People often ask me about the kinds of leaders that I work with - what level they're at, what industries they come from, and what they are working on in a coaching partnership.

There are many ways to frame that question and my response, and I find myself drawn less to titles and more to the qualities of a leader's presence and experience. The ones who choose to work with me are often navigating something more than their next career move. They are used to speaking the language of success - strategy, progression, outcomes - because that's what their environments demand. But beneath that, there's often something harder for them to name.

I get it because, in many ways, it's hard for me to name what is next for me and the clients I'm most suited to partner with. It's doesn't fit neatly into a box. And it's not always evident, I'm often surprised. Which is why I'm attempting to write about it now.

Those things that are harder to name - it's often something deeper. A pull toward a different pace, a less frenetic one. A desire for work to feel more fulfilling, not just successful. A sense that leadership is about more than titles, earnings, or achievement. But they're not always sure how to name it, or if it even is welcome in the conversations they're used to having.

Even the most accomplished leaders have places where they get stuck. A leader who becomes distant when they're stressed, even though connection is what they value. A leader who moves so fast that they struggle to be present, missing moments that make their work more meaningful. A leader who is seen as confident but quietly grapples with self-doubt, wondering if they're measuring up.

Leadership isn't just about outward progress, it's also about inner work - the reflection, clarity, and deep sense of knowing and feeling that guide the way forward. Without that, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters, to push forward without pause, to meet expectations without feeling fully aligned.

With space to reflect, the conversation often begins to shift. The words become less about what should be said and more about what feels true.

These are the clients I work best with - those who are drawn to leading with intention, who care deeply about their impact, and who recognize that sustainable leadership requires tending to both the external demands of their work and the internal world that sustains it.

I hear this regularly from leaders who work with me after receiving this feedback. It's often positioned as the key to advancing to the 'next level' - but what does it actually mean? More high-level thinking? Less time in the weeds? A clearer vision? Bold ideas? A stronger ability to influence?

In my experience, many leaders already are strategic, but they don't always recognize it - or they define it differently from those evaluating them. Sometimes, the challenge isn't about being strategic, it's about making their strategic thinking visible in a way that resonates with senior leadership.

I believe that becoming more strategic isn't just about doing things differently. It's about expanding how you see yourself as a leader. Do you see strategy as someting separate from execution, or as part of how you lead every day? Do you associate it with authority you don't feel you have? Do you hold back from big-picture thinking because you worry it means being less hands-on?

I think about this in my own business. I set aside Fridays as a client-free day to focus on creativity, innovation, and big-picture thinking. If I'm not intentional, it's easy for the day to get swallowed up by day-to-day emails and small tasks that feel urgent. Being strategic requires protecting space for it, trusting that it's valuable to do so, and resisting the pull to always be 'doing'. I've learned that I can't just sit at my desk and expect inspiration to emerge. The best way for me to get in a truly strategic space is to start my day being active in the outdoors. Movement, fresh air, and natural space allow me to be in my body, to see new possibilities, and to make unexpected connections.

Strategy isn't just about looking ahead, it's about creating space to think, ask different questions, and discover.

When was the last time you gave yourself space to think? To ask different questions? To discover?

Instead of feeling like you never have time to 'think strategically', imagine what would be possible if you approached strategy not as a task, but as a way of being. For strategy to become a way of being, something deeper is needed - perhaps a shift in how you see yourself, what you believe is possible, or even permission to lead differently.

As a leadership coach, my job is to be your thought partner. To do this I listen deeply - tuning into themes and patterns, the words beneath your words, and the words not spoken. As well as the places and times that you pause or say nothing. I ask questions that I hope will support you inquire more fully into yourself - the roots of your patterns, the different parts of you, the why behind your actions, the core of what motivates you, and the energy behind your feelings.

In a coaching conversation I aim to speak far less that my client. And in between one of us speaking, there's silence - room to pause, reflect, and process. And hopefully jot down a few notes.

In all of this, my clients don't really get to know me - not in the way they might know a friend or a colleague. What I hope they do get is a felt sense of me, one that allows them to confide in me like a trusted friend, and that allows them to do their best and most honest thinking and feeling in our time together.

A recent conversation with a past client reminded me of the one-sided nature of this work. Clients will, understandably, make assumptions about me - sometimes imagining that that I have everything figured out... that I don't wrestle with the same questions they do. But the truth is, I do.

A mentor once told me that as a coach or a therapist, I am either two steps ahead, two steps behind, or right there alongside my clients. We are all navigating what it means to be human. I hold space for others because I deeply believe in the need and the value of having such a space for myself. I need it too.

And so, while my role isn't to share my own struggles with my clients, know this - if you've ever struggled, doubted yourself, felt alone, or questioned your relevance - I have too.

So many of us are exhausted. And that exhaustion isn't just physical - it's mental, emotional, and even existential. We move from one demand to the next, filling our days with meetings, all forms of written communications, and obligations, convinced that busyness equals productivity, that responsiveness equals effectiveness. And I believe that in the process, we are distracted from what truly matters.

The best leadership - whether it's in our work, our families, our communities - doesn't come from a place of depletion. It comes from clarity, presence, and vitality. And yet, so often my clients tell me how they rarely protect the time and space required to cultivate these things. I listen to people overriding their instincts, ignoring the signals that their emotions are sending them, and pushing through at all costs. The result? People struggle to think deeply, creatively, or strategically; to advocate meaningfully for themselves and
others; or to influence effectively.

I recognize that not everyone has the same choices or flexibility. I believe that it is about making the most of what we can access and control. It's about recognizing that if we never pause to restore, we won't have the capacity to show up for the things and people that need us most - including ourselves.

Taking space doesn't have to mean long hikes (though I swear by them) or hour-long meditations. It means intentionally creating room to refuel, however that looks for you. Because the more we protect our energy, the more we can lead with intentionality.

I hope this invites you to pause and ask yourself - What would it take for me to stop running on empty? Where do I find the space to restore? And am I giving myself enough of that?

I've had so many conversations where people assume leadership coaching is about climbing the corporate ladder - securing the next title or the next promotion. And I get it. That's often how leadership is framed, which is unfortunate.

That's not what draws me to this work.

For me, leadership isn't about reaching the 'top'. It's about presence - how we show up, the impact we have, and the responsibility that comes with it. Leadership is bigger than individual success. It's about shaping something beyond ourselves - our kids, our teams, our organizations, and even the broader systems we're part of. As one of my wise clients shared - leadership ins't an individual pursuit, it can be shared.

And what a time to be speaking about the responsibility of leadership. We are watching leaders around the world make decisions that harm - decisions that contribute to an even more fractured and disparate world.

I want to work with people who are interested in something different. Leaders who aren't just thinking about their own careers but about the ripple effects of their leadership. Who ask: How do my choices affect the people around me? What kind of culture am I creating? How does my leadership extend beyond my family, my team, my organization, and my country?

Titles and promotions can be meaningful, but they aren't what make someone a leader. Leadership is about integrity and the awareness that our actions reach further than we often realize.

When I work with people, I prefer to focus on the kind of leader they want to be and the impact they want to have. Because that's what lasts.