Confidence breakthroughs with Annette Du Bois

"Our kind, caring and bubbly son seemed to change almost overnight.

The happy, chatty boy we had always known became angry, emotional and distant. He stopped talking to us, became increasingly withdrawn and felt like a completely different person. We couldn't understand what had happened.

We weren't sure whether friendship problems, peer pressure or something else was behind the change, but everything came to a head when we received a phone call from the police.

Our son had been caught shoplifting with a group of other teenagers.

We were devastated.

It was so completely out of character that we knew something much deeper was going on. This wasn't our son making a "bad choice" for no reason. We could see he was struggling, but every time we tried to talk to him, he simply shut down.

We also knew he would never agree to counselling or therapy. The thought of sitting down to "talk about his feelings" simply wasn't something he would have accepted.

Instead, we began searching for a teenage mentor and confidence coach who could connect with him in a more practical, relatable way.

That's when we found CHAMPS Academy Coaching.

The coaching and mentoring approach immediately felt different. It wasn't about labelling him or making him feel like there was something wrong with him. It was about helping him understand what was happening, make better decisions and rebuild his confidence from the inside out.

Although our son wasn't enthusiastic at first, he agreed to have the complimentary trial session with Annette Du Bois.

From our very first conversation, Annette gave us something we hadn't felt for a long time… hope.

She reassured us that this type of behaviour can sometimes be a sign of a young person desperately trying to fit in, rather than simply becoming "a bad teenager." She helped us look beyond the behaviour and understand what might be driving it.

If we're honest, though, we still weren't convinced our son would engage.

Then something happened that completely surprised us.

During the session, he opened up.

He spoke honestly about feeling lonely, struggling to find genuine friendships and trying so hard to be accepted that he'd gone along with things he knew were wrong. The shoplifting wasn't really about stealing. It was about belonging. He explained that it had been part of an initiation into a friendship group, and although he knew it was wrong, he was terrified of being left out.

For the first time, we understood what had really been happening beneath the surface.

Annette listened without judgement, helped him make sense of the situation and reassured him that genuine friendships should never depend on proving yourself by doing something that compromises your values.

Although we're only at the beginning of our coaching journey, we've already seen a real change.

Our son is talking more, beginning to trust us again and slowly finding his way back to the person we always knew was there.

Most importantly, we have hope again.

As parents, that means everything.

If your teenage son has suddenly changed, is being influenced by the wrong crowd, is withdrawing from family or making choices that seem completely out of character, don't assume he's simply being difficult. Sometimes there's a much deeper reason behind the behaviour, and the right support can make all the difference.

We can't thank Annette enough for helping our son begin to find himself again."

"Our daughter was experiencing such severe social anxiety that we made the difficult decision to take her out of mainstream school and begin home education.

Watching your child become increasingly anxious, withdrawn and overwhelmed is heartbreaking. As parents, we could see she was struggling every single day, and although there was a possibility she may be neurodivergent, following a recent diagnosis within our wider family, we decided that our immediate priority wasn't pursuing another diagnosis.

Our priority was helping our daughter.

We wanted practical support that would help her cope with everyday life, reduce her anxiety and rebuild her confidence, rather than waiting months for assessments while she continued to struggle.

During our search for specialist support for young people with social anxiety and possible neurodivergent needs, we were recommended Annette Du Bois at CHAMPS Academy Coaching. Looking back now, that recommendation changed everything.

From our very first conversation, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Annette immediately understood not only what our daughter was experiencing, but also what we were going through as parents.

What impressed me most was that she didn't see our daughter as a diagnosis or a list of symptoms. She saw a young person who was overwhelmed and needed someone who understood how to work with her brain rather than against it.

The coaching has been practical, personalised and incredibly reassuring. Every strategy has been simple enough to use at home but backed by years of experience working with children and teens who experience anxiety, neurodivergent traits, emotional overwhelm and school-related challenges.

The changes we've seen have been remarkable.

Our daughter has made her first friend through her online school.

We're now able to go out for short walks and visit local places together again — something that simply wasn't possible before because her anxiety was so overwhelming.

Even more exciting, we're planning a two-day family trip during the holidays — something we honestly never thought we'd be able to do.

For many families, these may sound like small milestones. For us, they're life changing.

We're beginning to enjoy family life again. There is still work to do, but our daughter is happier, calmer and far less anxious than she was. We're seeing more smiles, more confidence and a young person who is slowly beginning to enjoy life again.

Most importantly, I feel like we're getting our daughter back.

One thing Annette said during our early conversations has stayed with me ever since. It's something she often says to the young people she coaches:

"Why struggle when there are simple and effective strategies you can learn that help you move forward?"

That perfectly sums up her approach. This isn't about changing who a young person is. It's about giving them practical tools, emotional understanding and the confidence to navigate life more successfully.

For our family, coaching has made complete sense, and choosing CHAMPS Academy has been one of the best decisions we've made.

I cannot thank Annette enough for everything she has already done for our family, and we're genuinely excited to continue this journey together."

"We tried a number of different support services, different therapists and even a psychologist to support my neurodivergent teenage daughter. She didn't seem to connect with any of them — and surprisingly, most were not able to adapt their approach to her specific neurodivergent needs. As someone who has a coach at work myself, I started wondering whether a coaching approach might be a better route than traditional therapy.

Searching specifically for a teen coach experienced with neurodivergence, I found Annette Du Bois at CHAMPS Academy Coaching. From our very first conversation I felt this was different. Annette genuinely understood the nuances of neurodivergent thinking — the sensory sensitivities, the social processing differences, the way anxiety in neurodivergent teenagers often presents differently from how it presents in neurotypical young people. Crucially, she was clear she would work with my daughter as an individual, not apply a generic programme.

My daughter was sceptical going in — understandably, given how many previous attempts had fallen flat. But she was genuinely surprised when she met Annette on Zoom. Something clicked in a way it hadn't before.

We have just booked another block of six sessions — which tells you everything. Annette's practical, down-to-earth strategies and her simple but consistent follow-up emails between sessions have made a real difference. My daughter's personality is coming through in a way it hadn't been. She is noticeably less socially anxious at school. And for the first time in a very long time, she has been getting to school on time — school mornings had been a significant daily struggle for years.

As my daughter moves into young adulthood, I feel genuine hope that she is now better equipped to navigate a neurotypical world — with practical tools that actually fit how her brain works.

If you have tried most things and feel as exasperated as I did, please get in touch with Annette at CHAMPS Academy Coaching. Specialist neurodivergent coaching for teenagers is exactly what my daughter needed — and it has made all the difference."

"I was sick with worry about my daughter and felt completely helpless. She had started Year 7 positively, settling into secondary school with no obvious problems. However, after the Christmas holidays, everything changed. She suddenly became extremely anxious, began refusing to attend school at times, and grew increasingly angry with me for "making her go." Almost overnight, I had become the enemy, leaving me feeling like a terrible parent.

There were no clear issues with friendships or school that could explain the shift, and I knew she would strongly resist the idea of seeing a therapist. Determined to find support, I spent many late nights searching online for solutions using terms such as teen anxiety, school refusal, and help for anxious teenagers. That's when I discovered CHAMPS Academy Coaching.

From the very first contact with Annette Du Bois, I felt an immediate sense of relief. She truly understood what I was experiencing as a parent and explained that my daughter's behaviour was not unusual. Annette highlighted how this type of anxiety is often linked to overwhelm during the transition to secondary school and outlined a practical, coaching-based approach to help in a lasting and meaningful way.

The guidance Annette provided on how to introduce the coaching to my daughter was invaluable. As a result, the initial trial session went far better than I could have hoped. Although we are only at the beginning of the coaching journey, I can already see significant positive changes. My daughter is noticeably calmer, and we are now able to have conversations without them escalating into conflict. This progress alone has been transformational and has given me renewed confidence that our relationship will continue to strengthen.

I now feel reassured that we are on the right path, allowing me to reconnect with my daughter and provide the support she truly needs during these important teenage years.

My advice to other parents facing similar challenges: don't wait. Early support makes all the difference."

"I always believed my daughter was naturally confident. She made friends easily, was invited to parties and sleepovers, and appeared to socialise well throughout primary school.

That's why it came as a real shock when she moved to secondary school.

Suddenly, it became clear how limited her deeper social skills actually were. Without the familiar structure of primary school, she began to struggle finding her place, understanding friendship dynamics and building a secure social circle. What once looked like confidence was, in reality, surface level.

I knew this wasn't something that required therapy, but it also wasn't something to ignore. It felt urgent. These patterns, if left unaddressed, can quickly become embedded and much harder to shift later.

Around the same time, my husband had taken on a mentoring role with younger employees, and it made me realise that this is exactly what my daughter needed. Not more parenting. Not school intervention. But a skilled, external guide who could help her develop real-world confidence and social understanding.

When I searched for trusted teen confidence coaching, CHAMPS Academy consistently came up at the top. Even ChatGPT highlighted them as a leading provider in this space, which immediately gave me confidence I was looking in the right place.

From the very first contact with Annette Du Bois, the process was clear, professional and reassuring. There is a real sense of expertise behind what she does. This isn't general advice or surface-level coaching. It is structured, psychology-based and focused on real outcomes.

My daughter has only just started her sessions, but I can already see a shift. There is a noticeable sense of relief in her. She knows she now has someone who understands how to guide her through friendships, help her interpret social situations and build stronger, more natural confidence in herself.

For any parent noticing their child/teen is 'doing fine on the surface' but struggling underneath socially, I would strongly recommend CHAMPS Academy. This is exactly the kind of support that bridges the gap before problems deepen."

"My daughter had just turned 11 and there was a dramatic change in her behaviour and personality. Although there were no obvious physical signs of puberty, there were definite hormonal shifts. It honestly felt like she had turned into someone we didn't recognise. She was really angry, shouting and being unkind to me and her younger sister.

Interestingly, she was very well behaved at school, with no issues academically or socially. She even saw the school counsellor a few times, but sadly that made no real difference to her emotional outbursts at home.

After searching online for support for emotional regulation in pre-teens and looking for a coaching programme that worked beyond school counselling, I found CHAMPS Academy Coaching. It felt like exactly the kind of structured emotional regulation and confidence coaching my daughter needed.

From my first conversation with Annette, I felt reassured she truly understood pre-teen emotional development, hormonal changes and the challenges families face at this age. And she absolutely delivered.

Even after just a few sessions, I could see positive progress. My daughter began to pause, think things through more calmly and respond rather than react. The difference at home has been noticeable.

I have also found the Parent Mentoring sessions with Annette incredibly helpful. Learning how to support my daughter properly during this stage has made a huge difference to our relationship and to the atmosphere in our home.

A brilliant experience so far. I would highly recommend CHAMPS Academy to any parent struggling with emotional regulation, anger or sudden personality changes in their 10 or 11 year old."

"I became increasingly concerned about my teenage son after he moved from Prep School. He had always been sociable, confident and active, but the transition hit him hard. He became withdrawn, moody and unsettled in a way that felt beyond typical teenage ups and downs. I worried he might be feeling depressed, but I knew he would completely refuse traditional therapy.

Because I have coaching at work myself, I started looking for a teen confidence and life coach rather than a therapist. That is when I found CHAMPS Academy. I was immediately drawn to their ethos: positive, practical support that helps young people build confidence and emotional resilience without labels or pressure. It also reflected what parents often try to do themselves, but simply cannot achieve when emotions are close to home.

From the very first call and trial session with Annette, my son connected with her straight away. She has a calm, natural way of working with teenagers that feels supportive rather than intrusive. I particularly appreciate how she uses different ways to stay in touch with him throughout the coaching process. It has taken away that constant 'nagging parent' dynamic and allowed me to step back while knowing he is being supported.

Although we are still in the early stages, the changes in my son's wellbeing, confidence and emotional balance are already clear. Just as importantly, our relationship at home feels lighter and stronger again.

If you are a parent worried about your teenager's confidence, mood or emotional wellbeing and traditional routes feel like the wrong fit, I genuinely recommend speaking to Annette. She truly has been a godsend for our family."