Karen Bannister

​I’ve always enjoyed things with wheels. After leaving the safety of my pram, my parents supervised my first outing in a car – a red model with pedals and steering wheel – in the safety of our garden. Since then, I have tried tricycles, bicycles, roller skates, roller blades, mountain bikes and motorbikes – and I almost forgot, proper motor cars.
Not all of my interests revolve around wheels. I enjoy making music as a keyboard player, and singing alto in a local choir. When the weather allows, I’ll be in the garden doing something creative, walking in the local woods or out riding something on two wheels. Otherwise, I will be doing adult colouring or blowing things up on my PS4. And yes, Grand Theft Auto is brilliant!
Before training as an ADI, most of my working experience was in retail and Civil Service offices. I was really fortunate to be offered two opportunities to manage my own departments in musical instrument retail shops where I specialised in the accessories and printed music areas. This was my dream job, and I was really sad to leave after 11 years when the shop closed. I had already started my ADI training, starting on a pink badge one month later, and was called for jury service immediately after that for 3 weeks! My experience as a motorcycle instructor would prove to be useful alongside my retail skills in my new career.
I was first aware of “coaching” in 2004 when my PDI mentioned she was doing an NLP Practitioner’s Diploma course in London. Intrigued, I researched this and discovered a deep subject which was way above my understanding. But this was the start of something new…
In 2007, my development as an ADI led me to meet John Farlam for his amazing 2-day one-to-one Skills Development course in Buxton. I later found out that he went on to be part of the Tri-Coaching management team. He was also rather good with NLP and coaching, having been a therapist before coming to the ADI industry.
2009 saw me training for my Clinical Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (including modules on NLP, anxiety/phobias and stress management). After witnessing my learner fail her test and be told “…you really should do something about your nerves!” I thought this might give me more resources to assist my learners, and help me understand all this client-centred NLP stuff at a deeper level. I considered giving up my badge to build a therapy practice, but aware of my strengths and weaknesses, decided to amalgamate the two skillsets and continue towards gaining ORDIT registration. I signed up for the Tri-Coaching BTEC4 in 2016 to help me achieve this, as well as to give me a focus over winter and freshen my outlook. I’m pleased to say I was awarded the BTEC4 in 2017, followed by the TCIT course which gave me the confidence to succeed in gaining entry to the ORDIT register in 2019.
Recently, I have been delivering my “Confident Driver/Plus” courses to full licence holders who believe their fear/anxiety/loss of confidence holds them back from driving. Using my eclectic mix of therapeutic and client-centred techniques, I am able to empower them towards achievement of their goals. For me, seeing that happen is the best feeling in the world.
Now, I am proud to bring my 20 years’ experience in the ADI profession to the Tri-Coaching team. As a relative “newbie” to the trainer’s group, I have been impressed with their ethos, and how I am made to feel valued as a person rather than someone who just pays to do their training courses. I believe I have so much to offer, and being a Tri-Coaching trainer is a unique privilege, enabling me to deliver what I consider to be the best industry training in the UK.