A conversation with communications trainer, Beth Stallwood
Beth is an organisational and people development expert, with a tailored and creative approach to communications that transforms the way organisations develop, engage, and lead their people.
What has been your professional journey into learning and development?
My route into learning and development has been anything but traditional. I started out as a child actress, went on to study Music at university, and then took what was meant to be a temporary job while deciding on my long-term career. That role quickly evolved into something more permanent, as I discovered a natural fit for training, facilitation and coaching. I built on my early experience of performing and engaging audiences, alongside a fascination in the psychology of individual and group performance, and applied this to the corporate environment. Over time, I’ve worked across a wide range of sectors including finance, public sector, legal, sport, charities, tech scale-ups, design and higher education. Alongside my practical experience, I’ve continued to develop professionally. I am formally trained as a facilitator and executive coach, hold an MA in Human Resource Management, and continue to invest in my CPD to ensure my approach remains current and impactful.
What shapes your approach as a trainer?
My approach is shaped by three core elements: engagement, energy and experimentation. I design learning that is practical, human and immediately usable, rather than something that sits in a notebook and never gets applied. A big part of my work is helping people focus on the small shifts that lead to sustainable success in the real world. It’s not about sweeping change, but about identifying what will genuinely make a difference and embedding it over time. I also encourage people to take an experimental mindset—reflecting on their experiences, testing new approaches and adapting them to their own context. By blending storytelling, reflective exercises and evidence-based models, I help participants make sense of their experiences and choose purposeful, lasting change.
What courses and services do you deliver?
I lead Colander’s online training programme, which brings together nine courses across three core themes: communication, team development and personal development. The programme is designed to build the core professional skills people need to thrive in today’s workplaces, but don’t always get the space to properly develop.
What other interests and motivations do you have, away from work?
I’m a creative person and I love engaging with the arts. I’m currently working on a non-work-related writing project, which gives me a different kind of creative outlet. I also run a community choir, where people who have never sung before can find themselves in three-part harmony within 45 minutes. Outside of that, I love being in nature with my favourite companion, my 6-year-old dog Mabel, and I’m at my most relaxed when I’m near or preferably in, water.
I've written two books, WorkJoy: a toolkit for a better working life and Love Your Job (a coach-yourself guide), which you can find in most bookshops.
Explore Beth's courses