COACHING WITH KATE JAMES
Over the past 19 years, Kate has supported thousands of clients to build self-belief and find their direction. She works with emerging and current leaders and business owners who want to live in alignment with their values and make a positive contribution to the world in some way.
Kate offers life coaching as well as career, business and leadership coaching (you can use the time to blend a few areas). Begin with a single one-hour session to ensure you’re a good fit for one another. All sessions are currently being held over Zoom or telephone.
Who do you work with?
Kate’s personal and business coaching clients are people who know how to fit into mainstream culture, but sometimes feel that there’s something missing with a traditional version of success. Some say they experience perfectionism, imposter syndrome or a strong inner critic while others are trying to find balance. Almost all are creative (or would love to be) and many are curious about discovering their own form of spirituality.
You can read more about Kate’s ideal client here.
How often do we meet?
Sometimes a single session will be enough for you to clarify your direction or get clear about your values but generally, Kate meets with her clients on a fortnightly basis for the first couple of months. Many of Kate’s clients continue with a regular appointment after this but she’ll work with you to determine your specific needs and work out a program that suits your time and budget requirements.
Coaching fees
60-minute session: $260
90-minute session: $350
Interested to work together?
ENQUIRE NOW »FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Kate’s background?
Before starting Total Balance in Melbourne in 2002, Kate spent over a decade working as a business manager for film-makers, architects and designers. She studied coaching with an international coaching school and was one of the first Australian life coaches to achieve a PCC accreditation with International Coach Federation. After starting her business with the intention of offering business coaching to creatives, clients began reaching out to Kate to ask about how to change careers and how to find more purpose and meaning in life.
Kate’s personal journey with meditation began in the early 1990’s and she began teaching a mainstream form of meditation to beginners in the summer of 2003.
Kate is committed to ongoing personal and professional development. As well as her extensive reading, she has trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindful Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer) and Internal Family Systems amongst other things.
Does Kate see coaching clients on the weekends?
Not currently. Her client days are Mondays and Tuesdays.
I’m not sure if I start with a single session or a program. What would you recommend?
Most of Kate’s clients begin with one session to make sure you’re a good fit for one another. After that, you’re welcome to book either a few additional sessions or an ongoing coaching program.
I’m not that interested in mindfulness. Does that mean you’re the wrong coach for me?
Not at all. Not everyone Kate sees is interested in mindfulness but it still influences her approach to working with you. Being mindful is really just another way of saying being present, curious, self-aware and non-judgmental. If those qualities appeal, you’ll enjoy working with Kate. She’s not at all dogmatic in her approach and she’s respectful that it might not be everyone’s thing.
Your executive and leadership coaching fees are lower than most coaches. Why is that?
Kate spent almost a decade working as a professional coach in the city (charging the usual executive coaching fees) before moving her business to her home office on the Mornington Peninsula. These days she works directly with the client rather than the corporate. Let us know if your employer is funding your coaching and we’ll send a brochure with more information.
‘I absolutely adore Kate. She is a highly skilled, generous and enormously gifted business coach, especially for those who don’t traditionally consider themselves “business people”. I discovered her through sheer luck (thanks Google), and I remain sincerely grateful for the counsel she offered me back in 2010 when I was first fleshing out the bones for what would become Big Hearted Business. Thanks Kate!’
‘Kate’s approach in her coaching sessions is relaxed and friendly while being efficient and results driven. She very quickly understood where my business was at and as such was able to provide me actionable tasks that resulted in increased profit at a time when it was much needed. I will see Kate again and continue to recommend her to other business owners.’ Angus Wurth, Bonsai Media
‘I loved my coaching sessions with Kate and miss them now we’re done! In a very friendly and positive manner Kate helped me to pinpoint exactly what I was looking for in my career. We identified my passions, my strengths, ultimate job criteria and a whole lot more, including balancing career and family life. As a result of our sessions, I am about to launch my own business – something Kate helped me realise I’d been wanting to do for years and that if I didn’t give it a go, I’d likely have regrets. Her supportive and no-nonsense approach, including a wealth of experience and professional network were invaluable in assisting me to take the first very exciting steps.’
‘I first met with Kate when I was at a real career crossroads. Kate helped me to nut out my values and aspirations, recognise my natural talents and then identify opportunities and pathways for me to put that all together so that I could actually make stuff happen. I love the way that Kate was able to calmly and pragmatically break things down to the basics. Put simply, working with Kate helped me to get clear – which has been nothing short of life changing.’ Leanne Clancey, Food & Travel Writer
‘I first engaged the services of Kate James as a business coach back during the initial stages of starting my business. Running a small business was still an unknown for me, and I felt alone and unsure of what I needed to do to make my business a success. Working with Kate really helped me clarify what I wanted to do and how I should go about doing it. She always gave me practical and achievable advice that worked well for my business and, importantly, aligned with my business ethics. Even many years after my initial meetings with Kate, I still regularly draw upon much of the advice she gave me. I credit a large part of my success to the advice and guidance she gave to me in the early days of my business, and the support she gives me to this day.’
‘Kate showed me how to plan towards goals and activities that match my vision and strengths. Change is not scary or unsettling, it’s reinvigorating and natural. It just makes sense. These are life-long skills taught with such grace, logic and empathy. I’ll always be grateful for Kate’s insight and support.’ Cressida Bradley, Director of Explosure
‘Like many small businesses, our growth was rapid and exciting. Working with Kate as our business coach enabled us to put much-needed systems and processes in place to effectively streamline and manage our business. Kate worked with us to clarify our business focus and the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Sometimes I couldn’t see the forest for the trees, but Kate had a knack for giving things clarity and putting things into perspective in a succinct and professional way. Meeting with Kate was always an enjoyable experience and we hope to continue our relationship with her as we take the business to another level.’
‘Kate has a real gift for helping her clients stabilise when they’re going through challenges, or a time of growth. She has a wonderfully calm presence. Her advice is practical, grounded and strategic and she expertly guides you to seek your own solutions. In working with me on my kinesiology business during a time of expansion, Kate was able to help me formalise plans, work through many decisions and provide strategic guidance. Kate is generous in her nature and wonderfully affirming and encouraging. I have also seen the highly positive effects working with Kate has had on some of my clients, who always speak of her with the greatest respect.’
‘What has been true with your approach right from the beginning is that you’re not like any other coach. You listened to my personal/business challenges, and provided tools and insights to enable me to understand ways I could overcome the challenges I was faced with. You understood me and what I wanted from the coaching. I could not have envisaged the benefits that your coaching has made, or the results I’ve achieved after such a short period of time. The investment has paid for itself well over: in my new efficiencies, and releasing my focus on the one thing that had me frozen – unable to make progress. I now approach the future with excitement, anticipation, and empowerment. I would not hesitate to recommend Kate James of Total Balance to anyone who has goals and dreams, be it for life or business, that they want to achieve and don’t know where to begin, or how to get there.’
Still have questions about personal and professional coaching?
If you still have questions about the way that Kate works, or about coaching in general, you might find the answers on our frequently asked questions page or please contact us for a copy of our brochure or a proposal if your workplace is funding your coaching program. Coaching is generally tax deductible.