Carolyn Parry BA (Hons), FRSA, FHEA, FIEEP, FCDI, RCDP
A multi-award-winning career and life coach, TEDx speaker, non-exec director, podcaster and author of her recently published book, 'Change Your Story: Escape from a job you hate and create a career you love – on purpose’', Carolyn Parry is a recent past President, Chair of the Board, and Fellow of the Career Development Institute.
Her background as a professional of over forty years’ standing includes a pivotal mid-life shift from a successful but soul-eroding 17-year management career across property, international software, and defence and tech publishing into career development work after a period of burnout. She spent almost 15 years at Aberystwyth University, where she progressed from trainee careers adviser to careers and employability director and equality champion, before founding Career Alchemy, her career and life coaching practice, in 2015.
Carolyn specialises in supporting lost and frustrated early/mid-career professionals and executives online through career challenges and change. She is qualified and experienced in a wide range of coaching, therapeutic, and stress related techniques. She uses her own research-proven career change methodology and toolkit called ‘INSPiRED’ to help clients gain career clarity and confidence so they can use more of their potential to enjoy greater fulfilment and achieve more purposefully without burning out.
Her organisational client base includes UK and Welsh Government, university providers including Aberystwyth, USW, UWTSD, Loughborough, Newcastle and NPTC; associations and bodies including the CDI, AGCAS, the QAA, and HELOA; councils including Gwynedd and Lambeth, charities including NESTA and PRIME Cymru, and business organisations including Antur Cymru, Pugh Computers, EY, and Unilever.
A member of the Careers Writers Association, her expertise and interests include career change, values, purpose, confidence, and motivation; achievers, women’s career development; entrepreneurship; the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the impact of AI on careers; and career wellbeing for high and overachievers. In addition to her careers and life coaching related qualifications, she is also trained in the use of journalling, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, emotional intelligence, Belbin team role theory and several complementary therapies.
A previous national trainer for members of AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services), and an Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Fellowship and Student Led Learning and Teaching Award winner, Carolyn was the 2017 recipient of the CDI’s UK Careers Adviser/Career Coach of the Year. She went on to receive two business awards for start-up and growth from King Charles while HRH Prince of Wales and was awarded a £20,000 grant from the UK Cabinet Office (No. 10 Downing Street) for career development work with parents and teenagers through ‘Careers Advice for Parents’, part of Career Alchemy.
Carolyn has over twenty years’ experience as a company director and more than ten years’ experience as a non-executive director. She currently serves as a Trustee Director on the Board of Antur Cymru, a £4M social enterprise that helps rural Welsh businesses start and grow, and, until recently, was also on the Board of Ceredigion Citizens Advice, part of the UK-wide network of Citizens Advice charities.
It is fair to say that Carolyn Parry is an example of an archetypal achiever.
Her background as a professional of over forty years’ standing includes a pivotal mid-life shift from a successful but soul-eroding 17-year management career across property, international software, and defence and tech publishing into career development work after a period of burnout. She spent almost 15 years at Aberystwyth University, where she progressed from trainee careers adviser to careers and employability director and equality champion, before founding Career Alchemy, her career and life coaching practice, in 2015.
Carolyn specialises in supporting lost and frustrated early/mid-career professionals and executives online through career challenges and change. She is qualified and experienced in a wide range of coaching, therapeutic, and stress related techniques. She uses her own research-proven career change methodology and toolkit called ‘INSPiRED’ to help clients gain career clarity and confidence so they can use more of their potential to enjoy greater fulfilment and achieve more purposefully without burning out.
Her organisational client base includes UK and Welsh Government, university providers including Aberystwyth, USW, UWTSD, Loughborough, Newcastle and NPTC; associations and bodies including the CDI, AGCAS, the QAA, and HELOA; councils including Gwynedd and Lambeth, charities including NESTA and PRIME Cymru, and business organisations including Antur Cymru, Pugh Computers, EY, and Unilever.
A member of the Careers Writers Association, her expertise and interests include career change, values, purpose, confidence, and motivation; achievers, women’s career development; entrepreneurship; the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the impact of AI on careers; and career wellbeing for high and overachievers. In addition to her careers and life coaching related qualifications, she is also trained in the use of journalling, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, emotional intelligence, Belbin team role theory and several complementary therapies.
A previous national trainer for members of AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services), and an Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Fellowship and Student Led Learning and Teaching Award winner, Carolyn was the 2017 recipient of the CDI’s UK Careers Adviser/Career Coach of the Year. She went on to receive two business awards for start-up and growth from King Charles while HRH Prince of Wales and was awarded a £20,000 grant from the UK Cabinet Office (No. 10 Downing Street) for career development work with parents and teenagers through ‘Careers Advice for Parents’, part of Career Alchemy.
Carolyn has over twenty years’ experience as a company director and more than ten years’ experience as a non-executive director. She currently serves as a Trustee Director on the Board of Antur Cymru, a £4M social enterprise that helps rural Welsh businesses start and grow, and, until recently, was also on the Board of Ceredigion Citizens Advice, part of the UK-wide network of Citizens Advice charities.
It is fair to say that Carolyn Parry is an example of an archetypal achiever.