Cheese Credentials
Sharon is one of the first 12 people in the world to achieve Level 3 Fellow certification with the Academy of Cheese (London)—the highest current level of professional cheese education globally.
The Academy of Cheese Fellow certification requires mastering:
- The complete cheese library of 300+ protected and iconic cheeses worldwide
- Comprehensive cheese production science and artisanal techniques
- Affinage, maturation, and quality assessment
- Regulatory frameworks and industry best practices
- The cultural heritage and history of global cheese traditions
Who Sharon Works With
Sharon's clients are passionate about their craft. They're skilled at what they do—making exceptional cheese, curating thoughtful selections, building relationships with customers and producers. Like many small business owners and managers in the artisan food world, they often find themselves navigating challenges that go beyond their core expertise: leading teams effectively, managing difficult conversations, making strategic decisions under pressure, maintaining work-life balance, or scaling their businesses while preserving quality and culture.
How Sharon Can Help
Sharon partners with cheese professionals on the real-world challenges they face:
- Building and motivating high-performing teams
- Developing leadership presence and communication skills
- Navigating complex business decisions and growth strategies
- Managing partnerships and stakeholder relationships
- Creating sustainable work practices that prevent burnout
- Transitioning from maker/doer to manager/leader
- Preparing for business transitions or succession planning
Practical Solutions to Real-World Challenges
She understands the unique pressures of the artisan cheese industry—the thin margins, the seasonal challenges, the balance between artistry and commerce. With years of management theory and training on adult learning in the background, she focuses on helping clients tackle their most pressing issues with strategies that fit their specific situation. Clients walk away from coaching sessions with practical action plans to immediately put into play.
Why She Offers Low-Cost Coaching
Sharon has spent decades as a successful executive coach, working with senior leaders at major corporations and well-funded startups. In parallel to her professional career, cheese has been a lifelong passion since an encounter with a supermarket Camembert in Paris in the 1980s. Through decades of visiting cheese shops, aging cellars, and dairy farms, she knows that most cheesemakers and mongers operate on extremely tight budgets and wouldn't normally consider hiring a coach—even though coaching could significantly impact their effectiveness and satisfaction.
That's why Sharon has adjusted her fees specifically for cheese professionals. She wants to make high-quality executive coaching accessible to the people building the artisan cheese industry. Specific fee structures are shared during an initial conversation.
Sharon's Coaching Approach
In an initial, no-cost introductory call, Sharon helps clients explore their goals, ambitions, what's getting in the way, and what kinds of shifts and skills could make clients even more effective. In regular meetings over a period of months, Sharon helps clients work through problems, devise action plans to tackle current situations, and develop new skills and habits. Sessions can be conducted in person or virtually, making coaching accessible regardless of location.
Get Started
If you're interested in exploring how coaching might help you and your business, contact Sharon to schedule an initial conversation.