OHS is a UK coaching practice for burnout, stress, anxiety, and emotional wellbeing.
Optimal Health Strategies is a UK coaching practice focused on what happens before things become a crisis. Most of our clients are in a stretch (a new role, a harder year, a life shift) and want steady support to keep functioning well while they work it out.
Our work is coaching, delivered one to one and paced to you. Each engagement starts with a clear set of objectives, and we plan for an end point from session one.
How we work
Every enquiry comes to James or Jane personally. They read what's going on, talk it through with you, and lead the work themselves. There's no admin layer, no hand-off, and no automated booking.
Sessions are virtual, by phone or video. James offers 1:1 coaching and walk-and-talk by phone. Jane offers 1:1 coaching and DBT-informed work. You choose the format that suits the week, and some clients mix them.
OHS is led by James and Jane.
James leads the day-to-day coaching practice and is the founder of OHS. Jane co-leads the current services and anchors the clinical side of the work.
James Nilsen-Clarke
Coaching for adults who want to take better care of their health, wellbeing, and personal direction before things reach crisis point. Calm, practical, collaborative. Particularly helpful for people who are used to pushing through, carrying pressure quietly, or unsure where to start when it comes to asking for help.
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Why I do this work. I do this work because I have seen first-hand how often people wait until things feel unmanageable before they reach out for support. Many people carry pressure quietly, keep going for others, and only ask for help when their wellbeing has already started to deteriorate. My passion is helping people access support earlier, in a way that is practical, human and free from judgement.
How I work. My coaching style is calm, practical and collaborative. I create a space where people can speak openly, make sense of what is going on, and take realistic steps towards feeling more in control. I do not believe support needs to feel clinical, intimidating or heavy. Coaching with me is about understanding what is getting in the way, recognising the strengths you already have, and building small, sustainable changes that improve day-to-day life.
Who I support best. I work with adults who want to take better care of their health, wellbeing and personal direction before things reach crisis point. This support is particularly helpful for people who are used to pushing through, carrying pressure quietly, or feeling unsure about where to start when it comes to asking for help. It may also be useful if you feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, under pressure, or ready to make a change but unsure how to begin. I offer a grounded, practical space to reflect, reset and build healthier patterns without judgement, stigma or expectation.
Credentials and training. I am a registered Social Worker with a background in mental health, crisis care, community services and senior NHS leadership, with additional training in systemic practice, quality improvement and healthcare leadership.
Professional lens. My professional background has been shaped by years of working across mental health services, including crisis teams, home treatment, community transformation and complex care. I have seen the impact of people not receiving the right support early enough, and I have also seen how powerful it can be when someone is given the space, tools and confidence to take action sooner. That experience has shaped my belief in preventative health. Good support should not only be available when someone is at breaking point. It should help people understand themselves, protect their wellbeing, strengthen their relationships, and make choices that reduce the risk of things deteriorating.
My goal is to help people feel more confident, more connected and more able to take care of themselves before life becomes overwhelming.
Jane Nilsen-Clarke
Person-centred DBT coaching for adults navigating their inner world. Particularly experienced with eating disorders, personality disorders, and people making sense of a later-in-life diagnosis. Bespoke packages built around each individual, meeting clients where they are.
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Why I do this work. Working in mental health has shown me that understanding your emotions isn't a luxury, it's the foundation of everything. I am driven by a deep belief that with the right support, people can move from surviving their inner world to navigating it with confidence and clarity.
How I work. My coaching style is person-centred at its core. I build bespoke packages around each individual, meeting clients where they are and tailoring my approach to what they actually need. Clients consistently describe working with me as feeling truly seen, a space where they can explore, be challenged gently and grow at their own pace.
Who I support best. I work best with adults living with eating disorders, personality disorders or those who have received a later-in-life diagnosis and are making sense of what that means for them. If you're looking to understand your emotions, work towards self-management and build a life that feels more like yours, I may be the right fit.
Credentials and training. I am a qualified Psychiatric Nurse registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and an accredited Dialectical Behaviour Therapist with specialist training in DBT coaching.
Professional lens. I bring over 15 years of experience across the full breadth of mental health, having worked in both children's and adult services before finding my passion in eating disorders and personality disorders. I have led clinical teams and now channel that depth of knowledge into DBT coaching, a practical and skills-based approach that helps clients understand their emotions and use them as tools in real life, right now.
If you're ready to start understanding yourself more deeply and working towards lasting change, I would love to hear from you.
Amy Johnson
OHS day-to-day operations are supported by Amy at Abbeygate VA & OBM, a UK-based VA and OBM subscription service for purpose-led businesses. Amy works alongside James and Jane on website, content, client communications, and project management.
Visit Abbeygate VA & OBMWorking with us as an associate coach
We are quietly adding associate coaches whose practice fits with the OHS approach. Calm, considered, evidence-informed, focused on adults navigating burnout, stress, anxiety, and the harder stretches of working life. If that sounds like the work you do, we'd like to hear from you.
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