Karen Darke

Northern Scotland

Karen is an intrepid adventurer and Paralympic silver medallist. She regularly initiates and participates in expeditions which test people's perceptions of what is physically possible for someone in a wheelchair.


Karen runs her own organisation, Inspire & Impact, which offers coaching, training, HR development work and motivational speaking.

Karen supports the Academy's leadership programmes, including Residentials, Certificates and the ILM Level 7 Strategic Leadership Award either through tutoring or providing motivational inputs.

Karen is Director of Inspire and Impact. She believes that life is an exploration; adventure to be enjoyed and learned from.

As a keen runner and mountaineer, Karen was paralysed in a rock-climbing accident and despite the challenges of combining wheels with wilderness, she was compelled to continue escaping the world of concrete for the inspiration of the natural environment.

Karen's experiences have catalysed her interest in human development. She is passionate about people, and the development opportunities life has to offer.

Karen has qualifications in Development Training, Performance Coaching, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and a range of complementary therapies, as well as having 8 years experience with a multinational organisation in a learning and development role.

Karen enjoys supporting people to achieve their goals and aspirations, particularly in unlocking the energy and potential that lies within us all.