FAQs -- leadership coaching & Mentoring

Leadership coaching is a personalised, future-focused process that helps you reconnect with your strengths, redefine success, and regain confidence after burnout. Coaching creates a safe space to explore your goals, unlock new insights, and take meaningful action. Mentoring is providing bespoke guidance aligned with your specified outcomes from our partnership. 

Clients report an accelerated momentum with a blended coaching and mentoring approach. Please know that we will always work to your stated preferences and I will always seek your permission before offering guidance. 

Coaching is about two things at least: a present-to-future orientation, and you actively generating momentum through your chosen actions. At all times, coaching is  forward-focused, aimed at taking quick messy action on what matters most to you, and acting with agency. The Coach is not responsible for generating your plan, making you take your actions, nor checking up on your 'homework'. In choosing Coaching, you actively consent that you are adequately internally resourced and able to participate as an equal partner in the coaching process. 

While past experiences may provide context, Coaching does not involve processing trauma or diagnosing mental health conditions. If deeper emotional work is required, I can refer you to trusted and appropriately qualified mental health professionals. Coaching is not a substitute for mental health work or processing trauma or support for personality disorders. 

 Coaching can help you:
• Navigate feelings of being stuck or overwhelmed.
• Address self-sabotage, emotional outbursts, or patterns linked to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses.
• Rebuild confidence, focus, and motivation.
• Redefine your identity and integrate the wisdom of burnout into your leadership style. 

Clients in a season of significant transition often seek clarity on what is important to them now, reconnect with their strengths and values, and take steps towards redefining their identity. This is not a one-and-done process, accomplished with 3-6 months of coaching, but an 'incubator' where you can create structure, set up new routines and rhythms, and intentionally reclaim connection and community. 

Trauma-informed coaching recognises the lasting impact of stress, burnout, and past experiences. It is important to know that coaching is not processing trauma. Rather, the trauma-informed approach prioritises psychological safety, self-regulation, and nervous system awareness. It helps you develop new strategies for resilience, confidence, and leadership growth by working with - not against - your emotional responses. In summary, trauma histories or events become the context but not the content for the coaching conversations. I adhere to the ICF's Code of Ethics and where needed, will notify you if we need to pause or conclude our coaching partnership. This is always about prioritising your well-being and ensuring you get the appropriate support for your situation and your goals. 

Yes. Everything we discuss is treated confidentially in line with the International Coaching Federation's Code of Ethics. The exceptions are rare circumstances where I believe you are at risk of harm to yourself or others. In the context of Coaching, confidentiality fosters the psychological safety for you and the Coach to explore hidden beliefs, give internal permission to stretch and grow, and feel confident to share ideas and take risks in learning and development. A clarification note: confidentiality in this coaching context is not synonymous for permission to express hate speech, racial discrimination, misogony or sexist comments, or expressing violent themes or controlling others behaviours.  Where I suspect you might be at risk of harming yourself or others, I will temporarily pause coaching and step into my role as Mental Health First Aider to carry out suitable checks before agreeing with you on how to proceed.

Coaching is a collaborative process where we work together to deepen your self-awareness, set meaningful goals, and create an actionable roadmap. Expect to explore new perspectives, sit with the discomfort of growth, and take steps that generate forward momentum and that 10/10 transformation. 

Expect deep conversations, curiosity, and gentle challenge, with clear action steps to build momentum.  While coaching is typically non-directive, I draw on my two decades of leadership experience and will share relevant psych ed when helpful. 

Coaching sessions are structured conversations tailored to your energy levels and goals; the 'structure' is held by your Coach. Each session leads from your chosen agenda or direction for the hour. The coaching conversation is essentially your time to think and also, to feel down into the wisdom of your body. Throughout the conversation we move through: identifying what you want and WHY (the higher vision),  exploring  obstacles, unpacking strengths and evidence of previous growth, and you designing practical ways to create momentum and move forwards. 

I help you to help yourself. We begin with the end in mind. Where do you go from burnout? How do you bounce forward without repeating stress cycles? Who are you becoming? How do you want to rewrite the script and reconnect with yourself? The answers to these questions and more are found in your future-focused vision. I will help you set goals and create actions that are specific, achievable, time-bound. With no goals or planned outcomes, coaching will miss out on the essential building blocks of having a present-to-future orientation. This isn't about perfect starting points or shiny accomplishment; this is about you setting a direction in which to move, and then changing course as a result of the coaching and new self-awareness. 

It’s natural to feel this way when facing change. Coaching can support you if you are resourceful, willing, and ready to take action. If anxiety is persistent or debilitating, I recommend seeking alternative or therapeutic support alongside coaching, or we would need to discuss pausing or concluding the coaching partnership until you are adequately resourced to participate in the coaching process.

 Sessions are 60 minutes and typically scheduled every two weeks. Regular sessions help maintain progress and sustain momentum. 

Coaching requires a commitment of your time, energy, and financial resources. Expect to spend 1-2 hours per week on sessions and preparation. Details of my pricing are available on the Work with Me page

If coaching isn’t meeting your needs, we’ll discuss the best path forward. If you have self-funded sessions, you may be entitled to a refund for unused sessions. If your employer has funded your coaching, I’ll support you in navigating next steps with them. 

 I have completed rigorous training, assessment, and observation during my ICF Certified coaching qualifications, and I am actively working towards gaining the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. I regularly undertake supervision, invest in continuing professional development, and belong to a community of learning to uphold high coaching standards.