For a long time, I didn’t think coaching was enough.
If something felt hard, stretched or overwhelming, I assumed the answer was simple. Work harder. Learn more. Push further.

And if the pressure didn’t lift, I told myself it must be my fault.

Like many high performers, I kept building and pushing, unknowingly adopting patterns that rewarded effort, output and endurance. On the outside, things looked successful. On the inside, they didn’t feel aligned with how I wanted to live, work or feel each day.

The quiet beliefs that keep us stuck

What I didn’t realise at the time was how much of my behaviour was shaped by conditioning and default expectations I’d never consciously chosen.

Through coaching, I began to see things more clearly, often uncomfortably so.

I could see:

• Where I was relying on constant effort to hold everything together

• Where I had confused capability with responsibility

• Where my sense of worth had quietly become entangled with productivity and performance

None of this surfaced through quick tips or motivation. It emerged slowly, through reflection, challenge and honest conversation.

What coaching actually gave me

Coaching didn’t give me permission to do less for the sake of it.
It gave me clarity to do things differently.

That difference mattered.

I learned how to build a life I genuinely love, work I’m deeply proud of, and space in areas that once felt completely out of reach. Not by lowering my standards or ambition, but by changing how I supported myself to meet them.

The edge stayed. The drive stayed.
What shifted was the cost.

Why this work matters to me now

Over the past few years, coaching and mentoring has become a deeply meaningful part of my own work. It’s where I see the most profound shifts take place.

Not surface-level motivation.
Not quick wins.

But clarity, boundaries, systems, leadership development and the inner work that makes high performance sustainable over time.

This is where people stop just coping and start choosing.

So what does this mean for you?

If you’ve been high performing for a long time, it’s easy to assume the pressure is just part of the deal. That holding everything together is normal. That pushing through is the only option.

Coaching offers another path.
Not an easier one, but a more intentional one.

It creates space to examine what you’re carrying, why you’re carrying it, and what needs to change so your work and life can actually support you.

2026 Leadership Coaching and Mentoring

Because of this, I’m now opening applications for my 2026 Leadership Coaching and Mentoring intake.

This work is designed for high-performing leaders who want to continue operating at a high level without burning out. It’s deeply personalised, strategic and grounded in real life.

This isn’t traditional coaching.
There are no generic frameworks, no vague advice and no cookie-cutter programs.

Instead, the work adapts to you, your responsibilities and the season of leadership and life you’re in, blending human behaviour, leadership development and practical strategy in a way that’s sustainable and honest.

If you can sense there’s something more beneath the layers of coping, pushing and holding everything together, this may be the right next step.

You can learn more and apply via the Coaching and Mentoring page on The Wellness Strategy website.

If this resonates, you might also want to explore how Staff Wellbeing by Design, Beneath the Surface staff conversations, or Curriculum for Excellence can support your next steps. Each focuses on creating clarity and consistency as the foundation for sustainable wellbeing. You can learn more at https://thewellnessstrategy.com.au/.