7 Sep 2026 Business Buddies

Business Movement Spotlight meet Debs Hirst Coaching

As an organisation, we’re proud to have a diverse range of local businesses and professionals standing alongside us as members of our Business Movement. In our latest Business Movement Spotlight, we’re getting to know Debs Hirst, founder of Debs Hirst Coaching, and finding out more about her passion for helping people develop, grow in confidence and achieve their potential.

Learning and Development has been part of Debs’ working life since she was just 17. Over the years, she has worked across both the public and private sectors, learning from a wide variety of people, organisations, challenges and opportunities.

After years of working within organisations, Debs decided to take everything she had learned and use that experience to establish her own business, Debs Hirst Coaching.

For Debs, putting her own name at the heart of the business was a deliberate choice. She said: “When people work with me, they’re not simply buying a programme or a service, they’re investing in my experience, knowledge, expertise and the way I work with people.

“I think that personal connection matters, particularly when it comes to coaching, leadership and development.”

Today, Debs works with a diverse range of clients, from CEOs, leaders and business owners to SMEs, charities and organisations across the NHS, healthcare, education, local government, policing and the private sector.

Whether she is coaching an individual, developing a team, designing learning or supporting other coaches, Debs’ aim remains the same, to make a genuine difference.

Debs believes one of the biggest things that sets Debs Hirst Coaching apart is the personal approach she brings to her work. Rather than offering a one size fits all solution, she takes time to understand each person, team or organisation and what they want to achieve.

Debs explained: “When you work with me, you get me, my experience, my knowledge, my curiosity, my challenge and my commitment to helping you get where you want to be.

“I don’t believe in having a prescribed approach or trying to fit people into a particular model. Every person, team and organisation is different, so I take the time to understand what’s really going on and what will make a difference.

“I’m comfortable asking the questions that might not always be easy to hear, but I’ll do it with honesty, warmth and a good bit of humour!”

Debs’ experience spans coaching, leadership, Learning and Development, team development and organisational change, allowing her to look at challenges from different perspectives.

She added: “Ultimately, I want people to feel that working with me has been worthwhile, that they’ve been listened to, challenged, supported and, most importantly, that something has changed as a result.”

One of the things Debs loves most about her work is the variety, with no two days looking quite the same. One day might involve working one to one with a coaching client, helping them understand where they are, where they want to be and what might be standing in their way.

The next could see Debs working with a room of 20 people, helping them develop their leadership skills, challenge their thinking and learn from each other.

Other days are quieter, with time spent designing learning, preparing proposals and thinking about how she can best support her clients. Debs said: “For me, a good day isn’t necessarily about ticking lots of things off a to do list. It’s about finishing the day knowing that I’ve helped someone think differently, feel more confident, learn something new or take a step towards where they want to be. That’s the bit that makes me love what I do.”

Seeing people develop and achieve is one of Debs’ biggest motivations. Throughout her career, she has been fortunate to work with managers and leaders who believed in her sometimes before she believed in herself. Their encouragement helped Debs build confidence, take opportunities and achieve things she might otherwise have thought were beyond her.

Now, she wants to provide that same support and belief to others, she explained: “There’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing someone have that lightbulb moment, grow in confidence, overcome something that was holding them back or achieve something they once doubted they could.

“Whether I’m coaching someone one to one, working with a team or supporting a leader through a challenge, knowing that I’ve played even a small part in helping someone move forward is hugely motivating for me.

“I’m also motivated by doing a good job. I care about the quality of what I do and about the people I work with, so I want clients to feel that their time, trust and investment in me have been worthwhile.”

For The Kirkwood, one of the most powerful things about our Business Movement is discovering the personal reasons why so many of our members choose to support our work.

For Debs, her connection to The Kirkwood is incredibly personal. A few years ago, a close family member was admitted on the In-Patient Unit. Although Debs already knew about our work, it was only when her own family needed our support that she truly understood the difference our care can make.

Debs said: “It was a really difficult and emotional time for our family, but from that first moment, The Kirkwood felt like a huge embrace. There was so much kindness, compassion and genuine care in everything they did. They were there for us when we needed them most, and not just in terms of the incredible care they provided, but in making us feel that we weren’t facing everything on our own.”

Among Debs’ memories of that difficult period is one small act of kindness towards her young son which has stayed with the family ever since. She explained: “My son was young at the time, and I remember someone at The Kirkwood bringing him a hot chocolate. It was such a small thing, but it meant so much. In the middle of what was an incredibly dark and difficult time, they created a little moment of kindness that has stayed with him.”

That experience has inspired Debs to give something back to The Kirkwood. Alongside becoming a member of our Business Movement, she has supported our events, including taking part in the Starlight Walk.

Debs said: “I have such huge admiration and gratitude for the people who work for The Kirkwood and for everything they do.

“Being part of the Business Movement, taking part in events like the Starlight Walk and finding other ways to support The Kirkwood feels like a small way of giving something back to an organisation that gave so much to my family.

“I know that what I can contribute will never compare with what The Kirkwood gave us, but if being involved means I can help another family experience even a little of the care, compassion and support that we did, then I’m incredibly proud to be part of it.”

Away from work, Debs loves being outdoors and she doesn't have to go far to enjoy it: “I live in a wood, in and amongst the wildlife and our own chickens, my own version of ‘The Good Life’!” she said.

Debs loves spending time with family and friends, heading out for a walk, exploring the countryside and enjoying a day at the cricket. She's also a fan of a good pub meal or a cosy night in with a box set.

Her perfect weekend would be a sunny autumn weekend featuring a long walk in the Derbyshire Dales, followed by an evening in a country pub with a log fire burning and a glass of fizz. And there is still one adventure on Debs’ bucket list that she would particularly love to complete, travelling the coastline of Scotland. When it comes to social media, Facebook is Debs’ go-to platform for her personal life, while LinkedIn is her favourite for work.

We’re delighted to have Debs Hirst Coaching as part of The Kirkwood Business Movement and incredibly grateful to Debs for choosing to stand alongside us.

The support of our Business Movement members helps us continue to be there for local people and families when they need us, while creating a community of businesses and professionals who want to make a positive difference across Kirklees. Join our Business Movement by clicking HERE.