About
Quiet Space
Rare and cherished, especially to people who don’t want more of the same. And who, deep down, believe there is a better way.
Space to think about the things that are important and have the conversations that matter.
Quiet to hear yourself think and turn down the volume on your everyday demands.
Space to change the conversation for good.
Here at The Waterside we bring together an astonishingly peaceful and accessible hidden valley and the people who know how to make quiet space flourish. So that the benefits are found here, where you are, and even online.
Us
Sue Heatherington has decades of senior leadership experience and an ability to be with people in a way that makes them feel heard and understood.
Calm, inspiring and gently provocative, she sees the bigger picture: your picture. She does this holistically at multiple levels, believing that each of us has a role to play in making a difference.
She is equally at home with individual leaders, teams and much larger scale collaboratives. She does this by building on her own experience, including nearly a decade as an NHS chief exec, and then consultant to NHS boards. Plus, her background is extraordinary broad from land-use development, through to business strategy and organisational design. She is a qualified advanced professional coach and psychological types practitioner. Sue is a Fellow of the RSA and the past Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
In addition to developing the framework for Waterside Conversations, Sue has produced Insights for Healthy Leadership, which informs her work with leaders and senior teams. She has been developing as a writer since 2017 and has written and illustrated a daily dose of quiet disruptor wisdom since September 2018.
Sue sits on the Board of Trustees for Bible Society and chairs the People and Remuneration Committee. She is an active member of the Linden church family in Swansea.
Together with Steve, they also care for Sue’s disabled brother and a herd of alpacas.
Our Waterside Conversation clients include:
- Architects and design practices
- Life science and healthcare organisations
- Universities
- Arts organisations
- Technology companies
- Research collaboratives
- Welsh Government
- Royal Colleges
- Charities and not-for-profit organisations
- Faith organisations
Our Breathe Retreats are a combined effort and attract a wide range of people from artists and entrepreneurs, through to individuals who just need some space.
Steve Heatherington brings warmth and practical wisdom, including years of experience in charity leadership, a natural affinity with technology and as an alpaca shepherd.
This enriches every conversation and brings an additional dimension to our First Fridays and Breathe Retreats.
He is also a brilliant teacher and his pioneering Alpaca Tribe podcast enables us to put together our new Find Your Voice intensive.
The valley
Hidden in the hills north of Swansea in South West Wales, our valley is an extraordinary place.
Just three miles from the motorway and twenty minutes from a mainline station, you are in a different world of nature, wildlife and stillness.
The site of a former Victorian reservoir, it continues to be the source of life and wellbeing for many, whether through direct experience or the fruit of what grows in this quiet space.
We just can’t promise mobile phone coverage…
The lakeside building has panoramic views and is well equipped for small to medium size groups. All of our food is homemade or locally sourced to order, and we know the importance of really good coffee - Coaltown Coffee.
And then there’s the alpacas, the green paths and the woods to roam.
Currently, we do not offer purpose-built residential accommodation but can talk with you about how to extend your time here…