Your path to Artful Leadership
You’ve achieved success but something’s missing
You’ve delivered exceptional results, checked all the boxes, served those you lead. Yet, amidst the accolades and responsibilities, you find yourself yearning for more - more creativity, wellbeing… more you.
The pace, the politics, the pull of competing roles can feel like too much. You’ve achieved a lot, but it no longer feels aligned.
You're not alone. Many creative leaders struggle to honour that quiet, inner calling to shift gears and do more of what brings them alive - while excelling in their career.
You’re not here to accept the status quo, you’re here to evolve. To lead and create differently. And you're ready to live with more intention and wholeness.
I understand the unique pressures you face. I’ve been there.
My coaching is evidence-based, designed to help you navigate the shifting landscape that comes with honouring your commitments and ambitions, while elevating your creative leadership and wellbeing.
Contact me to set up a coach connection call.
Benefits to you
Clarity: Uncover what truly matters to you and define your vision for the future
Confidence: Develop strategies to address immediate challenges and issues, embrace your authentic leadership style and see yourself in a new way
Creativity: Reconnect with your creative power to inspire innovation in all areas of life
Connection: Align your personal and professional life with your core values for holistic leadership
Uplevel: Feel ready, supported and strong to bring your vision to life by expanding your knowledge, skills and capability
Accelerated progress: Bring your desired goals to life faster than you would on your own (or could imagine to be possible)
What my clients say
The advantage of coaching with me
Customised approach: I’m all about tailoring to your unique strengths, goals and needs so that we can craft a coaching experience with results on your terms.
Actionable insights: I share the pragmatic techniques where you want them, so that you can take action to see immediate results.
Clarity and focus: I’ll work with you to refine your vision and goals, opening up a space for you to dream and lead with intention towards what matters most to you
Holistic: I work with you as a whole person and bring both science and art to my coaching. You determine what an empowering experience looks like.
Your Coach: Karen McPhail-Bell, PhD
I’m a seasoned creative leader and have walked in your shoes. I’ve been a strategic researcher in Silicon Valley FAANG/MAM, and served communities across the world in government, not-for-profit/NGO and academic roles. As an artist, facilitator and coach with a PhD in public health and anthropology, I have the language and experience to account for diverse contexts and cultures.
I’ve driven innovation and creative change in global settings, and experienced the challenges and opportunities that come with high pressure environments.
My coaching practice is evidence-based and certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Trained by the Australian Institute for Professional Coaching (AIPC) I bring a unique blend of real-world experience and proven coaching methodologies.
I’m committed to partnering with you in a growth-focused and creative process grounded in evidence, supporting you to generate positive change in your personal and professional life.
What you can expect
Coaching with me is a creative, strategic and soul-centered space. It’s a collaboration where we uncover what matters most to you and leverage that to shape your choices, strategy and action.
I do not tell you what to do. I support you to remember the depth of what you already know and discover new ways of being that feel true. You can expect:
Powerful listening: I’m trained in deep listening based upon principles of strength and self-determination, reflecting back what I hear with care and clarity.
Creative tools: From arts-based methods to unconventional prompts, your whole self is invited into the process - including your intellect, intuition and imagination.
Choice: You decide which tools I offer that we work with, making our coaching together uniquely anchored on what strengthens your inner core.
Clear focus: We work toward what is bringing you alive the most. This may be stepping into visibility, navigating a transition, or building a life beyond work that feeds you back.
Accountability: I’ll be the warm demander in your corner, encouraging your growth, challenging old stories and celebrating your shifts.
Confidentiality: What we work on remains private and confidential. I uphold the ICF Code of Ethics and standards which includes confidentiality and privacy protections.
This is a space for creative leaders who are ready to live and lead more artfully. With integrity, creativity and courage.
Next steps
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Book a free, one-on-one consultation with me to discuss your specific needs and goals.
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Partner with me to tailor a workshop for your team or community
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Keep in touch by joining my newsletter and receive a free workshop to your inbox
Coaching packages
The following packages are designed to support your unique journey. More information is provided during our Coach Connection call. I also offer a referral bonus which can benefit both you and the person you refer.
Elevate
10-12 weeks duration
Pre-work packet
10 x 1 hr coaching sessions
Optional: WhatsApp/email support
Optional: 15 min emergency check in
AUD$1200
The creative shift
6-8 weeks duration
Pre-work packet
6 x 1 hr coaching sessions
Optional: WhatsApp/email support
Optional: 15 min emergency check in
AUD$720
Focus and flow
3-4 weeks duration
Pre-work packet
3 x 1 hr coaching sessions
Optional: WhatsApp/email support
Optional: 15 min emergency check in
AUD$360
Currently for return clients only
FAQs
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Yes! My coaching clients have their sessions by phone or video call, with the majority preferring phone to enjoy a break from the screen. I have clients in Australia and the USA and they consistently report that meeting this way is not only convenient but impactful.
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Leaders aren’t just executives, managers or people with direct reports. We all have contexts where we need to think about being a leader. To be a leader means having people looking up to us and for something from us, be it guidance, support or even protection. For example, we might look to our spouse, a friend, to a parent - for help, guidance, nurturing or just to see the world in a different way. In this way, to be a leader is to empower others to see a different view, to see more creatively. This means that leadership is a visionary and social process through which people are activated and see themselves in new ways, to move together towards a vision they couldn’t reach alone. Leadership is thus a co-creative process.
It follows that creativity isn’t confined to the arts industries or to artists. Creativity is part of what makes us human. Creativity is not just essential in professional settings and to lead in a holistic way, but in our everyday lives. It is a beautiful gift and resource that all of us have - and it is up to us to cultivate and develop it.
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Payment is due upfront however payment plans are available to enable part payments at key intervals. I accept direct bank transfer or secure online payment via Stripe. Your invoice will overview your payment options and we can handle these financial matters up front, so that we spend 100% of our session time focused on you and your journey.
You do not need to have a Stripe account to use Stripe as I will provide you with a secure payment link. Stripe allows you to pay with your regular debit or credit card in a secure way online, regardless of which country you’re based in. I do not store any of your debit/credit card details. Read Stripe’s privacy policy here: https://stripe.com/au/privacy.
All prices listed are in Australian dollars. Stripe handles all the currency conversions so that you can pay in your currency equivalent. You can check what the approximate conversion from Aussie dollars in your currency here.
You may also like to know that I also offer a referral bonus which can benefit both you and the person you refer.
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Yes, you can tweak the cadence of our sessions so long as you use your sessions within the agreed package timeframe. I generally advise that you complete one coaching session a week, if not per fortnight, to ensure you keep momentum and focus on your goals for our work together. My current packages are designed around weekly sessions and I have some new packages coming in the near future based upon fortnightly sessions. Reach out to explore which options suit your goals best.
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Yes. I offer a limited number of 1:1 coaching spots to ensure I provide tailored coaching support to my clients. As such, I encourage you to get in touch to explore if this is the right fit for your needs and goals - and to get on the waiting list if I don’t have spots available at the time.
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My coaching is underpinned by my interdisciplinary practice and training; this isn’t surface-level productivity coaching. Coaching with me is future-focused and action-oriented, grounded in your values and for those who are ready to change and lead with integrity and imagination.
I’ll work with you one-on-one to identify your unique strengths and weaknesses, and together we’ll craft a plan to help you achieve your goals. The individualised attention you receive from me means we can delve deeper into your specific challenges and opportunities, providing you with the support and guidance you need to succeed.
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Where mentoring is about sharing wisdom and experience - often by a more senior mentor - coaching is a partnership between the coach and client, focused upon enabling the client to achieve their chosen outcome, and reaching their goals and full potential.
As your coach, I am not there to ‘fix’ your problems but to support you to come up with the answers yourself and to take action towards your goals and visions. You are the expert in your own life and as your coach, I support your agency and self-determination. I listen deeply and mirror back what I am observing and hearing, which can often open up new insights for a client’s sense-making.
At times, a client may ask for my experience or knowledge, which would be a form of mentoring. As your coach, I partner with you to determine whether it is best in that moment to use coaching tools to help you find new ways to know your own answer - or if switching into mentoring is best. I will be very clear about my role as we do this and seek your consent before moving into mentoring.
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Coaching is sometimes mistaken for counselling or therapy, which is understandable given a coach holds deep space for their clients. However, coaching is distinct from and not a substitute for counseling or psychotherapy. Broadly speaking, coaching is more forward-looking while counselling/therapy is looking back to the past. This is not a hard rule for either modality though and when coaching with me, your past is honoured and respected, and I see you and meet you where you are to help you move forward.
If you are currently in therapy or under the care of a mental health professional, you can talk with your care provider about whether it is suitable for you to work with a coach. My clients have benefited from working with a therapist simultaneously since coaching can surface issues that they can then bring to their mental health professional for therapeutic outcomes.
As an ICF-certified coach, I uphold the ICF code of ethics and practice standards, which means that in our work together, I will ensure we remain within my scope of practice.
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I offer integrated coaching designed for values-based professionals navigating personal and professional change. I coach the whole person, tailored to your goals and unique strengths, because your leadership, creativity, career, and wellbeing are interconnected.
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Do you feel curious and ready to take action? Do you feel ready to work and make time for yourself and your goals? Do you feel open-mined and ready to make the changes you want, to evolve in a way that feels meaningful to you? Are you done with the status quo and want to shift into something new? If so, you’re ready and I would be honoured to walk alongside you through your transformation journey. Schedule your obligation-free Coach Connection call and let’s meet.
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That’s what we explore in your free Coach Connection Call. We’ll talk about what’s present for you, where you’d like to go and how we might co-create the best support for the transformation you seek. There’s no pressure, just an honest, grounded conversation.