Michael Blackhurst

I was introduced to Michael Blackhurst through a mutual friend at a time when I was feeling exhausted, frustrated and increasingly burnt out. As a consultant surgeon in my fifties, balancing the demands of the NHS, a busy private practice, a new relationship and the complexities of blending two families with teenagers and young adults, life felt overwhelmingly busy and increasingly out of alignment.

Over six months, Michael and I met weekly and worked through his Captaincy framework. What I valued most was that this wasn't about simply becoming more productive or cramming more into an already full life. Instead, Michael helped me step back, understand what was truly important and realign my priorities across the areas that matter most – health, family, relationships, friendships and financial wellbeing.

His approach is thoughtful, practical and grounded in real life. He also helped me navigate several unexpected high-emotion, high-intensity situations that inevitably arise from time to time. Having someone who could provide perspective, challenge my thinking and help me respond rather than react proved invaluable.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the impact Michael had is that, two years later, we still talk regularly, connect and share ideas. What began as coaching evolved into an ongoing friendship built on trust, mutual respect and a shared desire to continue learning and growing.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Michael to anyone who feels successful on the outside but senses that life has become unbalanced, overwhelming or disconnected from what really matters. His Captaincy framework helped me regain clarity, perspective and a much stronger sense of what a good life looks like.

I have worked with Michael for the last three or four years, most recently through his new short-form programme.

I first worked with Michael at a point when I was carrying a lot of responsibility in the business. There were strategic decisions to make, people decisions to work through, financial pressures to manage, and the constant challenge of trying to work out what really needed my attention. It is very easy, when you are running a business, to get pulled into everything at once and lose the ability to step back.

What I have always valued about working with Michael is the quality of his listening. He listens properly, picks up on what is really being said, and helps slow things down enough to think clearly. At the same time, the conversations never drift. He is very good at keeping things moving towards the decisions that actually need to be made.

He does not come in with a fixed model or a set of generic coaching answers. He asks good questions, challenges gently when needed, and helps separate what is genuinely important from what is simply urgent or noisy.

A lot of the work has been around judgement. Where to put my energy. How to approach difficult conversations. How to communicate more clearly. How to stay grounded when there are several competing pressures at the same time. That has been incredibly useful.

The impact has been both practical and personal. I have become clearer about my priorities, more confident in my decision-making, and better able to step back from day-to-day pressure without losing sight of what needs to be done.

Michael is calm, thoughtful and very good at helping people think properly. I would highly recommend him to business owners, senior leaders and anyone carrying responsibility who needs experienced, grounded support alongside them.

I first met Michael when he was working with a friend and colleague. I was setting up my own Private General Practice (as a single-handed practitioner). I was finding it difficult to manage my time between the clinical and business elements of work not to mention family life.

I was feeling quite overwhelmed by the amount of work the administrative side was taking and was afraid of making the jump to employing someone to help with secretarial and other administrative tasks. I struggle with time-management at the best of times, a combination of the nature of the job and what I suspect to be a significant degree of "time blindness" but this was a big issue when dealing with large amounts of clinical and business administrative tasks on top of clinical commitments. Michael helped me to see the value in employing a secretary so I could focus on the clinical care and thus increase the number of clinics I could offer. He taught me some strategies to use for organising, prioritising and planning. One of the most impactful things Michael worked on with me was understanding my own values and how these fit into my personal and working life. On a personal level, I understand myself and the way I work much better, I am less self-critical and focus on using strategies to work round areas of difficulty rather than just feel helpless and frustrated. From the business perspective, his input enabled me to be brave enough to employ a secretary and grow my business by 15% in a year.

Michael has a genuine interest in people and clearly finds joy in supporting them to their goals.

I would recommend Michael to anyone who may be at a crossroad in their career, or embarking on something new and/or outside their comfort zone. His approach is very personalised and he works by helping you to understand what you want and need, as well as how you, as an individual, work.