THE Sweet Spot
The closed, small group coaching programme for non-profit and mission-driven women leaders. Lead the most positive impact possible. Take care of your own needs. Support your team. And have a real laugh while you’re working all out to change the world.
Does this sound familiar…?
You’re a high-performing CEO or senior mission-driven woman leader. But:
You feel isolated – especially after the pandemic. It’s hard to find peers at your level to support you. And you’re so busy that you’re neglecting to connect with others you know lift and inspire you. Life is so busy, it’s just keeps slipping down the priority list.
You’re swamped with work. There’s been cuts. You’ve lost staff. You’ve survived and you’re trying to hold the fort. It’s hard and it all matters so much to you. There’s no option to coast or do the bare minimum.
Despite masses of experience you regularly doubt yourself. Doubting that you’re making a difference. Doubting your decisions because you’ve got no sounding board to check against.
Doubting that you should even be there, sometimes.
You often take your troubles home. They whirr around your brain giving you sleepless nights and crack-of-dawn mornings which add up to not being present for those closest to you.
Not to mention frustrations with your team.
So much of what you do is managing difficult situations with team members. Some people just aren’t on board. That 20% who take up 80% of your time! Agh. You put off ‘tricky’ conversations because you don’t trust you or them to cope. But procrastination just makes the problem worse.
It’s all knock, knock, knocking your confidence that you can do this job.
You’re starting to think:
Do I care enough to put up with this? Have I reached my limit? Because this is doing me in!
You care, you want to see the difference. You’re a good person!
You haven’t been able to give attention to your own development. You’re helping other people with their learning, but not your own. There just isn’t the space to lift your head up. It feels impossible.
You know what?! It doesn’t have to be like this.
Life and work should be enjoyable! Life is better when work is fun
Take a moment and imagine. How would it feel to:
Find an amazing group of women peers who are there for YOU. Your raving supporters. Your gang.
Have a non-judgmental space where you can show up however you are.
Space to explore everything you need to explore, including confidential issues you can’t discuss with colleagues because they’ve all got a vested interest in the outcome.
Find rock-solid confidence in you again as you get to know your unique offering to the world. To have absolute faith in yourself as a powerful leader.
Love your job again.
Life and laughter!
Learn together. Share together. Never feel stuck.
Feel on top of your work for once!
Not constantly overwhelmed any more. At ease at work. Flowing and calm. A sense that you’re doing your best.
Rested even!
This is self care. Giving yourself space. Allowing yourself space to be, to work through the biggest of decisions. Recharging your faded batteries.
This is exactly what the Sweet Spot does.
And I know this isn’t going to be the clincher – but we are going to have the MOST FUN!
How it works
This is a collaboration. It’s a space where we support each other, so you’ll join a closed group of no more than eight fabulous non-profit or mission-driven leaders for six months. The programme includes:
2-hour Kick-start Zoom Call
Monthly Group ‘Sweet Coaching’ Calls (90 minutes on Zoom, with an optional extra 30 minutes socialising)
Monthly Group ‘Sweet Learning’ Calls on essential leadership topics (90 mins on Zoom)
75-minute 1-1 Zoom Coaching Call with me
Two in-person ‘Sweet Days Away’
2-hour Reflection Zoom Call
Plus
PLUS
WhatsApp group for problem-solving, cheerleading and support
An extensive Sweet Spot library of resources, tools and recordings
Individual personality assessment (DISC) to uncover your ‘Sweet Super Power’
Optional 1-1 peer sounding boards, accountability process, and 1-1 coaching from me at a lower cost than usual.
“The Sweet Spot came along just at the right time. I have spent time with a brilliant bunch of senior women struggling with the same issues as me. We sent time together, got to know each other, learned together, helped each other and held each other accountable. All led, guided and supported by the wonderful Katie”
Antonia Bance
Head of Communications, Campaigns & Digital,
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
“The Sweet Spot came along just at the right time. I have spent time with a brilliant bunch of senior women struggling with the same issues as me. We sent time together, got to know each other, learned together, helped each other and held each other accountable. All led, guided and supported by the wonderful Katie”
Antonia Bance
Head of Communications, Campaigns & Digital,
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Why you want to join the Sweet Spot now
Honestly, the best time to start anything is always now. And – I only open up the Sweet Spot a couple of times a year.
Do you really want to miss out? How much longer can you go on the way you are?
Are you doing your colleagues, direct reports and organisation a disservice if you don’t work on your leadership skills?
Imagine the impact you could be making if you were able to show up, all guns blazing and loving your job again.
Let’s face it, when was the last time you did some development like this? You’ve been putting it off for long enough.
Click below to fill out the form to get your application in. I’m so looking forward to meeting you.
The investment
I try to keep my prices as affordable as possible. I’m a died-in-the-wool non-profit native and I know how very precious your funds are.
The investment for you to rediscover your passion for your work and make the positive difference you know you can starts from £400 on a bursary place.
The sweet spot is for you if:
You are a woman
You’re ready to take a deep dive into your leadership and yourself
You’d value regular input, coaching and guidance on your challenges
You’re ready to thrive on the support and accountability of others
You have something to bring to the group e.g. experience, life happenings, empathy
You’re willing to be authentic and open in your sharing
You don’t believe that life and work should be one big slog.
The sweet spot is not for you if:
You don’t identify as a woman – I have other packages for you if that’s so
You don’t do well in a group scenario and would prefer one-to-one coaching
You believe that work SHOULD be a slog and that if you’re not working every hour of the day you’re not really working
If you’re not willing or able to support others
You’re not able to commit to the full six-month programme.
I know what you’re thinking. It all sounds a bit impossible. Too good to be true perhaps!
But you haven’t yet experienced the magic that happens inside The Sweet Spot.
I have been told that my superpower is bringing the right people together and inspiring them like no one else.
This is what I was born to do. No question.
This truth is, this is MY sweet spot.
To apply you’ve got to be fun-loving and up for a laugh. Please, don’t apply if you’re a po-faced fart!
Here’s where it begins:
FROM INSIDE THE SWEET SPOT:
Shireen Chambers, MBE
(Now) CEO, Future Woodlands Scotland and Chair of TREE AID
Rachel Key
CEO, LifeSpace Trust
FAQs
Do you have discounted places?
Yes, I have a sliding scale. Message me if you think you might qualify for a discounted place.
HOW CAN I BE SURE EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH MY SECTOR? OR AT MY LEVEL?
Not everyone gets invited into the Sweet Spot. You must be a senior leader – a CEO or Director or member of the executive team. In very large organisations that could mean ‘Head of’. I only invite women into the group who have this senior level experience so you can all support each other equally.
Not everyone will be in your sector (be it housing or overseas development, sustainability or whatever). My experience is that this is a major plus for everyone. You avoid group-think, your own sector’s jargon and jadedness, and ‘been there, done that’ thinking. The magic is, in fact, in the mix.
Everyone will be from a non-profit or charity, a social enterprise or a mission-driven organisation, such as a tech-for-good outfit or a BCorps company, with a shared purpose to lead impactful, positive change,
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF MY TEAM? THEY NEED COACHING TOO
Yes, they probably do and I’d love to work with them. When resources are spread too thin though (especially given the low budgets earmarked in non-profits for individual L&D), you risk no one getting any meaningful support. That’s not helpful for your mission. Let’s start with you because coaching you will have the biggest trickle down impact and take it from there. We’ll find a space for one of your team members next time.
I’D LOVE TO JOIN? HOW DO I CONVINCE THE BUDGET HOLDER?
Firstly, believe in the power of coaching for you and stick to your guns that this is important. You, and the organisation, deserve this investment. (I see far too many leaders undermining their own development and that of their organisations by not being willing to push through their own discomfort about this)
Share all the reasons why you believe Sweet Spot is a great investment
Enlist my support – I’m very happy to talk it through with your Chair or other sponsor
And remember, it’s very likely that they will have no hesitation whatsoever about investing in you and your development.