Meet

Lindsay Perera

You’ve built a career others respect, and you’ve become very good at making it work.

But what if being capable is part of what kept you there?

For years, you knew the work you were doing wasn’t really right for you. But you were good at it.

You were dependable. You could take responsibility, solve problems and keep things moving when things got difficult.

So you did what you were good at. You made it work.

I understand this well.

For much of my career, I measured my worth through achievement and approval. I kept proving I could do it, even when something in me knew this wasn’t where I wanted to be.

Burnout became a pattern, and eventually I realised working harder wasn’t solving my problem. I had to stop asking how I could make the path work and start asking what I actually wanted.

That meant looking more closely at what was shaping my choices, questioning what I had assumed I was supposed to want, and learning to trust my own judgement.

My path to coaching wasn’t a sudden reinvention. It was a gradual shift towards understanding myself differently and making choices that reflected who I actually am.

That experience shapes how I coach today.

I believe you can change the direction of your career without having to become someone else first. You can understand yourself more deeply, trust your own judgement, and make choices that feel genuinely yours.

That’s why I created The Action Within.

I’m at my best in close, one-to-one work where there is space to think clearly, question honestly, and make considered change. Coaching is where my experience and instinct meet.

Through the 4-part structure of my signature programme ‘Realise Your Ambition,’ you’ll explore the patterns and drivers that have influenced your career, question the limits you‘ve been operating in, and get clear on what you want.

My psychologically informed approach helps you understand why you make the choices you do, so you can trust yourself to choose differently.

My aim is simple. For you to stand firm in who you are and shape a career and life that reflect it.

I’ll be by your side as you build trust in yourself and create work that feels deeply right and fully yours.

My professional journey

20+ years in leadership roles across commercial and not-for-profit sectors. I began in tourism development, moved into healthcare, and spent 15 years building a career I was determined to make work before finding the courage to face what I had been avoiding.

My coaching is shaped by decades focused on people, behaviour and the lived experience. It’s grounded in a deeply human, person-centred approach.

When I’m not coaching…

I live in Edinburgh, Scotland, with my husband and sons. I’m learning to prioritise myself more: playing double bass in my local orchestra, getting back into golf, and learning to work with my energy rather than constantly pushing past it.