About Vivien
Moriarty |
Therapeutic
Life Coach
in Bristol.
Hello, I’m Vivien. I’m a qualified Therapeutic Coach based in Bristol, working with individuals and couples both in person and online.
For over ten years I’ve supported people through periods of change, uncertainty, and personal growth. During that time I’ve worked with hundreds of clients navigating challenges such as anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt, relationship difficulties, major life transitions, and questions about direction and purpose.
My work combines the reflective depth of therapy with the forward movement of coaching - helping people understand themselves more clearly and develop practical, meaningful ways to move forward in their lives.
Whether you’re looking for life coaching or relationship coaching in Bristol at my Bedminster practice or online, I offer a space that combines the depth of therapy with the forward momentum of coaching.
From Corporate Leadership to Therapeutic Coaching in Bristol
Before becoming a coach, I spent a decade in the corporate world - leading teams and working with major brands. From the outside, I appeared capable and composed. Internally, however, my mind was often busy with pressure, overthinking, and a constant need for control.
This experience sparked my fascination with the human mind: why do so many intelligent, capable people find themselves stuck in patterns of stress, self-doubt, or emotional exhaustion? This curiosity led me to leave the corporate world and retrain as a professional coach and therapist.
My Professional Training and Qualifications
My approach is grounded in over a decade of professional experience and a diverse range of evidence-based qualifications:
• Level 7 Coaching Qualification - HumanTechnics
• Level 5 Clinical Hypnotherapy Qualification - CPHT
• Level 2 Counselling Skills - Astranti
• Meditation Teacher Qualification - Mind Body Education
• Certified Practitioner in: CBT, MBCT, REBT, NLP, and Positive Psychology.
Why This Work Matters to Me
My path into this work began long before I trained professionally. It started with a deep, quiet observation of our inner worlds - the complex, often hidden landscape of thoughts and feelings that shape how we show up in the room.
I grew up in a home where emotions were loud and fast-moving—unpredictable currents that could shift the atmosphere of a room in an instant.
I didn’t have the language for it then, but those early years taught my nervous system to 'read the room' and anticipate emotions before they flared. It was a survival strategy that turned into a deep-seated curiosity: Why do we think the way we do? How do emotional patterns develop? And, most importantly, what actually helps us change them?
Later, during a decade in the corporate world, I experienced first-hand how easy it is to appear capable on the outside while feeling very different internally.
From the outside, my career was a success. Internally, my mind was a landscape of overthinking, pressure, and a constant, exhausting need to stay in control.
I went back to the books. I trained. I studied. I immersed myself in neuroscience, psychology, and evidence-based wellbeing to understand my own patterns. What I discovered - and what now forms the foundation of my work - is that many of the patterns we struggle with as adults were once brilliant survival strategies.
With the right support, we can move beyond surviving and step into our true potential. I’m not here to teach you perfection; I live the 'everyday juggle' myself - usually with two curious kids, a partner covered in clay, and a half-drunk coffee I definitely meant to finish. I’m here to create a space where you can be human, understand yourself more clearly, and finally feel steadier within your own life.
Why I Choose Therapeutic Coaching
People often ask why I identify as a Therapeutic Coach rather than a traditional life coach. The answer lies in the belief that we cannot truly move forward until we understand the ground we are standing on.
Traditional coaching often focuses purely on the 'outer' world - goals, habits, and high-performance. While these are valuable, they can sometimes feel like trying to build a house on shifting sand if we haven't addressed the inner world first.
I choose this approach because it honours the whole person. It recognises that the patterns keeping us 'stuck' today - whether it's chronic overthinking, a need for control, or relationship friction - usually have deep roots.
Therapeutic Coaching combines two essential elements:
The Depth of Therapy: We look beneath the surface to understand the emotional and behavioural patterns you’ve carried with you. We honour your history and the survival strategies that once kept you safe.
The Momentum of Coaching: We don't just stay in the past. We use that insight to build practical, evidence-based tools that create meaningful change in your everyday life.
By working this way, we aren't just shifting your schedule or your to-do list; we are shifting your internal landscape. We move from a state of 'managing' our lives to feeling truly steadier and more at home within them.
Whether we meet at my Bristol coaching practice or online, my goal is to help you bridge that gap - where self-awareness meets real-world action."
What It’s Like to Work With Me
Working together is a collaborative process - a series of thoughtful yet purposeful conversations. My clients often describe our sessions as both deeply reflective and surprisingly practical.
I believe that for change to feel safe, the environment must feel grounded. My approach is warm and non-judgemental, yet it is firmly rooted in neuroscience, psychology, and evidence-based wellbeing. I am not here to provide a 'quick fix' or to teach you a version of perfection that doesn't exist. Instead, I am here to create a sanctuary where you can simply be human—where we can look at the messy, complex, and beautiful parts of your inner world without shame.
In our sessions, we slow down. We create the space needed to see your situation with fresh eyes. From that place of clarity, we begin to develop the practical tools and perspectives that allow you to respond to life’s challenges with more steadiness and self-compassion.
My Bristol Practice & Online Sessions
Environment matters. I offer in-person sessions from my private practice at Willway Yard in Bedminster, Bristol. It is a calm, light-filled space tucked away from the noise of the city - a room specifically designed for reflection and quiet.
Located just on the edge of Bristol City Centre, the practice is easily accessible for those in Bedminster, Central and South Bristol.
For those outside of Bristol, or for those who simply find it easier to hold space from their own environment, I also provide secure, high-quality online coaching sessions. Whether we meet in person or through a screen, the depth of the work remains the same: dedicated time for you to explore, understand, and grow.
A Little About My Life In Bristol
Outside of my work as a coach, life is full and beautifully imperfect - much like the lives of many of my clients.
I live in South Bristol with my two wonderfully curious kids and a partner who’s usually covered in clay (he’s a potter). Our home is a constant 'everyday juggle' of family, logistics, and emotions - usually with a half-drunk coffee sitting somewhere that I definitely put down with intention.
Life For Me Looks Like:
Gravel biking: The muddy, phone-signal-gone kind that reminds me what quiet feels like.
Walking the dogs: My daily mindfulness practice, even when I’m not quite in the mood.
The creative chaos: Planning our next camping trip or building Lego (the kids think it’s for them, but we all know the truth).
Connection: Deep, meandering conversations with friends that remind you who you are.
Stillness: Staring into space with a flat white - essential for a brain that once ran at 200mph.
The Real Stuff: Walking alongside my mum through illness and love, and navigating the beautiful chaos of home and work, wholeheartedly and imperfectly.
I am a quiet champion of people finding their own way in the world. I’m not here to teach you how to be 'perfect' or to provide a polished version of life. I am here to create a space where you can be fully human - to understand your patterns, shift what keeps you stuck, and create meaningful change.
Because when you understand yourself more clearly and feel steadier within yourself, life begins to feel different. It doesn't become perfect, but it becomes more grounded, more meaningful, and - most importantly - truly your own.
If You’re Considering Working Together
You don’t need to have the perfect words or a clear plan to reach out. Most people start exactly where you are: simply knowing that something needs to shift.
Whether you're looking for a Life Coach in Bristol to meet at my Bedminster practice, or you prefer to work together online, let’s start with a chat.
A monthly pause for reflection and clarity
No noise. No spam. Just one grounding email each month.