LEADERSHIP COACHING
FOR LEADERS SEEKING SELF-AUTHORSHIP.
Is This Your Story?
DAY IN, DAY OUT
Every day, you live with expectations imposed on you about how to lead. You must constantly prove you are 'professional' and 'capable'. You face judgements about which parts of you are "too much" or are "not enough". You are forced to decide what of you to reveal and what to hide. It's exhausting, and it never stops.
A DIFFERENT WAY
Whether you're emerging into leadership or well-established, you're pushed to perform the person they'd prefer you to be, not who you really are. You feel you must suppress aspects of yourself to be taken seriously. It's frustrating and you know there is an different way for you to lead.
AUTHENTICALLY YOU
You are smart, driven, and talented. You want to bring your full self to your leadership - your perspective, your experience, your way of being. You want to navigate the system on your own terms, build something meaningful, and make decisions grounded in your values. You want leadership that feels authentically you, not a costume you must put on each morning.
SELF-AUTHORSHIP
Through one-to-one coaching, we work together so you can uncover and step into your authentic self. We examine the elements that constrain you, understand how they operate, and create the conditions for you to consciously choose who you become. This isn't coaching that helps you survive the system. It's coaching that facilitates your self-authorship.
Who I Coach
You're smart, talented, and driven. You're ready to author your own leadership.
I work with women leaders and leaders from underrepresented backgrounds who want to move from performance to authentic self-authorship.
My coaching practice spans the full leadership journey, supporting emerging leaders and those taking on their first senior roles through to established C-suite and Exco executives.
Whether you're in law, finance, tech, healthcare, or are running your own enterprise, if you're ready to lead and live as yourself, we should talk.
THE VISION
Your fulfilment from leading as your authentic self.
The Coaching Effect
When leaders self-author themselves:
They find meaning in what they do - because they bring their full selves to the table with confidence and freedom.
They make authentic decisions - because they're connected to their values and clear about what matters.
They're resilient - because they're rooted in their own strength with clarity and purpose.
They effect change - because they 'know' the system and navigate it on their own terms.
They inspire others - by demonstrating that liberation through self-authorship is possible.
"Matt helped me recognise that I was seeing the business as an extension of myself, rather than as an embodiment of my work. Through our coaching, I came to understand that I am more than the business and that the business is simply a vehicle through which my body of work can be expressed. That shift was powerful."
Aisha Thomas, CEO
What Coaching Looks Like
Format: One-to-one sessions, typically 60-90 minutes.
Delivery: Virtual (Zoom) or in-person (Bristol and Cardiff area, UK).
Frequency: Usually monthly, though we'll design a rhythm that works for you.
Duration: Minimum commitment of 6 sessions; most clients work with me for 6-12 months.
Investment: Contact me for current rates.
My Credentials
ACC — Associate Certified Coach, International Coach Federation.
ILM Level 7 — Senior Practitioner in Executive Coaching.
PhD in Sociology — University of Bristol (2016-2022).
Thesis: Everyday Power and Privilege at the Intersection of Race, Gender and Class.
MSc Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (Distinction) — University of Bristol (2015-2016).
BA (Hons) Business Administration (First Class) — University of the West of England.
Previous Clients
In addition to my private clients, I've partnered with leaders and organizations across the world including:
Corporate Sector: Ericsson, Asahi, Sonova, dss+ (via Shape Talent), Forvis Mazars, and ScanLAB (via Representation Matters).
Higher Education: University of Bristol, University of Exeter, Bath Spa University, and the University of West of England (via Representation Matters).
Public & Third Sector: The Women's Forum International, City of London Corporation, Public Health Wales, Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol City Council, Barnardo's, Blood Cancer UK.
Community Organizations: Various programmes supporting marginalized communities across Bristol's most deprived areas.
My work spans from individual executive coaching to organization-wide EDI strategy, facilitation, and training programmes.
Who Am I?
I am Dr Matt Jacobs PhD, ACC, but I prefer to be known just as 'Matt'...
I am a Senior Practitioner Leadership Coach (ILM Level 7) and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation. I use an existential approach to create space for exploring values, purpose, meaing, and identity to lead to deeper insight and awareness.
My PhD on the sociology of identity, power, and privilege means I understand the structural dynamics you're navigating at a depth most coaches don't. My 30 years working in inclusion gives me a professional understanding of those dynamics.
I approach this work as a White, middle-class, heterosexual man knowing that I do not have the lived experience of the marginalizsation that you navigate daily. What I do bring is an understanding of my positionality and a clear awareness of the unearned privileges I hold today.
A Little More About Me...
For 30 years, I've supported senior leaders and teams across all sectors. My journey has taken me from working directly with marginalized communities in Bristol's most deprived areas through strategic roles leading programmes worth over £25 million to address social and economic exclusion to one-to-one coaching that transforms individual leadership trajectories.
Before all this, I spent my formative teenage years in remote West Wales during the height of Welsh nationalism in the 1970s and '80s. As 'the only English kid in the village', I experienced regular verbal abuse and physical assault simply because of who I was. The experience of this repeated xenophobia between the ages of 9 and 17, when I moved away, has deeply conditioned who I am, what I believe in, and how I respond to the world.
Outside of work, I am a single father of two beautiful, now fully grown and flown daughters. I love a fine red wine, good music, kitchen dancing, and cooking an ‘interesting’ version of something I've seen on Great British Menu, often all at the same time. I am drawn to visiting places I know little about and immersing myself in their coffee-shop culture. I'm a committed urbanite and love cities in all their forms. If I can get to them on my motorbike, all the better.
Testimonials
Matt has been supporting me over 6 monthly sessions to navigate what I do next as I transition out of my current role as a Co-Director of a small arts agency. His approach mixes strategy with warmth and openness, and has enabled me to be really strategic and future-facing about what I do next while ensuring that it's rooted in my values. As a busy leader of a small organisation, there never seems to be enough time to focus on you, and working with Matt has enabled me to intentionally carve out time to think deeply and reflect on what comes next. It's been a joy.
Euella Jackson, Creative Entrepreneur
Working in a large, diverse organisation, Matt’s insightful and thought provoking coaching has allowed me to develop and push boundaries around my personal leadership capabilities. Matt listens and hears, providing a safe space for both external and internal dialogue allowing a deeper understanding of ‘self’ and ‘direction’ that contributes to my achievement and performance of the wider organisational strategies.
Kelly Ward, Head of Operations, Public Health Wales
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Matt helped me recognise that I was seeing the business as an extension of myself, rather than as an embodiment of my work. Through our coaching, I came to understand that I am more than the business and that the business is simply a vehicle through which my body of work can be expressed. That shift was powerful.
Matt is patient and kind, but he won’t let you off the hook. He holds space in a way that is non-judgemental yet deeply supportive, offering both challenge and care. If you are ready for that kind of honest reflection, Matt is the right person to work with.
As a woman racialised as Black, I was initially sceptical, as race is often a necessary lens for me to raise in coaching spaces. While Matt openly acknowledges that he will never share my lived experience, he was able to hold a genuinely brave space, one where I could explore, play, and reflect without defensiveness or discomfort. That, in itself, speaks volumes.
Aisha Thomas, Founder & Director, Representation Matters.
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Matt is exceptional to work with. We have partnered on a number of projects and is always a joy to work with. Smart, insightful, empathetic with the right balance of support and challenge he is able to get to the heart of the issue with tact and astuteness. I highly recommend him.
Sharon Peake, CEO & Founder, Shape Talent
When I was at a crossroads, unsure of where I was going in my career a friend recommended Matt's coaching services. Reflecting on my journey, I can see a 360° turnaround. I am now back in the driving seat of my career. I know and can say what my values and absolutes are. It was a really mind-blowing experience. This was a journey from despair and unknowing to relief and clarity. Matt’s coaching has not only helped in my professional life, but my personal life too. As knowing and understanding my values has helped with better decision making. Thank you, Matt.
Nicola Osborne, Team leader, Bristol City Council
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Matt’s coaching has significantly strengthened my confidence and provided much-needed clarity around my vision as an aspiring start-up founder. Through thoughtful questioning and perceptive insights, he has helped me refine both my long-term direction and the specific gap in the market that my organisation is well placed to fill. His friendly and welcoming approach created a safe, supportive environment in which I felt able to explore possibilities far beyond what I had previously considered. I would highly recommend him as a coach.