Introducing The Calm Instructor Group: A Personal Journey to Calm Confidence

In our world as instructors, trainers, and coaches, we spend a lot of time sharpening our skills.

Lesson plans. Fault analysis. Route planning. Standards Check prep. Client-centred learning. We know the techniques, we practise the methods, and we chase the confidence that comes from being good at what we do.

But over time, I noticed something was missing.

Let me start with this: I’ve lived with anxiety for as long as I can remember.

For years, it became just part of the scenery — a background hum I thought was normal. Sometimes it showed up as over-the-top energy, the life and soul of the room. Other times, it left me frozen with dread at the thought of a simple conversation. I’ve felt the highs and the palpitations, the loud laughter and the silent spirals.

Years ago, I tried managing it with medication, but in 2013 I took a different path and began studying clinical hypnotherapy. I’ve always found comfort in understanding why my brain reacts the way it does. That curiosity quickly grew into something more — I wanted to help others like me. That led me to study clinical NLP, and eventually I opened my own practice, supporting people through their own emotional landscapes.

And yet… something still felt misaligned. Sitting in an office all day didn’t fit who I was.

So I trained to become a driving instructor — and I struck gold. I trained with someone independent and ahead of her time in coaching and client-centred learning. It lit a spark.

Now, I’ll be honest. I passed my Part 3 on my third attempt. I scraped through with what was then a 4/4. Everyone told me, “A pass is a pass.” And they were right. But inside, I felt like a fraud. I carried that imposter syndrome for a long time — and it shaped what came next.

In the latter half of the 2010s, my mental health hit rock bottom. My anxiety became so intense I ended up with severe night-time bruxism that actually displaced my jaw. On the outside? I kept the mask on. The funny Steve. The strong one. But inside, it was a different story.

That feeling of not being enough drove me to throw myself into CPD — everything from instructor training to the BTEC Level 4 in Coaching for Driver Development with Tri-Coaching. And then came 2020.

Covid changed everything. Like every ADI, I watched my business grind to a halt overnight. I was already struggling — and the uncertainty sent me spiralling. But strangely, once the dust settled, lockdown gave me something precious: time to breathe, reflect, and focus on my own mental health.

Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of learners, returners, and anxious drivers to help shift behaviours and reduce risk on the road. I’ve studied even more, built new techniques, and continued that journey of understanding how our minds impact performance — behind the wheel and in life.

Looking back now, it’s clear: everything I’ve done over the past 15 years has been leading here.

The Calm Instructor Group isn’t just about creating confident drivers. It’s about us — the instructors, the trainers, the coaches — becoming confident too. Because here’s what I believe:

We cannot create calm, confident learners if we’re not also creating calm, confident instructors.

When I failed my first two Part 3 attempts, it wasn’t because I didn’t know what I was doing. My trainer was brilliant — I was ready on paper. But anxiety clouded my mind and blocked my ability to perform. I knew what to do. I knew how to do it. But I couldn’t show it. Sound familiar?

That experience lives in so many of us — whether you’re a learner, a returner, a PDI, or an ADI. Knowing what to do isn’t enough. We need the calm mind that allows that knowledge to come through.

That’s why I created The Calm Instructor Group.

💭 A Space for Calm — And a Space for New Thinking

Over the last few years, I’ve also found myself questioning some of the long-established models in our industry. Models like the GDE (Goals for Driver Education) framework have shaped driver education for years — and for good reason. It gave us structure, it made risk visible, and it opened up deeper thinking about behaviour and beliefs.

But here’s the controversial part — and I say this with respect for everything it has offered:

I think it’s time to move on.

For me, the GDE has become too cognitive, too analytical, and sometimes too rigid. It often fails to address what’s really going on beneath the surface: the emotional dysregulation, the limiting beliefs, the subconscious habits, the trauma responses. You can talk “Level 3” and “Level 4” all day — but if someone’s nervous system is overloaded, none of that lands.

We don’t need more theory. We need tools that actually help people feel safe enough to access the knowledge they already have.

That’s why The Calm Instructor Group takes a different approach. We don’t ignore the frameworks — we integrate the best of them. But we go deeper. We work with the whole person, including the parts the GDE doesn’t reach.

Sometimes that means using language that connects, not corrects.

Sometimes that means ditching performance models and just breathing.

Sometimes that means asking, “What do you need in this moment?” instead of sticking to a script.

It might be controversial. But I believe it’s where we need to go if we really want to reduce road risk and improve wellbeing — for learners and instructors alike.

🌱 What’s Already Here (and What’s Coming)

The Calm Instructor Group is built on three clear paths — the first of which is called Calm Instructor | Confident Instructor. This is CPD with a difference. Not just skills-focused — but emotionally intelligent. Here’s a glimpse of what’s already here or in the pipeline:

• The Calm & Confident Part 3 – helping you perform under pressure, not just pass a test

• Your Powerful Mind – harnessing NLP, mindset, and self-awareness tools

• The Calm Approach to Challenging Clients – keeping your composure when others lose theirs

• Empowered by Feedback – how to reflect, not recoil

• The Subconscious Standards Check Workbook – ditching the tick-box mindset and finding flow

• The Complete Calm Instructor | Confident Instructor Training Pathway – qualifying with purpose, not panic

We’ve also got CPD workshops for techniques to regulate your own emotions, build learner trust, and help your students feel safe, seen, and supported — even when things get tough.

🤔 Who Is This For?

The Calm Instructor Group is for anyone who’s ever thought:

“Why does my mind go blank when it matters most?”

“Why do I feel like I’m faking it?”

“Why does feedback feel so personal?”

“Why can’t I stop overthinking?”

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I’m here to help you discover your answers. To give you tools I wish I’d had when I was just starting out. And to remind you that confidence doesn’t mean perfection — it means calm, clarity, and connection.

Whether you’re an instructor, a trainee, a returner, or a nervous driver: you belong here.

Let’s stop chasing calm.

Let’s start creating it.

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