Reframing power and presence
The client came into coaching successful on paper, but deeply disillusioned. As the only woman of colour in her leadership team, she felt invisible — stuck between organisational demands and her own values.
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We explored the polarity of authenticity and influence. Through systems mapping, metaphor, and embodied reflection, she began to understand her discomfort not as a personal flaw, but a product of the environment.
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Coaching offered a space to see power differently — not as dominance, but as strategic clarity and voice. She stepped forward, changed roles, and stopped apologising for her presence.
“I didn’t lose myself. I finally took up space.”
Rediscovering voice in complexity
Following a restructure, she arrived in coaching disoriented — professionally capable, but unsure how to navigate high-stakes meetings and emotional exhaustion.
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Through gentle pacing, metaphor work, and reflective writing, she began to name the unspoken dynamics shaping her silence. She explored boundaries, inner permission, and self-regulation.
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Over time, her tone changed. She spoke with clarity in board-level meetings and advocated for herself without shrinking. Coaching became the place where she reclaimed her steadiness.​
“I used to second-guess everything. Now I speak with clarity — not to prove, but to participate.”
Returning to leadership after leave
After taking time away from her NHS role, she returned with mixed emotions. Her confidence had shifted. She questioned whether her voice still mattered in a system that had changed while she was gone.
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In coaching, we created space to re-ground. Through values reflection, boundary work, and exploring the inner critic, she began to rebuild a leadership identity that was current — not just inherited.
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Together, we mapped her career narrative and tested practical steps like gentle exposure, self-advocacy, and interview preparation. Over time, clarity returned. So did her sense of calm authority.
“I’m not the same — but wiser, steadier, and ready for what’s next.”