Leadership Development

Take your leadership to the next level

We specialise in Executive Coaching and Leadership Development - for CEOs, Executives, Emerging Leaders, People Managers and Board Directors.

Our executive coaching provides a powerful mechanism for professional growth and helps leaders to navigate the real challenges of leadership. We support you to expand your capability, navigate complexity, and deepen your impact.

Coaching creates a space to reflect, experiment, learn practical skills and tools that you can apply real-time, and strengthen your confidence and resilience so you can lead sustainably.

Our development programs complement this by targeting the specific skills your managers and leaders need most. We help social purpose leaders grow in their ability to give and receive feedback, manage performance, and embed coaching skills into everyday practice.

0%

of clients report strengthened leadership skills*

0%

of clients report increased confidence*

0%

of clients report a strengthened identity*

– from clients surveyed in our Impact Report 2025

leadership development services

Our executive coaching and leadership programs build the skills, confidence, and performance of leaders — whether working one-on-one or with cohorts of managers across your organisation.

Executive Coaching

Pause, reflect and lead more intentionally

Our executive coaching provides a trusted partnership where you can think, feel, and navigate the messy reality of leadership.

We bring a systemic lens, supporting not just you personally but also helping you to steer through change, lead strategically, and strengthen how you, your team, and your organisation operate.

It’s a place to reconnect with your clarity and confidence, to thought partner and problem-solve, and to strengthen your leadership and management skills — ensuring you can lead sustainably and make the difference you’re here to make.

Leadership Programs

Building skills, confidence and capability

We design and facilitate learning programs that lift the capability of leaders and managers across the social purpose sector. Our focus is on closing the real skill gaps that make the biggest difference to performance — particularly in giving and receiving feedback, managing performance, and embedding coaching skills for managers.

Drawing on tried and tested modules, practical activities, and resources, we create programs that are interactive, experiential, and immediately applicable. Every program is co-designed with you to align with your culture, priorities, and rhythm, ensuring that change is both practical and sustainable.

Clients particularly like:

Laying strong foundations for the program by doing a diagnostic to hear what matters most to participants
Kicking off with a strengths-based leadership profile, like Lumina Spark to support buy-in and self awareness
Running the program over the course of 6 - 12 months to allow time to learn content, apply it and embed insight
Providing a mixture of individual laser coaching with group experiential modules, and peer learning practices

Career Coaching

Successfully make your next move

We help you to get clear on what you want next in your career and capture your aspiration in materials that are authentic and compelling. This includes your CV, elevator pitch, cover letters, and LinkedIn profile.

As the process moves forward, we support you to develop and implement a practical and multi-layered game plan and provide you with a space to practice for interviews, workshop decisions, and ultimately land the role you want.

Our career coaching allows you to turn one of life’s most confronting professional experiences into a space to be vulnerable privately and confident and compelling externally, so you that you have the support, tools and accountability you need to stay the course and succeed.

First 90 Days

Thrive from the start

The first three months in a new executive role are decisive. Expectations are high, the learning curve is steep, and relationships formed early set the tone for years to come. Our First 90 Days program provides incoming CEOs and senior leaders with tailored coaching and practical tools to accelerate their transition.

Together we map the new context, navigate the sensitivities of key relationships, and sequence priorities to secure early wins. With a skilled coach as a confidential partner, leaders have space to reflect, test decisions, and build confidence — ensuring they land well, sustainably, and with impact.

Leaders by the Fireside

Grow with Peers

Leadership can be isolating, but it doesn’t need to be. Leaders by the Fireside is our signature peer-learning program, designed to bring small groups of social purpose leaders together in a safe, facilitated space.

Across the year, participants share challenges and innovations, test ideas, and learn new frameworks and tools guided by experienced organisational coaches. With 6–12 peers in each group, the conversations go deep, fostering insight, accountability, and connection. Leaders leave each session recharged, better equipped for the demands of their roles, and supported by a trusted network walking beside them through growth and change.

Programs for People and Culture Leaders, and CEO’s.

“Your steady presence and gentle yet firm nudges have helped me push past my comfort zone into the places where real growth happens. Thank you so much for your support.”

Kristen Lark

CEO, The Funding Network

“There was a critical piece missing for us and that was in the leadership. The work with Leadership Space was more than a standout moment, it was a turning point for our organisation.”

Bernie Shakeshaft

Founder, BackTrack

“Through a process of reflection coaching helped me learn more about myself and my strengths and gaps as a leader, at a critical time of joining a new organisation and setting the strategy for increasing impact. It assisted me to stay focused on my goals and helped me determine the steps that I could most effectively take to achieve them.

Barb extended this support through a facilitated session with the Policy and Advocacy team, enabling us to clarify as a group how we progress UNICEF Australia’s goals and responsibilitie. I would recommend this to anyone seeking to stretch themselves as a social purpose leader.”

Nicole Breeze

Director of Policy and Advocacy, UNICEF Australia

“My coaching with Barb provided me with the impetus to set aside time and head space for working on my own professional development. My sessions are always insightful and enjoyable but above all they give me greater clarity and confidence in the robustness of my leadership decisions. It provides a supportive environment to test my assumptions and reflect on my approach to complex situations and I walk away with a much clearer pathway forward. Invaluable!”

Marnie Karmelita

Head of Programming, New Zealand Festival

“I’m so glad I had career coaching when I did. It took a process that would otherwise have been hit and miss and emotionally stressful, and made it focused, supportive and successful."

David Stewart

Foodbank

"Working with Elise as my coach has been transformative. She helped me prepare for the transition to the CEO role and supported me through my first 90 days and beyond.

I felt that I could be vulnerable and open and she engaged with curiosity and encouragement. This transition was the steepest learning curve of my career and Elise was there to support me through the ups and downs. After every session I walked away with plenty to think about as well as clear actions to put into practice. I would highly recommend this program."

Suzie Riddell

CEO, Social Ventures Australia (SVA)

My coaching with Elise has been deeply transformative and helped to shift how I saw the relationships between myself as a leader, myself as a partner/daughter/mum, and most importantly myself with MY SELF!

She is able to know which string to pull to help you gain true insight, be it intellectual exploration, body-sensing, or using observational data and reflection. However uncomfortable the moment may be, she helps you invite it in and learn from it. Her coaching a gift of warm accountability.