A space to lead more fully as yourself
I work with senior leaders navigating complexity, transition, and increasing uncertainty — particularly those engaged in mission-driven work, where the personal stakes are often high and the demands unrelenting.
Leaders who care, and who carry a great deal
Many of my clients are drawn from international organisations, non-profits, foundations, and mission-driven organisations of all kinds. They have often chosen their work out of deep conviction, and they bring genuine commitment to it. That same commitment can make the challenges of senior leadership particularly acute, including the pressure, the ambiguity, and the responsibility for others.
Many sense that what has served them well in the past may no longer be sufficient for what lies ahead. They want space to reflect, reconnect with themselves, and lead in ways that feel both effective and true to who they are and why they do this work.
I draw on more than 25 years of experience in complex organisations, including over a decade in senior leadership roles in global health and sustainability. I understand the realities of senior leadership in these environments, and I use this perspective to support sense-making around organisational dynamics, relationships, and the wider system leaders operate within.
Authentic, present, and honestly challenging
What clients tell me they find in our work together is a space that is warm, confidential and safe, where they feel genuinely heard and met with respect, not just for the challenge they bring, but for the context they are carrying. I listen deeply and am fully present. I understand what it means to work in mission-driven environments: the relentless drive, the way commitment to the cause can quietly lead you to give beyond your limits, and the particular tension of holding responsibility for others while navigating your own uncertainties. That understanding is in the room with us, alongside honest challenge, real accountability, and close attention to what matters most in the moment.
In our work together, you can expect a confidential space marked by trust, respect, and presence. I listen deeply and meet you where you are, while also challenging assumptions, patterns, and beliefs that may be limiting you. I bring accountability and continuity to our work, following up on what we explore and agree, and remaining attentive to what is most alive in the moment.
My work is grounded in lived experience, both professional and personal. I know what challenge and uncertainty feel like, and I also know what it takes to grow beyond familiar ways of leading.
Finding your own voice in environments that were not always designed for you
One area I feel particularly connected to is supporting women in senior leadership. This comes from personal experience as much as professional conviction.
Many of the leadership environments that women navigate were shaped largely by male experience, and the role models most readily available still reflect that. Over time, it is easy to absorb a style of leading that does not quite fit, or to measure yourself against a standard that was never really yours to begin with. The result can be a quiet but persistent sense of misalignment: performing well, but not quite leading as yourself.
I remember distinctly trying on styles of leadership modelled by people I admired, strong, inspiring leaders who genuinely wanted to support me. But those coats didn't fit. I could feel it, almost physically: the misalignment between how I was leading and who I actually was. That experience — of performing competently in a register that wasn't mine — is part of what brought me to this work. I know what it takes to find your own way back to yourself, and I know how much it changes when you do.
My work with women in leadership is about creating space to examine that, and to find a way of leading that draws on genuine strengths rather than borrowed ones. This is not about coaching women to lead differently from men. It is about helping each person find the authority, presence, and style that is authentically theirs, and lead from there with confidence.
Sanne has an incredible ability to truly listen and meet you where you are, while also bringing structure and frameworks that help move things forward in a meaningful way. Her background in the social impact space meant she immediately understood the nuances of my work and challenges. I made meaningful progress on issues I had been struggling with — and genuinely looked forward to our conversations.
Julia, Senior Executive, Social Impact ConsultancyWhere this work tends to matter most
- Executive and senior leadership coaching
- Leadership transitions and moments of significant change
- Leading with authenticity and self-awareness
- Navigating complexity and sustained uncertainty
- Women in leadership
- Connecting head and heart in decision-making and action
If this resonates, I would welcome a conversation
Taking the step of reaching out about coaching is itself significant. There is no commitment involved — just an honest opportunity to explore whether this feels like the right fit and to reflect together on what you are navigating.