Beyond the Gates' Consultation

You cannot say any of this out loud, but this is where you can.

Before you read another word...

If any of the following stops you, you are in the right place:

✦ You give everything to your school and have nothing left for yourself. There is a way back.
✦ You are brilliant at your job and quietly falling apart. You do not have to choose.
✦ You do not even know who you are outside this role anymore. She is still there.
✦ You know something needs to change, but lack the space to work out what. That space exists.
✦ You have been running on empty, and the holidays are not fixing it. This session will.

If you recognised yourself in even one of those, keep reading.

What is the Consultation?

The Beyond The Gates’ Consultation is a private, focused 45-minute, one-to-one coaching conversation for 40+ female executive leaders, headteachers, MAT leaders and senior leaders in education and corporations.

It is 45 minutes of genuine, expert, confidential coaching with a qualified life coach and former headteacher who has sat where you are sitting and understands your world from the inside.

You do not need to arrive with clarity. You do not need to know what you want to say. You simply need to arrive.

This session is for you if:

• You ‘cannot say any of this out loud’, but this is where you can.
• You are brilliant at your job and privately questioning whether it has cost you too much.
• You lead differently under pressure, and you do not like who you become.
• You do not want to leave. You just want to feel like yourself again.
• You are a 40+ female headteacher or CEO who is ready to come first, for once.

What You Will Experience

Many of the leaders I work with tell me that they rarely, if ever, have conversations that are entirely about them. This is built to be different.

1. You will be heard.

Experience a quality of listening rarely available at your level—without agenda, judgement, or anyone needing something in return.

2. You will speak freely.

Say the things you cannot say in a senior leadership meeting. This operates under full professional confidentiality and ICF code of conduct standards.

3. You will leave with direction.

By the end of the 45 minutes, you will have clarity on what matters most right now, what needs to change, and what you are going to do next.

What You Will Leave With

▪ A clearer picture of what is actually going on beneath the busyness.
▪ The things you have been carrying silently, named and acknowledged.
▪ Confidence in your own thinking and judgement, restored.
▪ Concrete next steps that belong to your life, not a generic framework.
▪ Permission to put yourself back at the centre of your own story.
▪ A sense of relief from finally saying the thing out loud.
▪ The beginning of a conversation about what your next chapter looks like. On your terms.

Before the Session

Once booked, you will receive a short reflection form within 24 hours. Taking just 10-15 minutes, this ensures our consultation is entirely bespoke to you. There are no right answers—it simply ensures our time is focused on what matters most.

After the Session

For some, this single session shifts the dial, providing clear next steps to go and execute. For others, it opens a door to deeper support. If sustained work would benefit you, I will say so, with zero obligation or pressure. The decision is yours.

“During coaching sessions with me, you will receive pure, solution-focused coaching of you as an individual, using my experience and my own frameworks, not stock personas or textbook templates.”

Shirleyann Jones
NPQH, FCCT

Frequently Asked Questions

I have never had coaching before. Is this right for me?

Yes. Many of the leaders who come to this consultation have not worked with a coach before. You do not need any experience of coaching or any particular preparation. You simply need to arrive with whatever is most on your mind. The session is designed to meet you where you are.

What if I do not know what to talk about?

That is one of the most common things I hear before a session, and it is rarely a problem. The reflection form you complete beforehand helps to surface what matters most. And in my experience, once the conversation begins, most people find they know exactly what they need to say. The difficulty is usually not knowing where to start. That is what I am here for.

Is everything I say confidential?

Yes, completely. Nothing you share in the session will be repeated or disclosed to anyone. The only exception to confidentiality is the standard safeguarding obligation that applies to all professional coaching relationships.

What if I am not sure I am ready?

In over thirty years of working with leaders, I have not met one who felt completely ready. Readiness is not a feeling. It is a decision. If you are reading this page and something in you is responding, that is enough. Book the session. You can always decide what to do with it afterwards.

Can I claim this as professional development?

Yes. One-to-one coaching is widely recognised as a legitimate form of continuing professional development for leaders. Many of my clients record it as such. If you require a receipt or written confirmation of the session for CPD purposes, I am happy to provide that.

What if I need more than 45 minutes?

If it becomes clear during the session that a longer piece of work would benefit you, I will let you know and we can spend an additional fifteen minutes discussing the options, if you have time for this. If not, we can book a call at a mutually agreeable time.