Who am I?

Professional Background

Before becoming a coach and therapist, I first worked in the educational and social care fields in the UK, then after moving to France in 2007, I spent ten years in higher education in Paris and Lyon juggling language teaching, academic and administrative responsibilities, sociolinguistic research, and communication work.

After reaching the point of no return with burnout and systemic frustrations in education, and wanting to contribute more directly to people’s wellbeing, I chose to retrain in coaching and therapy. I’ve been certified since 2019 and now work with people living with addictions, eating disorders, and neurodivergence. My approach blends solid training with lived experience, and a deep understanding of the societal, cultural, and individual contexts in which we all evolve.I also collaborate with organisations such as FEDUP (a trans and intersex peer support collective around eating disorders) and She Recovers (a global community for women and non-binary people in recovery), and I facilitate The Duckpond, my own therapeutic recovery support group.

photograph of Jo Anne, smiling with bright red hair, at her desk in front of a bookcase arranged by colour and need to read.

Personal Background

Bilingual and bicultural (I take my coffee black but my tea with milk), I was born and raised in the UK, then settled in France in 2007. After fifteen years in Paris and Lyon, I chose Dieppe in 2022 for a slower pace of life that allows me to connect more deeply to what truly matters.

My personal journeys, like my professional ones, have been shaped by a search for balance, understanding, and autonomy. Since 2019, deepening my own understanding and practices of recovery has allowed me to explore the connections between body, emotion, and behaviour, as well as the ways our individual situations shape our experiences.

Today, my practice is grounded in an integrative and compassionate approach: a life guided as much as possible by clarity, curiosity, and respect for individual, changeable pace and capacity.

photograph taken at the beach in Dieppe (Normandy, France) at low tide, with the sun setting and waves flowing in and out.

Training and certifications

I continue to train regularly around themes of recovery, neurodivergence, and inclusive support.

2025 She Recovers Certified Coach, She Recovers Foundation
2023 Recovery Coach Professional, CCAR – Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery
2022 Support Group Facilitator Training, FEDUP Collective
2022 30-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Mindful Life Practice (focus: group facilitation and mindfulness)
2019 Professional Certified Coach, PCC ICF / RNCP, Coaching Ways France
2013 CELTA, University of Cambridge / British Council (via International House Paris)
2010 Volunteer training, SOS Help (English-language equivalent of SOS Amitié in France, equivalent to Samaritans support hotline)
2006 BA (Hons) French, English and Linguistics, University of Sheffield (specialisation: sociolinguistics, focussing on queer and trans communities)