Urbanity

Until recently, the role of life coach or image consultant wasn't taken seriously, but things have changed. As the workplace becomes tougher and personal goals higher, it's a strength not a weakness to look to outside professionals for assistance in your career or private life. You may need to be more assertive in the boardroom, motivate your staff, get on with colleagues, inspire clients, connect with your partner, win love and respect from your children, and learn to like yourself. It also helps to look good and dress well but as the rules of menswear crumble, and the yawning gulf of "smart casual" opens up, it's easy to make mistakes. So welcome to Urbanity, a newish (launched last year) men only lifestyle consultancy which address issues such as image styling, personal shopping, interior design, dating (ugh, tricky that one) and life coaching. Founder Lisa Bathurst has built on her experience in the fashion industry with further qualifications in psychology, image consulting and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) a technique familiar through the high-profile work of Paul McKenna. Bathurst's clients are chiefly company directors and City professionals. "When it comes to their relationships, image, and personal lives, some of the most successful men tend to lack confidence," she says. "I get a real buzz helping the ordinary man become extraordinary, and I provide the skills and motivation to change their lifestyle so it is more fulfilling." Urbanity creates bespoke packages and services for their clients - many of which can be arranged for just a single day if required. Naturally utter discretion is guaranteed and clients receive extensive advice and support, a follow-up service and recommendations to preferred suppliers. Call 020 7691 9060 or email us@urbanitylondon.com or visit www.urbanitylondon.com

The Handel Group

A more established player on the life coaching scene is the Handel Group, an international company founded by a pioneer in this field, the dynamic American Lauren Zander. Her sister Beth Weissenberger is co-founder and C.E.O. The European division is headed up by Anne Jensen Chatroux who has 15 years experience with hundreds of professionals at global blue-chip companies such as BP, Conoco-Phillips and Sony Ericson. Her fluency in five languages helps, as does a decade of working with one of the world's largest investment banks. Jensen Chatroux is proud of her ability to evolve the human dynamics and politics of corporations large and small. The Handel Group describes its role as "teaching corporations, institutions and individuals to take focused and powerful action in every area of life" and this can include being successful at work, saving a marriage, giving up smoking, losing weight, being more productive, managing change or simply being happy. The group's repertoire includes private coaching, corporate consulting, seminars and workshops, and an education division. For the past two years, The Handel Group has partnered with American intellectual powerhouse MIT to develop the groundbreaking course, Living an Extraordinary Life, as part of the Science, Technology and Society Program. This course, taught by HG Founder and MIT Visiting Scholar Lauren Zander, provides an exciting, eye-opening, and thoroughly useful inquiry into what it takes to live an extraordinary life. The course has been so successful that MIT funded a grant for its continuation. In addition, this non-credit elective has now been offered to the Sloan Fellows at the MIT Sloan School of Management. UK and European enquiries can be directed to London-based Anne Jensen Chatroux on 020 7602 0631 or 07787 548 817 or email anne@handelgroup.com or visit www.handelgroup.com