The Grounded Manager

A programme for HE managers who are ready to feel more sturdy and grounded in their management role.

You might be here because:

you want to progress in your career but you keep being told to ‘let go of the detail’ or ‘say no more’
you’re established in your role but managing your team feels really flippin’ hard
you’ve recently stepped into a bigger role and want to avoid the common management pitfalls from the start

Whatever your reason, you're probably already exhausted and you can’t contemplate doing more or working harder. You’ve probably been told you need to delegate more and ‘be more strategic’ but you can’t seem to find the headspace for that.

You want to do work that:

feels satisfying,
gives you more recognition and responsibility
AND that feels sustainable and leaves you with enough energy to actually enjoy yourself and be present with family and friends come the weekend
most of all, you want to feel sure you’re managing your team well without having to turn into someone you're not

And do you know what? It's totally possible

It's exactly what we work on inside this programme.

Inside the programme, we focus on

the shifts that actually change how your job feels:

Moving beyond “my value is only in what I get done”
So you can stop doing everything yourself and start holding accountability properly.

Moving beyond overworking to protect the team
So you can address what’s actually causing the pressure, rather than absorbing it.

Moving beyond avoiding difficult conversations
So you can step out of repeating conversation loops and into clear, boundaried action.

Moving beyond the identity of the “nice manager”
So you can be firm, fair, and grounded without being a d*** about it.

How we do it

This isn’t generic training. It’s coaching. It’s personal and it meets you exactly where you are.

This is a 6-month group coaching programme.

Each month focuses on one of these shifts.

We start with a structured teaching session
Then meet weekly for group coaching

You bring what’s actually happening in your team and we work through it together in real time.

Each week I’ll create space for you to think, plan, explore what’s causing you friction and what’s working really well.

We’ll untangle your thinking and create some experiments for you to take back into your week as you explore doing things differently, all while keeping in mind the nuances of your context, your team, your institution, your objectives and your aspirations. I operate on the assumption that you know best because what we’re building here is self-trust.

We do it as a group because you’ll learn from each other and cheer each other on.

We’re not trying to turn you into someone you’re not. We’re helping you appreciate what’s already working really well for you and see that by changing your approaches in certain situations, you can become the kind of manager you aspire to be.

You come out of it doing things differently.

you stop trying to do everything yourself
you deal with issues more effectively
you understand what’s yours to manage (and what isn’t)
you create space to think and lead your team with intention

This work matters more than you might think

Most people don’t choose the way they manage.

They inherit it

from managers they’ve had in the past
from cultures where conflict is avoided and difficult things go unsaid
from systems that reward overworking and “doing more with less”.

So the patterns repeat because no one has shown them...you, another way.

This programme is about changing that. And the ripple effects can be far reaching because when one person starts to:

hold clean boundaries
delegate properly
deal with issues directly
stay steady under pressure

it changes the team and culture around them. And if enough people make these shifts it could change the course of the sector for good.

You become the cycle breaker.

Join now

By the end of the programme

You’ll become the manager you secretly suspect might be there under the surface somewhere already.

You’ll be feeling brave, self-assured and accomplished.

You will have stepped out of the detail by delegating well and holding accountability appropriately.

You’ll be taking up space by setting and holding boundaries that support you and your team.

You’ll be leading yourself and your teams in ways that feel good and are noticed by others for being firm but fair.

You’ll be able to rest and feel satisfied without all that overworking and cyclonic thinking going on in the background.

You will move forward in your career, be a sturdy, calm manager and feel really flippin’ good about it.

And importantly, you’ll know that whatever crops up in future, you’ll be ok because you know how to encourage and support yourself.

Plus you'll have a gang of likeminded HE professionals in your corner cheering you on every step of the way.

About me as your guide

I’m a specialist self-belief coach working exclusively with HE managers and leaders, and their teams.

I worked in HE professional services for 13 years before I started this coaching business and was repeatedly struck by how under-supported Professional Services managers are in HE. Since then I've coached over 280 HE professional from all over the sector.

And I want you to know that we need more thoughtful people like you in positions of leadership across this sector so that we can be doing things differently. You're not delusional in wanting that and I’m here to support you.

I’m a specialist self-belief coach and I work at the middle of the venn diagram that contains self-belief, robust management and leadership practice and the HE context. I also have a Sociology degree and I’m completely fascinated by the cultural differences between academia and professional services and the power dynamics within and between different HEIs.

I created this programme because I've been coaching HE managers for a long time now and I know the common traps and illusions that keep you stuck in overworking and over thinking.

I also know that you’re standing at the threshold of change and that can feel scary. So this programme is about supporting you to cross that threshold and manage your team in ways that feel satisfying and sustainable without turning into one of those terrible HE politician types - you know the ones.

If that sounds good then I'd love to support you. Come on in.

The Investment

You pay £350/month or £2,100 total

You can pay by monthly instalments or I can send you a quotation if your institution is paying by Purchase Order. The pricing is the same regardless - there's no penalty for paying monthly.

How to Join

If this is a 'hell yes' for you, sign yourself up.

There’s no need for a call - remember we’re building your self-trust here. You can sign up now and get immediate access to the Getting Ready community.

Once you sign up you’ll get a juicy enrolment questionnaire to start you thinking about what you want and how I can support you best.

Then you’ll join the kick off call at 2-3pm on Thursday 16 April 2026 to meet the rest of your group and get started.

If anything unexpected happens or you’re not sure about something drop me an email at [email protected].