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Jo Speed Life Coach, Facilitator & Farming Family Mediator
Farming and Agriculture Expertise
With over 30 years of experience in the farming and agriculture industry, Jo is a dedicated agriculturalist with a background leading her from city life into farming. Her career has spanned roles in dairy consultancy, knowledge transfer, and facilitation, with a focus on coaching and mediation. In 2014, she earned a PGCert in Psychology, followed by diplomas in NLP and Life Coaching. Most recently, she qualified as an NLP Business Practitioner, further enhancing her ability to support individuals and farming businesses through change and development
Jo Speed Coaching
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Jo Speed...about me
Jo’s journey into Life Coaching began with her Nuffield Scholarship in 2008. While her research focused on lameness in dairy cows, the experience sparked a deep interest in the people side of agriculture. This led her to pursue a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychology and retrain as a Life Coach and NLP Practitioner.
Experienced Agriculturalist
My Background
After working as a herd manager in New Zealand and Portugal, Jo returned to the UK to complete her degree at Harper Adams, graduating in 1999. She then joined Promar as a dairy consultant before spending 13 years at AHDB as a technical specialist, facilitator, and team leader. Following eight years with Kite Consulting, Jo launched her own business in 2023, bringing together her extensive experience, industry knowledge, and coaching expertise into one dedicated venture. Focussed on farming. Focus on people.
Farm Life
Jo & her husband are mainly tenant farmers in the north east of England, farming around 900 acres of arable & running a small flock of Lleyn sheep. The business also runs a holiday let and a small livery business. Jo enjoys walking her two Labradors and enjoys her ever growing menagerie of rescue hens.
My Passion is People
Jo has dedicated her career to working with people & agriculture and is deeply passionate about both. She qualified as a Life Coach in 2018 after completing a life coaching certificate and diploma at Newcastle College. Building on this, she recently earned a coaching diploma in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and qualified as an NLP Business Practitioner.
Trained by Sian Bushell as a farming family mediator, Jo has spent the past decade integrating mediation with her coaching work. She has also been a committed volunteer with the Farming Community Network (FCN) for 15 years, supporting farming families in crisis.
Jo remains actively involved with Nuffield Farming, serving as a trustee, mentoring lead, and northern regional chair, continuing to support leadership and development within the agricultural community.
Coaching
Jo has deep roots in farming and truly understands the challenges of rural life. With an established coaching practice, she helps farmers and rural professionals navigate obstacles, set goals, and thrive. Trustworthy and reliable, Jo offers down-to-earth, practical support tailored to the realities of farm life. She gets farming. She gets you
Facilitation
Jo is an experienced facilitator, fluent in both farming and facilitation. She works with farmer groups of all sizes, guiding board meetings, team discussions, and workshops with confidence and ease. A trusted pair of hands, Jo creates productive, engaging spaces where conversations flow, decisions are made, and real progress happens
Working with farming families & Succession
For over a decade, Jo has worked with farming families to help them find common ground and navigate the complexities of succession planning. Combining facilitation expertise, agricultural knowledge, and coaching skills, she creates a supportive space for open discussions, guiding families toward shared goals and a clear, sustainable path for the future.
CowSignals™ Trainer
Cows & People Aligned
Understanding cow behaviour and improve handling through CowSignals™ . Seeing life through the eyes of your cows. Practical, people-focused support to help cows—and their handlers—thrive.