personal biography, the dynamics within your team, the culture and history of your organisation, and so on. The Libra Partnership honours the seen and the unseen dynamics that inform all facets of your professional and personal life. We support you to find strength in and with them. We strive for your potential.

We have three core offerings: lawyer coaching and training; executive coaching; systemic constellation therapy.

You can read more about our individual stories, qualifications and varied training below.

When people first meet us, they ask: “How did you two meet?” The answer is simple. We met in a pub.

In the fading light of a late summer’s day, a conversation started. Among some differences, many common interests revealed themselves. Most notably, our shared interest in personal development and the innumerable benefits this brought to the professional realm.

As our discussions continued, we discovered that our differences and similarities when combined held the material to forge a healthy and productive working relationship. At that time, neither of us had any idea that this conversation would bring us to where we stand today.

When the mind of a lawyer meets with the mindset of a coach, preconceived boundaries retreat. Limits on what is possible dissolve. Choices are significantly enhanced. 

As our relationship grew, a theme continued to present itself: what is unique about our shared skills and vision?

We soon realised that we each had perspectives, experience and learning that conventions usually keep separate. Combining these differences revealed a rich and resourceful seam of learning and creativity.

There is an apparent gap between creativity and logic; it does not have to be that way. There is an imaginary space between the past, the present and the future. The imagined space is apparent, not real: we all know that our past and future reside in our present. There is an outmoded belief that our personal lives and professional lives are distinct from each other. Yet, we all remain at the centre of both, and bring each into the other. 

When we bridge these gaps, rattle perceptions and challenge outmoded beliefs, new opportunities reveal themselves, often in surprising and exciting ways.  And with opportunity comes the space to grow.

Our goal at The Libra Partnership is to empower you to harness these opportunities.

  • James Pereira KC is a certified coach and award-winning lawyer. He brings the same standards of quality, care and excellence to his coaching as he does to his legal practice. 

    James’s calling as a coach was born out of his personal experiences grappling with the demands of performing at the top end of the legal profession.  He achieved conspicuous success early in his legal career, twice winning UK Chambers and Partners’ prestigious Junior Barrister of the Year award and taking silk at the young age of 42. And yet he faced many of the personal challenges that high performing professionals confront daily – fear of failure, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, over-work, poor boundaries and life-work balance, physical exhaustion, to name a few. Finding nowhere to turn for support, he eventually succumbed to burn out, family break down and physical collapse in 2014.

    He then faced the question: do I give up, or find a better way of living and working?

    Fortunately he chose to find a better way.

    After several years of deep, patient attention to his own issues and challenges and absorbing learning from disciplines beyond the world of law, he found the results so strengthening for his personal and professional life that he trained in the same coaching and therapy that he had received himself. Now he offers professional coaching and therapy to others so they can find their own strength and their own way to thrive within the challenges that life brings.

    QUALIFICATIONS   

    • Associate Certified Coach, International Coaching Federation 2019-2024, currently in process for PCC Certification

    • Organisational, Relationship and Systems Coaching (ORSC) (Global Centre for Right Relationship, London)

    • Systemic Business Coaching (Whole Partnership, London)

    • NLP Master Practitioner (trained by Dr. Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP)

    • Systemic family therapy and constellations coaching (Centre for Systemic Constellations, London)

    • Treating Trauma (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine, USA)

    • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Health and Social Care Professionals (British Mindfulness Institute)

    • Foundations in Raja Yoga Meditation (Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University)

    • Member of the International Coaching Federation and The Mindfulness in Law Society of the USA

    • MA (Cambridge), LLM (London)

    • Former Visiting Professor of Law, King’s College, London

    • Practicing Barrister and King’s Counsel, Francis Taylor Building, Inner Temple, London

  • Zita came to coaching after a successful career in the demanding and highly competitive arena of the US fashion industry. Her creative talents and high standards of professionalism led to her being sought after by major corporations and household names including Sony Music, Gap, MTV, Budweiser, Warner Bros, Banana Republic, Universal Studios, Elle and Vanity Fair magazine. She has been responsible for supporting the public images of numerous high-profile celebrities in the world of sports and entertainment, including Kobe Bryant, David Beckham, Teddy Pendergrass, Mandy Moore, The Cranberries, Snoop Dogg, Run DMC, Diana Ross, and Justin Timberlake.

    Through her work, Zita gained insights into the culture of the corporate world and the needs of high-performance individuals. These insights allowed her to develop strong leadership skills and refine the art of thinking and communicating both rationally and creatively outside the box.

    It was during this time that Zita developed a keen interest in people and systems, and how they interrelated with each other, and how to bring out the best in talented individuals who need to perform under pressure. 

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • Systemic Coach and Constellations Facilitator, Foundation+Applied Training (Centre for Systemic Constellations, London)

    • Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner (Hypnosis Motivational Institute, USA)

    • Trained coach (Hudson Institute, USA)

    • Systemic Business Coaching with Constellations (Whole Partnership, London)

    • International Training Camp, systemic family constellations, Bert Hellinger, Germany

    • Certification in Trauma Therapy (Centre for Systemic Constellations, London)

    • Over 12 years’ experience as a coach working in the USA, Sweden and the UK, after a successful career as a leading stylist in the fashion industry

    • BA in Historical Studies, Portsmouth University

    • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

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