“I gained far more from the leadership coaching than I ever imagined.”
Samantha
Leadership coaching for women in Melbourne
As a leadership coach, I specialise in working with women who identify as introverts, perfectionists, or those navigating feelings of imposter syndrome.
Many of my clients share qualities and experiences that might resonate with you:
- Your inner critic is vigilant, and you may identify with perfectionism or ‘over-functioning’.
- You see yourself as an introvert, a deep thinker, or someone who cares about ‘conscious leadership’.
- You find difficult conversations challenging.
- You sometimes find it hard to set boundaries.
- Leading in alignment with your values is a priority for you.
- You want your work to feel purposeful and authentic.
- External measures of success matter less to you than staying true to yourself.
Through leadership coaching, I help women like you embrace their unique qualities and turn them into strengths, cultivating greater confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Together, we’ll create a path that aligns with your values, empowers your authentic leadership, and brings greater fulfilment to both your personal and professional life.

What people say
Leadership coaching that’s supportive, empathic and forward-focused
My leadership coaching approach is based in kindness, empathy, encouragement, and unwavering support. Our coaching sessions will prioritise what’s most important to you as a leader. At times, our discussions may feel reflective and even similar to therapy, particularly when unravelling complex challenges however the emphasis will always be on forward momentum rather than dwelling on the past.
Action-oriented sessions with valuable resources
In every coaching session, we’ll collaborate to identify actionable steps that align with your leadership goals. Following our meetings, I’ll often provide supplementary tools such as worksheets, guides, or relevant resources to deepen your learning and support your development as a leader.
Getting started with leadership coaching
To ensure we’re the right fit, we’ll begin with a short phone consultation. Afterward, I recommend starting with a single coaching session to explore your leadership objectives. Before our meeting, you’ll complete a brief questionnaire designed to help you reflect on what you aim to achieve through coaching.
Once we’ve established your goals, we’ll discuss whether a structured coaching program would benefit you. While many leaders find value in a tailored program, others opt for ongoing, flexible coaching sessions to fit their evolving needs.
Sessions are held either via Zoom or in-person on the Mornington Peninsula.
Flexible coaching frequency
Leadership coaching is typically conducted weekly or fortnightly during a program, depending on your preferences and goals. Many of my clients choose to continue their leadership journey with monthly or quarterly sessions after completing their initial program, ensuring consistent growth and support.
If you’re ready to enhance your leadership skills, gain clarity, and unlock your full potential, this coaching process is designed to help you thrive.
Why female leaders in Melbourne choose Kate James
Like many of the leaders I work with, I spent my early years striving for perfection and often prioritising people-pleasing over my own needs. At the time, I hadn’t yet discovered the transformative power of mindfulness, the strengths of introversion, or the importance of self-compassion in effective leadership.
I pursued coaching to create a space where I could merge my business expertise with my passion for psychology, creativity, and mindful leadership. This journey allowed me to combine a love for meaningful conversations with the drive to support others in leading with purpose and intention.
Today, my leadership coaching practice attracts like-minded women — those who value kindness, connection, and curiosity. They are leaders seeking to create lives and careers rooted in purpose, meaning, and authenticity. Together, we work to cultivate their unique strengths and inspire leadership that transforms both their lives and those around them.
Some key milestones in my own professional journey are:
- Founding Total Balance in 2002, which was one of Melbourne’s first mindfulness-based coaching practices
- Achieving PCC accreditation with International Coach Federation in 2005
- Authoring six best-selling books, including my most recent book, Quietly Confident
- Having over 135,000+ followers on the Insight Timer meditation app
- 30,000+ students in my online courses
- After working in a Collins Street practice, I now offer flexible online and in-person sessions from my home on the Mornington Peninsula
- Combining my business experience with my studies in positive psychology, mindfulness, self-compassion, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Internal Family Systems

Coaching options
Single session
Begin with a 60-minute appointment, held online via Zoom or in-person on the Mornington Peninsula.
Fee: $275 AUD (includes GST)
Three session program
3 x 60-minute appointments held online via Zoom or in-person on the Mornington Peninsula.
Fee: $795 AUD (includes GST)
Five session program
5 x 60-minute appointments held online via Zoom or in-person. Option to pay in instalments.
Fee: $1,250 AUD (includes GST)
Get in touch to chat about leadership coaching in Melbourne
Get in touch to ask a question that hasn’t been answered here or book a call
to tell me what you’re hoping to get out of coaching.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is leadership coaching, and how is it different from mentoring or formal training?
Leadership coaching is a collaborative, reflective process that supports you to lead in a way that feels right for you. I’ll ask you questions to help you understand yourself better so that you can make choices that align with your values, strengths and beliefs about what makes a great leader.
Unlike mentoring, I won’t tell you how you should be leading, but I will help you uncover your own answers. And unlike formal training, we’re not working through a set curriculum. Instead, the focus is on you – your challenges, patterns, and aspirations – and how you want to show up as a leader.
What is your leadership coaching experience?
Two years after starting my business, I moved to an office in Collins Street, Melbourne and began coaching lawyers, bankers, partners in consulting firms and leaders in government. My work focused on helping professional people in service-based roles to build self-belief and executive presence, become more conscious leaders and use their innate strengths to become effective and purposeful leaders.
I obtained a PCC Level Certification in 2002 with International Coach Academy and in 2005, achieved a PCC accreditation with International Coach Federation. I also have taken trainings in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Russ Harris, Mindful Self-Compassion Intensive for Professionals (developed by Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer) and Internal Family Systems by Dr Richard Schwarz.
Who is leadership coaching best suited for, and how can I tell if I am a good fit?
My leadership coaching works best for thoughtful, capable women who want to lead well without burning themselves out. Many of my clients are experienced professionals or business owners who are outwardly successful but sometimes experience self-doubt, have a loud inner-critic and a tendency to be hard on themselves.
You’re likely a good fit if you’re open and curious about your inner patterns, and willing to try small but meaningful changes. You don’t need to be in crisis – just ready to think more deeply about how you want to lead and live.
What specific results should I expect from leadership coaching, and how soon might I notice a change?
Clients often discover greater self-awareness and a stronger sense of what’s important to them within the first few sessions. Over time, this tends to translate into clearer decision-making, healthier boundaries, more confident and grounded communication, and leadership that feels less effortful.
The changes are usually subtle but significant. Rather than becoming a different person, most people feel more like themselves – calmer, more trusting of their judgement, and less driven by self-doubt or over-functioning.
How do I get started, and what are the package options and costs?
The first step is to book an initial conversation, where we’ll talk about what’s bringing you to coaching and whether it feels like the right fit. There’s no pressure – it’s simply a chance to see if working together makes sense.
From there, I offer a couple of coaching packages, as well as individual sessions. Prices are as follows (inclusive of GST).
Single session: $275
Three-session package: $795
Five-session package: $1,250
How does the leadership coaching process work?
We begin by clarifying what you want to achieve from the coaching process and I may invite you to undertake a few strengths assessments. Together, we’ll identify some clear objectives for your coaching and explore the obstacles you perceive as barriers to your growth as a leader. I’ll help you identify beliefs and assumptions that may be limiting your potential and ask questions to expand your thinking and open new possibilities.
During each coaching session, we’ll agree on action steps that will keep moving you toward your leadership goals. I’ll share a range of resources and tools to help deepen your self-awareness and provide insights and learning.
My coaching style has been described by other clients as professional, kind, supportive, wise, practical, intuitive and transformative. The coaching relationship is completely confidential and my approach is to be open-minded and non-judgemental.
I'm not sure if I need life, leadership, career or business coaching.
The truth is you don’t really need to choose but you can find out more about what we’d address in each of these programs by following these links: career coaching, business coaching, leadership coaching or life coaching.
I take a holistic approach and believe that it’s important that we spend a bit of time looking at the whole of your life. Having said that, the coaching sessions are your time so I encourage you to direct the content. You’ll complete some questionnaires when you make your booking to let me know what you’d like to achieve.
How many sessions do most clients need, and how frequently should we meet to keep momentum?
This generally varies, but many clients begin with a package of three or five regular sessions to build momentum. A common rhythm is to schedule fortnightly appointments initially and move to monthly or quarterly sessions, depending on your needs and workload.
Some people come for a defined period around a transition or challenge; others value an ongoing coaching relationship as a steady support alongside demanding roles.
“If you’re lucky enough to be different, don’t ever change.”
Khoudia Diop

