Executive Essence
You can't lead well running on empty.
A programme for leaders who give a great deal to their work, and want to look after the person doing it: sleep, dreams, breathing and meditation, resilience, mindset and motivation. One-to-one, or for teams and groups.
- 6 one-to-one sessions
- Over three months
- Online
- €1,450
Why it matters
Performance depends on the person.
Senior leaders are expected to think clearly, stay calm and make good decisions, often while sleeping badly, travelling constantly and carrying pressure nobody else sees. Most leadership development ignores this. Executive Essence starts here.
What we work on
Six areas, shaped around you.
Sleep and rest
Understand what is keeping you awake, and build routines that help you switch off and recover.
Dreams and nightmares
Dreams carry information. Using Active Dreaming, you learn to work with them, and to reduce the hold of recurring nightmares.
Ways of thinking
Notice the beliefs that limit you, and quiet the inner critic, using Positive Intelligence tools.
Resilience under pressure
Stay steady through change, conflict, transitions and high-stakes moments, such as an acquisition or a restructure.
Self-motivation and energy
Reconnect with what drives you, and protect your energy for what matters most.
Breathing and meditation
Breathing techniques for deep relaxation and stress release, and guided meditations on topics such as focus, letting go, confidence and preparing for a big moment.
The programme
Private, practical and confidential.
You start with what matters most to you now. Between sessions you try simple practices and, if you wish, keep a short sleep and dream journal.
Where you are now
Your energy, sleep, pressures and goals, and what you want to change first.
Rest, breath and recovery
Sleep, switching off, and breathing and meditation practices for deep relaxation that fit your schedule and travel.
Dreams as information
What your dreams may be telling you, and how to work with difficult or recurring ones.
Mindset and beliefs
The thoughts and beliefs that drive your reactions, and how to change the ones that hold you back.
Resilience and motivation
Staying steady under pressure, and reconnecting with what gives you energy.
Your personal plan
The habits and practices you will keep, so the change lasts.
Executive Essence is coaching, not therapy or medical treatment. If something would benefit from clinical support, Karen will say so and encourage you to seek it.
For teams and groups
Calmer minds. Better thinking together.
Teams think best when people feel safe, rested and connected. Executive Essence for teams brings the same practices into group sessions, online or in person, as a one-off or a series.
Breathing and guided meditation
Group sessions for deep relaxation and stress release, before a strategy day, during a period of change, or as a regular reset for busy teams.
Dreamstorming
A different way to generate ideas. Instead of forcing answers in a meeting, the team uses guided imagery and the relaxed state just before sleep to approach a challenge from a new angle, then shares and builds on what emerges. Research published in Science Advances in 2021 found that people who drifted into the first stage of sleep were nearly three times more likely to find a hidden solution to a problem.
Resilience for teams
Shared tools for pressure, change and recovery, so the whole team can sustain performance, not just its strongest members.
Connection and trust
Practices that help people slow down, listen and understand each other, the foundation for the psychological safety high-performing teams depend on.
Questions
Before you book.
Do I have to talk about my dreams?
No. You choose what to work on. Many leaders find dreamwork surprisingly practical, but it is always your choice.
Do I need to be spiritual, or have meditated before?
No. Everything is practical and explained in plain language, and no beliefs are required. Many senior leaders start as sceptics and keep the practices because they work.
Is this therapy?
No. It is coaching focused on wellbeing and performance. Karen will tell you if something would be better supported by a medical or mental health professional.
Is it confidential?
Yes. What you share stays between you and Karen. If your organisation pays, it receives no details of the sessions without your agreement.
Can my company pay?
Yes. We can invoice your organisation directly, and Executive Essence can also be run for teams and groups.
Next step
Look after the leader behind the role.
Book a 20-minute call with Karen to talk about what you need and whether Executive Essence is right for you.
hello@leadershipinenglish.com