About Kate James
I’m Kate James, author, coach and mindfulness teacher. I help deep thinkers navigate mid-life with clarity, confidence and compassion.
It’s likely you’ve spent years (maybe even decades) doubting yourself. Being the person you believe others want you to be. Over-functioning and high-achieving or over-thinking and procrastinating. Feeling like an imposter, people pleasing.
So focused on being who you think you should be, that you’ve lost sight of who you really are and how you want to be.
I’ve experienced these things too, but I’ve also learned that mindfulness and self-compassion can change all of this.
I’m here to help you find a balance between accepting who you are and changing old, unhelpful habits, so that you can live with greater clarity, confidence and presence.
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Over the past two decades, I have gathered more than 6,000 hours of coaching experience and many hours of meditation teaching.
After gaining my PCC level coaching accreditation from International Coach Academy in 2002, I was one of the first coaches in Australia to achieve a PCC accreditation with the International Coach Federation.
A year after starting my business, I became one of the early teachers of ‘mainstream’ meditation in Melbourne. These days, I share my meditations with a global audience on Insight Timer and each week, I host a live session with around 200 meditators from around the world.
I have trained in Mindful Self-Compassion (accredited by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer), Positive Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Internal Family Systems. Some of the authors I love most are noted here.
How can I help you?
If you’ve found your way here, it’s likely you’re ready for change.
My work will be right for you if…
- you want to move away from the voice of self-doubt and start to trust your own inner wisdom
- you’re ready to let go of over-planning and perfectionism and start moving forward
- you’d love to worry less about what others think and focus on what matters most to you
- you want to feel confident to start or grow a small business you believe in
- you want to feel grounded and confident in your ability to lead others
- you’re ready to believe in your ability to be creative or intuitive
- you want to feel lighter and more present in your relationships
- you want to feel more at peace and in tune with yourself
- you’re ready to explore your story and reflect on your life in a deeper, more reflective way
Life Stories and Guided Autobiography
I’m deeply interested in people’s stories – the experiences, challenges, and turning points that shape who we are. I’m a trained facilitator in the Birren Guided Autobiography method, which supports people to reflect on their lives, uncover meaning, and celebrate their unique story.
Through my Life Stories workshops and deep-dive coaching sessions, I guide you to explore your personal narratives in a safe and structured way. This process helps you gain insight into your experiences, and connect more deeply with yourself and others.
Using this approach alongside my coaching and mindfulness practice helps you see your life more clearly and understand yourself more deeply.
Why I do what I do
I believe that each of us has a unique set of gifts.
I’m passionate about helping people live more mindfully – to be more self-aware, more conscious of our choices and behaviours.
I’m committed to making a difference through my work and more broadly by contributing to causes I believe in.
I’ve learned from many great teachers and worked with some brilliant coaches and I love sharing the things that I’ve discovered.
My top personal values are inner harmony, kindness and generosity, connection, contribution, freedom, creativity and courage.
Kate James: in my personal life
In 2017, my husband Chris and I made a tree change to a small acreage on the Mornington Peninsula, which was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. We’ve spent the past eight years renovating our 80s-style farmhouse and restoring a very run-down garden. We now share our home with our daughter and grandson.
I’m very much an introvert, but I love spending time with close friends (and not so much going to parties).
When I’m not coaching, teaching, or writing, you’ll find me meditating, walking the local bush tracks, gardening, cooking, paddleboarding, reading, and babysitting my grandchildren, Oscar, Milla and Clover.
“Kate listens with an open heart, cuts through the rubble of self-doubt and practises non-judgement.”
Giving back
As well as caring for the natural environment and supporting organisations that value diversity and inclusion, I contribute time and a percentage of my income to a range of not-for-profits that focus on the wellbeing of women and children.
Read more about current causes I support here.
What people are saying about Kate James
CH, Lawyer, Melbourne
‘Hi Kate, it’s a while now since I’ve seen you, so I hope you remember me. I came to see you in the first half of 2005, when I was working at a big corporate law firm and trying to work out what to do with my life – primarily in a career sense, but, of course, that led to all sorts of other questions. As you may remember, with your encouragement I eventually applied for a different role which fit much better with my personal goals and values.
I was so ready to change directions, but I just couldn’t find a way to do it without that support. And the conversations that we had and the resources you gave me – the questions about values and the books you referred me to – were so helpful then and are still helpful now. I really value the experience of working with you, it has made me appreciate the choices I have so much more and realise that whenever I feel like I’m not where I want to be, I can do something to change it.’
Grace, Queensland
‘My thanks to you for your career coaching guidance and direction over the past six weeks. You have provided me with the focus and tools to think deeply and broadly about where I am at and what I want to be and given me insights that have shone a light on what I need to do and how to go about it. It has been a truly rewarding learning experience.’
Dennis Danaher, Director Danaher Legal
‘I’m a lawyer and I approached Kate for career coaching to seek direction about my future practice. Kate was fantastic. Together we worked through the ideas and workshopped the different career options available. From our discussion, I decided to start my own law firm which was something I previously had not fully considered. I have not looked back. Through this process, Kate offered advice and assistance from the preparation of the business plan and projected earnings to advising on the branding of the business. Without her assistance, I would not have achieved what I did in such a short space of time. Highly recommended.’
Leader, Sydney
‘When I began career coaching sessions with Kate, I was at a very low point in both my personal and professional life. Kate’s thoughtful guidance has proved to be a turning point. She created an environment of complete trust that allowed me to provide information that was at the heart of the matter. In response, Kate was both kind and firm, as required. Her personal follow-ups created a clear set of practical action items, without losing sight of longer-term life goals. I have now emerged from my darkness, and Kate’s advice continues to guide me toward a more positive future. I strongly recommend Kate James to join your own personal team.’
Executive, Melbourne
‘I can’t recommend the coaching sessions with Kate James highly enough. I was very sceptical about them before starting – imagining they would be full of corporate psychology jargon. But in fact, I gained far more from them than I ever imagined, on both a personal and professional level. The career coaching sessions are interactive, conducted in a warm and positive manner that encourages honesty and self-reflection, and are extremely practical in focus. Their great strength is that they focus on your whole life and the way you live it, not just on your role as a manager. I’ve learned a great deal both in terms of how I lead my life and how I perform in management, the one informing the other. This holistic, down-to-earth approach has been the most helpful and realistic career counselling I’ve ever had.’
Writing
In 2014, I fulfilled a lifelong dream when I wrote, and had published my first book, Believe in Yourself and Do What You Love. Since then, I have written several other titles including Be Mindful and Simplify Your Life, Change How You Think and Be Happier Now, Create Calm and Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life. Two of my books were listed in the top-ten best-selling personal development books in 2017. Believe in Yourself and Be Mindful have also been released in the US.
My latest title, Quietly Confident was released in 2024.
Meditation
I was first drawn to meditation in my early 20’s and almost a decade later, finally enrolled in a course. For over 30 years now, I have had a daily meditation practice and I credit this with changing my life. Meditation is about more than just creating inner calm – it helps you to see yourself with greater clarity, connects you with your intuition and helps you to see where you’re not being true to yourself in life.
These days, my guided meditations are freely available on the Insight Timer meditation app, home to over 30 million meditators around the world.
Organisations Kate James has worked with
I’ve spoken at conferences for The Body Shop, Serious Women’s Business, Flying Solo amongst others. Clients include Origin Energy, University of Melbourne, Latrobe University, RMIT, Sensis, Freehills, Middletons, Mallesons, Phillips Fox, Bolle, IBM, Aviva, Coles Myer, Tabcorp, CSIRO, Linfox, Toyota, Cadbury Schweppes, Urbis, Macquarie Bank, ANZ, NAB, Bank West, Clemenger, CHE, George Patts, Ogilvy, BWM, Village Roadshow, Department of Transport, Department of Human Services, Department of Sustainability & Environment, Department of Justice, Financial Ombudsman Service, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Whitelion and Kids Under Cover.
What’s it like to work with Kate James?
Clients describe me as kind, intuitive, supportive and compassionate. These are the qualities that matter to me. I’m a gentle kind of coach and my approach sometimes feels a bit like therapy. In order to move forward confidently, it helps to understand your old patterns so you can avoid falling into them again. I’ll share resources and ideas when it’s helpful, but mostly, I’m interested in listening to you and helping you to draw out your own ideas.
If you can spare the time to travel from the city, I see clients in my home office on the Mornington Peninsula. Or alternatively, I work from people from all over the world over Zoom.
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Interested to work together?
If there’s something we haven’t answered, please reach out. We would love to hear from you.
