FAQs
For Private Clients
In a coaching session, what actually happens — is it conversation, or are there exercises?
It's conversation-based, though the somatic element may bring in breathwork, posture work, or movement too, according to what your body is signalling in the moment. Depending on what you're exploring and what you're working towards, I'll also draw on specific models and activities — chosen for what's live for you in that session, rather than run as a fixed curriculum everyone goes through in the same order.
I'm senior but not in a formal leadership role yet — can I still work with you?
Yes. I work with emerging leaders as well as senior ones — anyone ready to consciously self-author where their leadership goes. If that's where you are, it's worth a conversation regardless of title.
Do I need to be in crisis, or have something clearly wrong, before starting this?
No. Most leaders who start this work aren't in crisis — they're carrying a question they can't quite put down, a sense that something in how they lead deserves a closer look, even though nothing is obviously wrong. That's usually the better time to start, not the worse one.
How is this different from bringing in a general leadership trainer or coach?
Most leadership development works at the level of skills or competencies — a new framework, a new technique. This works at the level of the leader themselves: the way we think and why — the beliefs, attitudes, and values we have learned — and the somatic dimension: both the conditioned patterns held in the body, and the capacity to self-regulate under pressure and use embodied presence deliberately, which shapes how everyone we lead feels and responds, to us and to the situation itself. Worked on together, cognitively and somatically, this is a whole-person approach rather than a purely intellectual one. It's not a critique of skills-based training — the two address different layers of the same problem.
How is this different from talking to a mentor, non-exec, or trusted colleague?
A good conversation with someone you trust has real value — but this is different. I won't offer solutions, opinions, or advice. I'll ask questions, carefully and intentionally, that help you see more clearly than you can from inside your own thinking, and find your own way through from there. That's a different skill to being a good sounding board, however experienced the person.
Is this coaching or therapy?
This is coaching — not therapy or counselling. The work can go to genuinely deep places, but it's oriented toward development and conscious choice, not clinical treatment or diagnosis. My training shares some elements with therapeutic approaches, but I'm not formally trained as a counsellor or psychotherapist, and coaching isn't a substitute for that kind of support. If something surfaces that would be better held by a therapist or counsellor, I'll say so directly and support you in finding the right support.
Is there an assessment, paperwork, or a contract before we start?
There's no formal assessment. We start with a free chemistry session, to check we're the right fit for each other, then move into a contracting conversation where we agree goals, expectations, confidentiality, the coaching schedule, and fees — set out in a document we both sign.
What if, partway through, it turns out not to be the right fit?
The contract we sign sets out a clear mechanism for this: either of us can end the coaching relationship without needing to give a reason, on two weeks' notice. The work exists in your interests as the client, so if the approach or the relationship genuinely isn't working for you, ending it is always your call to make.
What's your cancellation or rescheduling policy for coaching sessions?
We'll both do our best not to cancel or reschedule, out of respect for each other's time, but if a session does need to move, the minimum notice is one working day — except in a genuine emergency or something unforeseen on the day itself, which can still be rescheduled. Notice can be given by phone, but needs confirming by email. If a session is missed without any notice at all, it counts as one of your sessions.
Is what I share confidential?
Yes. Everything we discuss stays confidential, with two narrow exceptions I'll always be upfront about from the start: if something raises a genuine risk of significant harm to you or someone else, and the anonymised use of our work together in my own professional supervision or ongoing development. Beyond that, nothing is shared with anyone, by name or identifiable detail, without your express permission.
What does this cost, and what are the payment terms?
Pricing isn't published here — I'd rather understand what you're actually working with before talking through the options. We'll agree pricing and payment terms together as part of the discovery conversation, based on what's right for your circumstances.
How soon after a Discovery Call can we typically start?
Usually, the first session is scheduled within a month of the Discovery Call. As part of the contracting process, we'll also agree a draft schedule for the rest of the sessions, so you leave that conversation with the whole arc mapped out, not just a start date.
For Corporate Clients
1-1 Coaching
Can we send someone who isn't yet in a formal leadership role?
Yes. Organisations often bring emerging leaders into this work as part of a talent pipeline or succession plan, not only established ExCo members — the same self-authorship practice applies whether someone is leading a function today or being developed to lead one. We'd talk through who's the right fit for your organisation as part of the initial conversation.
How is this different from a general leadership training provider, or from what we already run internally?
Most leadership development — whether delivered by an external trainer or run through internal programmes — works at the level of skills and competencies: a framework or a technique, delivered to a cohort. This works at the level of the leaders themselves: the conditioning and somatic patterns shaping how they actually lead under pressure, examined cognitively and through the body at once. Because it works at a different layer, organisations typically bring it in alongside existing leadership development rather than in place of it.
Is there an assessment, paperwork, or a contract before we start?
Your organisation may run its own assessment process and bring its own goals alongside yours. The contracting agreement sits between the three of us — you, me, and the organisation — so there's shared, explicit understanding of expectations, goals, confidentiality, reporting, schedule, and fees. This usually forms part of the formal agreement between me and the commissioning organisation, but you're a party to it too, not just its subject.
Is what a coachee shares confidential from their employer?
As a principle, everything discussed stays confidential, with two exceptions — a genuine risk of significant harm to you or someone else, and the anonymised use of our work in my own professional supervision. When an organisation is sponsoring the coaching, two further exceptions apply. In the case of 1-1 coaching for an individual, the organisation may want some reporting back on their development and or development needs. My practice is to agree this process between the organisation, the coachee, and myself so that everyone is clear and in agreement from the outset. Where an organisation has commissioned coaching for a number of individuals, reporting can be on themes at cohort level with anything identifying rigorously removed — this depends on the group being large enough that a theme can't be traced back to one person.
What's your cancellation or rescheduling policy for coaching sessions?
Terms are set out as part of the commissioning contract with the organisation, reflecting the different scope of a sponsored engagement. Happy to talk through the specifics as part of that conversation.
Examined Leadership Programme
Can the Examined Leadership Programme run virtually, or does it need to be in person?
Yes — the Programme can be delivered in person or online. The structure and activities for the online version differ somewhat from the in-person format, adapted for what actually works in a virtual setting rather than run as a straight video-call version of the same day.
Is the Examined Leadership Programme only for ExCo and C-suite teams, or does it work for emerging leaders too?
Both. The Programme's bespoke design means the specific content and challenges each day works with are shaped around whoever the cohort actually is. We'd agree the right cohort and focus for your organisation as part of the initial conversation.
Does the whole ExCo need to attend every Programme Day?
Ideally, yes — the whole ExCo attending every day is what makes the process most coherent, since the team is examining itself and its own dynamics as a whole across the seven days. In practice, that's not always possible, and there are legitimate alternatives: an assessment process might identify particular leaders who'd benefit most, or an organisation may want to run the Programme with a specific cohort of emerging leaders rather than the full ExCo. The exact make-up of the group is agreed as part of the contracting conversation between us.
What's expected of the team between Programme Days?
Between Programme Days, the cohort continues as an action learning set — carrying forward the projects and initiatives that emerge from the afternoon's work, and testing them in the business rather than leaving them in the room. Individually, each participant also takes away micro-practices arising from the morning's work on critical reflection and somatic intelligence, so the practice keeps developing rather than starting fresh each time.
How far in advance should we start scoping the Programme?
Scoping conversations typically start up to six months ahead of delivery. That's a genuine requirement rather than caution for its own sake: the organisation needs time to understand the Programme, identify the right cohort, and work the diary logistics around already-stretched leadership schedules — and because much of the Programme is bespoke, there also needs to be enough time to design and agree the content properly with you, rather than rush it.
Talks & Speaking
How far in advance should we book a talk?
Typically six to eight weeks, depending on diary commitments — though it's worth asking about availability earlier than that, since booking slots go quickly.
What are your technical or AV requirements for talks?
My requirements are fairly light. I use slides for some talks but not all, so a projector or screen with a standard laptop connection covers it when needed, along with a presenter-view screen or confidence monitor I can see clearly while I'm moving, and a handheld clicker so I can advance slides myself. I move around while I speak, so a wireless or lapel mic works far better than a handheld or fixed podium mic. Some talks include short video or audio clips, so it's worth having a sound feed available even if it isn't needed on the day. I'm happy to confirm the exact requirements closer to the date, once we know the specific talk and venue.
Do you allow talks to be recorded or filmed?
Yes — recording and filming are fine, subject to copyright and an agreement on how the recording will be used. We'll settle the specifics as part of booking, rather than leaving it assumed on the day.
What does this cost, and what are the payment terms? Pricing isn't published here — every engagement is scoped individually. For sponsored 1-1 coaching and for the Examined Leadership Programme, pricing and payment terms are agreed as part of the initial conversation with your organisation, reflecting the scope of the engagement. For talks and seminars, it depends on the length of the talk and the size of the audience. We can discuss this in a booking enquiry call
Anything not covered here is exactly what the Discovery Call is for.