Coaching & accompaniment for people who are committed to creating change in uncertain times

My support is designed for people who are working to create transformational change, especially within institutions and organisations in the so called 'international development' space.

If you work in the INGO or charity sector, you will know that there are some big challenges facing it. COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the need for change in how our sector is organised and the necessity of embracing uncertainty.

In the face of calls for racial justice, increased pressures on organisational funding and all the other challenges that the last few years have brought, it's no wonder that many of us are struggling right now.

I work with people like you who see the opportunities to lead change in the international development sector and believe that it must be possible to create solidarity-based approaches that heal, rather than perpetuate, injustice.

I offer you space and time to stop firefighting and think things through during our sessions so that you can work out how you can best contribute to both organisational and sector wide change.

Together we can work on topics like

What the future of your role and your ways of working might look like - both within and also potentially beyond your current organisation.
Supporting your own wellbeing and that of your staff so that you can move beyond firefighting internally and galvanise much needed change.
Getting comfortable with leading change when there are more questions than answers and supporting your Team with working with the fluidity that brings.

What you need

Being a person who wants to create change means everyone looks to you for direction and that can make it a challenge to find the space and time to step back, get strategic and think about the leader you want and need to be at this time.

That's why you need:

A supportive sounding board to explore the realities of creating or leading change at this time.
A safe and shame-free space to explore questions about your role, your leadership and the way forward.
Confidential time to unpack everything that has been brought up for you personally - the questions, the challenges, the contradictions - by conversations in your organisation about racial justice, abuse and the need for change in organisational cultures.
An opportunity to focus on your own wellbeing so that you can lead others by example.
To have someone in your corner while you plan your next steps.
The chance to bring your hopes and fears so that you can more effectively meet this moment & the challenges it brings in the way that you want to.

“Mary Ann’s inspiring vision of resilient leadership and practical support on how to make it real have enabled me to step up to a more senior role confident that I can do it without running myself or my team into the ground by feeling we have to do it all “

Harriet Wallace, Director Science, International at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Accompaniment for Leaders in Uncertain Times

A coaching & accompaniment package for INGO leaders ready to take on the challenges of 2023 and beyond.

6 x 90 min one-on-one Coaching sessions spread over a 3 month period with me.

In these six sessions, we will dive into the specific challenges and questions that you are facing at this time. There will be space to explore own reactions, triggers and struggles in a confidential space away from your day to day work and we will talk about your own wellbeing and how you can best support it. There will also be space to imagine, dream and strategise your next steps.

I am a leader in an INGO myself, currently co-leading ADD International and I know how lonely it can feel being the one who everyone looks to for answers in such uncertain times. We will create a confidential space to unpack and explore away from your day-to-day, enabling you to choose to show up with more clarity and authenticity as the leader that you want to be in these times.

Six sessions over a three month period is a deliberate structure to give you the consistency to reflect on your own practice over time and the support to implement changes you identify that you want to make. In-between sessions, you will receive email and text support from me so that you are never on your own when it comes to making the big decisions and I'll also provide you with simple tools to help you further reflect and continue to explore the topics that come up in our live sessions. In short, this is more than one-off support sessions, it's a three month personal accompaniment to help you navigate uncharted waters and be the leader you know you can be in these times.

How much does it cost to work with me in this way?

I also recognise that organisations and individuals have varied amounts of resources to support this type of work.

For this coaching work with individuals I therefore offer a price range and ask you to choose a price within that range that feels right to you in relation to the budget you or your organisation have available. All price points buy you two coaching calls a month with me and accompaniment through the month via text or Voxer.

£150 a month for 3 months
This price is less than what I need to earn to make my business viable but is available for those who are not able to afford more. It is subsided by those who pay at the highest level.
£300 a month for 3 months
This is the actual viable price for the support I offer. I ask you to pay this if you can.
£450 a month for 3 months
If you or your organisation are able I ask you to consider paying a Solidarity price of £450 a month. This will also buy you two coaching calls a month with me and accompaniment through the month via text or Voxer but you will also be helping those who are only able to afford the lowest level to access my support.

Choose you price when you sign up. No questions asked. Our work together is founded on trust.

I love to do these work but can only continue to do it if I receive sufficient income from it to make it viable.

It's my belief that mechanisms of support like the coaching & accompaniment I offer are much needed in our sector. We are all dealing with sector wide change, complex problems and uncertainty and in this context we all need a space to reflect, digest, process and bolster ourselves.

If you organisation has very limited funding but you have the ability to pay yourself please consider the implications on the price you can pay. Likewise if you have very limited resources but your organisation has some funding available consider that as well.

I am also an accredited action learning facilitator training to work in a supportive way with groups within or with peers across organisations and so, if group support is what you are looking for, do also be in touch using the form below and mention that you are interested in group work rather than coaching and we can discuss what that could look like. Prices for group work vary depending on time commitment and ability to pay.

Interested? Let me know using the form you can access via the link below and we can schedule 30 min call to explore whether working with me would be a good fit for you. If we have worked together before you can also use this form to express your interest in booking new sessions with me.

You are not committing to anything at this time. When you book you'll receive a Zoom link to join me virtually for this call in which you can ask questions, share what you are looking for and we can see whether what I am offering would be a useful next step for you.

Let me know you are interested in Coaching Sessions with me

Who am I?

I am a Coach, Writer and Facilitator who has worked with INGOs for the past twenty years. For 7 years I was the Executive Director of AbleChildAfrica and am also the original initiator of Healing Solidarity and remain on its Advisory Circle. I have two decades of experience as a leader and practitioner in international development. For the past ten years, I have worked as a consultant and coach supporting funders and INGOs with a whole range of things from grant-making to organisational development and staff wellbeing. I am committed to helping to re-imagine the sector and push for racial justice and decolonised practice and to supporting leaders to help their organisations embrace and welcome change. Originally trained as an anthropologist I combine an interest in culture and how it impacts the work of organisations with my more recent trainings as a Certified Shadow Work Coach, Accredited Action Learning Facilitator & Nia Movement Practitioner. These skills help me to support you as an individual to be a leader who can embrace and guide culture change within your organisation in a context where so much is uncertain. Most recently I have been leading a transformation process at ADD International and since May 2022 do this part-time, co-leading with Fredrick Ouko.

These times call for leaders ready to welcome change, embrace uncertainty and cultivate workplaces in which we can truly embody the world we want to build.

To do that effectively you need a space to rest from the expectation that you always have the answer, to reflect on how you want to use your own power and build the support that you need to be as effective as you can be.

Interested? Let me know using the form you can access via the link below and we can schedule a 30 min call to explore whether working with me would be a good fit for you. If we have worked together before you can also use this form to express your interest in booking new sessions with me.