Grow the leadership skills and self-mastery you need to succeed
Hi, I'm Cat, senior accredited coach to CEOs, Co-Founders and top Execs transforming themselves to transform the world
Master high-stakes relationships
Influence authentically
Avoid blind spots
Take everyone on the journey
The leadership skills and self-mastery you need to succeed
Hi, I'm Cat, senior accredited coach to CEOs, Co-Founders and top Execs transforming themselves to transform the world
Master high-stakes relationships
Influence authentically
Avoid blind spots
Take everyone on the journey
The impact of working together
“Clarity on the path forwards”
Laura Rosich, Transformation Director LEGO Group | ex-Innovation Director McKinsey
“Practical and actionable”
Andrew J. Kelly, CEO, Antarctic Science Foundation
“Cuts through the BS”
Billy Linker, Exec. Producer, Oatley | ex-Netflix
“Provocative yet thoughtful”
Rich Houston, Ex-Zoopla VP | Ex-Wolff Olins MD
“Absolutely transformative”
Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder, Flash Pack
“Exponential internal growth”
Prak Kodali, CEO & Co-Founder, pFibre
“Better equipped for success in Antarctica”
Wilderness Dentist | South Pole Explorer
My clients tell me they value…
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‘Unconventional’, ‘unique approach’ and ‘non-traditional’ come up time and time again in my feedback. Funnily enough I don’t consider my practice unusual, it’s just what serves my client best, and seems to attract innovative thinkers.
We’ll set a clear goal at the start of every session, and you’ll take away clear actions every time. My style is lightly structured, igniting wider and deeper thinking that you can do on your own. Often the thing you think is the business problem turns out to be something totally different - we’ll unearth it. We’ll sit with discomfort and resistance, in a safe and supported way, to hear what it’s trying to tell us, rather than suppressing it.
Outdoor, diagramming, papers on the floor, changing seats, visualising… I’m formally trained in these techniques and adapt them uniquely to your professional challenge. They’ll bring you fast and powerful new actions, and are much more insightful and memorable I am told than just having questions fired at you. Let’s try it.
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I studied a Master of Physics at Oxford then Theatre Arts at RADA, working as a theatre director in the West End, one-to-one with A-list actors. Years in business strategy across global corporates to nascent startups added a commercial eye.
I’m a generous connector and modest angel investor. A cheerful + experienced public speaker in English and French, with dual nationality, my experience places me in a lively overlap of arts, science, business and adventure.
I’ve also run the Post Office in Antarctica.
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I’m an EMCC accredited Global Individual Senior Coach Practitioner. This means I’ve been through 2 years of formal training, and regular live observation of my coaching.
I do quarterly supervision with a master coach to keep up my quality, and am committed to ongoing training to constantly deepen my repertoire.
I have coaching myself, really taking my own medicine, as well as being an active part of coach communities sharing best practice.
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1) You just want an accountability partner. I believe there is much more value in helping you do the deep work to find healthier motivations to do your tasks alone.
2) You’re after an advisor, area expert or mentor to share their experience, opinions or tell you what to do. Those people are a key and important part of your ecosytem, but only go so far - they aren’t carrying your hidden fears, barriers, childhood stuff… That’s where I come in, to help you hear yourself and act in a way that’s congruent, authentic and regretless to you and you alone.
3) Your challenge doesn’t feel urgent and important. Momentum is a hallmark of my practice and I like to know we’re both committed to getting results for you.
“I have witnessed Cat’s calm yet incisive style, putting people at ease yet challenging, and her combination of openness and rigour. She has provided enormous value for Zinc VC Founders, with brilliant feedback.
Eleanor Ford
CPO, Zinc VC & Private Equity
I’ve worked for over 20 years with world-class creatives, entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and adventurers
I’m grateful to tread a truly one-off path that allows me to partner the world’s top polymaths and meet them where they are.
I studied a 4 year Masters of Physics at Oxford University, while writing and directing many theatre productions, going on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, recognised as one of the world’s top drama schools. As a director on West End plays and musicals, I worked for years with A-list and Oscar-winning actors, supporting their mindset and performance on stage.
Curious to learn more about business, I then joined a global corporate creative agency for several years, helping guide senior stakeholders in major global brands through huge strategic change. Moving to startups and scaleups, first in-house, I then founded a successful consultancy helping CEOs and leaders define and launch new brand strategies in FinTech, EdTech, DeathTech and many more.
Seeing first hand the pressures and loneliness of being a visionary leader in many fields, I founded my coaching practice, Icebow Leadership and Performance Coaching. I’m a Senior EMCC Accredited Practitioner, dedicated to my profession and regularly undertaking further training with world-class coaches, bringing my practice under scrutiny through regular supervision, keeping my love alive and skills cutting edge. I also coach other CEO coaches.
As well as my private practice, I’ve coached for leading companies such as Zinc VC and Private Equity, Tech Nation/Founders Forum, Athena FundX, Women in Impact Accelerator, Techstars, Founders at University of Cambridge and spoken at London Tech Week 2024. I’m proud to be a founding member of the Founder Coaches Network, and an associate coach for VC Talent Lab.
Adventure is ever-present and I work regularly as a professional polar guide and small boat driver in ice. In 2025 I will be part of the expedition team supporting 100 female senior scientists on a 3 week voyage in the Antarctic. My happy place as a duel British and French citizen is in the high passes of the Alpes, preferably leading a coaching session, and I’m a qualified sailing Yachtmaster skipper, with a lot of offshore sailing and navigation experience. My greatest teachers are my three fierce little daughters.
I have also run the Post Office in Antarctica.
How you show up is making or breaking it
Most of my clients are re-writing the rules, either scaling their own businesses or transforming established ones from within. Taking everyone else on the journey is the foundation of their success. Founders are a unique breed. I also love working with entrepreneurial Execs taking big steps up - and mission-driven individuals creating global impact in science, arts and exploration.
Everyone shares the knowledge that how they ‘are’ is the only thing they control, with a strength and thirst to do this deep work to get out of their own way and succeed.
When you’re in the bottle, you can’t read read the label
When work is all-consuming, it’s lonely, frustrating and stressful. It’s easy to miss key info and neglect vital relationships. Responsibility weighs heavy and others don’t see what you see. You sometimes lose sight too.
I will help you zoom out, get out of your own way and fully in control. We’ll notice patterns in your thinking and address behaviours you don’t want any more. With tangible actions every session, you can show up for yourself, your team and your work at your very best.
Your unique thought partner helps you see more
Coaching is a professional relationship like no other. We’ll create your highly challenging yet constructive, confidential space to identify and address what’s really going on. I’ve worked with over 100 Founders and CEOs.
I bring my formal senior coach practitioner training in unconventional techniques such as outdoor and diagramming, and combine it with my extensive experience across 40+ tech startups, global corporates, Physics, Oxford, West End theatre, RADA, the Alpes and Antarctica.
Urgent and important - ground your inner world to transform your outer impact
Inner
Spot your blockers and assumptions
Process the inevitable setbacks
Help fears serve you
Transform old habits
Let go of unhelpful behaviours and beliefs
Know your shadow side
Zoom out, slow down, see clearly
Harness your superpowers more
Outer
Set crystal clear vision, goals and strategy and build influence
Communicate effectively and set efficient ways of working at all levels
Prepare high-stakes meetings skilfully and master tricky relationships
Understand dynamics to motivate your team and stakeholders
Tight personal brand story, gravitas and public speaking
Navigate transition and promotion with foresight and pace
Process setbacks, highs and lows for yourself and with your team
Inspire as a true leader using an empowering coaching approach
What I offer
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Do the deeply private work to become a great leader who is sustainably successful.
Here’s an example of what we might work on:
Start by getting a new and crystal clear perspective on the ecosystem you’ve created - seeing with fresh eyes what’s working and what’s not. We can go on to uncover and evolve how you react in certain situations, then transform that to get a much better outcome from an upcoming tough team or investor meeting.
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You relationship is making or breaking your business, and visible to all. Define and align on ways of working, strategy and comms.
Bottle your joint magic when things are going well
Prepare for fallouts and evolve your roles ahead of time
Save a souring situation before it destroys both your hard work
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Especially if you’re highly cognitive, push yourself far and fast with Outdoor Coaching across London. I work with over half my clients in this way who love it for bringing realisations fast and being highly memorable after sessions.Outdoor
Ask me about a bespoke coaching experience in the French Alpes. I also work globally with clients who are out walking, by phone.
See much more on the Outdoor page
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Retaining and getting maximum value from your senior team means empowering them to think for themselves. But it’s not easy to delegate, trust and accept people doing things differently to you.
My short training gives you the tools and mindset to empower your senior team to use their full talents and do their best work, and gives you more headspace for the things only you can do, and lighter responsibility now it’s properly shared.
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An offsite is a lot of time out and cost, so define with me in advance the outcomes it needs to deliver, and I’ll design the structure and exercises that get you there, while building the psychological safety essential to success
I’m skilled at getting the awkward, painful and human stuff out into the open, in away that people aren’t defensive, making sure everyone owns change and is resourced to succeed, and has a plan for afterwards so the offsite progress doesn’t lapse instantly on return!
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“Non-traditional coach who digs deeper”
Ieva Dvilinskiene
Co-Founder & CGO, Flowspace -
"Unique approach that got me thinking in new ways"
Flora Devlin
Product, ex-Monzo -
“Unconventional exercises challenged and supported me”
An Nguyen
Founder, Practice Works | Ex-COO Koru Kids -
"Seeing and finding things I couldn't"
Will Parkinson
Product Director, Dunelm
To keep my feet off the ground, I also love to coach people shaping the geopolitical future of Antarctica, the Moon and Mars.
Introductions welcome!