With over 20 years of experience as an executive and business coach, Hilary Rowland partners with business owners, leaders, founders, and directors at organisations, including the BBC and PWC, who want to find their purpose and take their businesses and themselves to the next level through the concept of Ikigai.
She builds on a career in strategy-focused senior leadership development, transformation consultancy and programme management with acclaimed results with clients such as Legal and General, World First, NHS London and Defence Scientific Technical Laboratory (DSTL.
Hilary will present ‘Help clients find their purpose via Ikigai’ at the Wellbeing Café on 11th March 2025. Find out more and book free of charge for this online talk and discussion.
How would you summarise your passions?
Wellbeing, both for myself and others. Keeping healthy verges on an obsession. I swim twice a week, do Pilates and cycle, weather permitting. I enjoy shopping for and cooking healthy food. We have an allotment which is hard work, but there’s nothing nicer than going to dig up the potatoes and pick the raspberries.
We’re flexitarians so aim to be vegetarian during the week and have a meat blow-out on the weekend – we love our Sunday roast! On our allotment we grow a number of vegetables but we’re particularly fond of a type of potato called Pink Firs. They are pink, very knobbly and delicious.
I also try to find time for meditation and reflection.
What’s your happiest memory?
I am fortunate to have many happy memories but one is swimming in the sea on holiday in Portugal, splashing and being knocked sideways by the waves. We used to go to the Algarve every summer and swim there. It’s great to feel carried along by the waves and feel their power even if it does mean getting dumped from time to time!
What do you wish you’d been told about finance when you were 15?
It’s OK to have money. You don’t have to feel guilty about it – you can enjoy the things it affords you.
What made you want to work as an executive coach?
I trained as a counsellor which gives a grounding in listening and questioning skills. I also have a degree in Psychology and an MSc in Managing Change which included managing personal change. I have trained in Neuropsychology and Coaching with the Association for Coaching of which I am a member.
I really enjoy that sense of satisfaction when I know I have genuinely helped a business owner or leader solve a problem, enable them to see how they can grow their business and develop themselves as a leader. Making a difference in a few people’s lives.
What prompted you to join the Institute for Financial Wellbeing?
There is a lot of overlap between what I do as a coach and financial wellbeing.
I work with the Japanese concept of Ikigai which is to do with what gives you purpose and joy in life. It has been made into a four-circle model, one of which is ‘How can I get paid?’ I like this because this encompasses financial wellbeing.
For me a life well-lived means becoming the person you were meant to be, recognising that where you are is where you are meant to be for this time, for this place and for this purpose.
What drew you to the concept of Ikigai?
It was Simon Sinek and his book ‘Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.’ This got me interested in how purpose works for businesses and from there I started exploring how it works for individuals. There are lots of different factors that contribute to finding purpose and it is always useful finding a model which simplifies complexity and I found that in Ikigai. My expertise in it comes from many years of coaching and consulting experience.
Can you talk us through how you work with clients?
I start with the issues that are front of mind for them and which need addressing first. I am trained in neuropsychology so as I work with people, I look for patterns in behaviour, both positive and negative. I encourage people to play to their strengths and, if possible, work on how to change patterns which don’t serve them. Over time I get them to set goals for themselves and their business which encompass wellbeing and business growth.
What’s your top tip for someone wanting to improve their financial wellbeing?
Get a good financial planner. There is a vast difference between someone who simply tells you how much you have in your pension pot and leaves you to work out how long it’s going to last and someone who takes the trouble to find out how you want to live your life, and then gives some good advice about what you need to do.
I have a very good financial planner who has made the world of difference to me and my husband. Complete peace of mind!
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