More responsibility, more problems?
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Over the last couple decades, the line between life and work has stretched thinner than the plot of Fast and Furious 37, or whichever sequel they’re on now.
The higher you rise in your organization, the more you’re expected to do and be. At first, you were happy to rise to the challenge. You rode the adrenaline and excitement of every promotion all the way to bigger teams, more oversight, and heavier pressure. Yeehaw!
But somewhere along the way, you started losing your sense of self. The work hours seemed to take over, as if the plot of your life (your actual life) was completely getting lost.
You were doing ALL the things… and discovering that even when you did ALL the things, things still got ALL the more chaotic. And you still weren’t happy.
Meet your inner evolved leader.
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It might seem like a pipe dream right now, but there’s a version of you who’s thriving.
There’s a version of you who hits “unsubscribe” on the idea that you have to work yourself into the ground to be worth your reputation.
(No, this version of you doesn’t have it ALL figured out — but they’re also not routinely overextending themselves, then ping-ponging between guilt and anxiety / exhaustion and relief / healthy meal-prepping and DoorDashing Taco Bell straight into their face.)
My job is to introduce you to this version of yourself. It’s the only way to finally step out of the overwhelm and into a life you design intentionally. And hey, getting there might even be fun. ;)
From burned out to brilliant
How one-on-one leadership coaching works
First things first: your Discovery Call
Before you sign up to work with me, we’ll have a Discovery Call to make sure we’re the right fit for each other. On this call, we’ll chat about:
- Your daily responsibilities, both at work and at home
- What you’d really like to be doing — but you never seem to have enough time or energy for
- What life would look like if you could wave a magic wand and change things (I do have a magic wand, but I reserve it for very special occasions)
This is an honest, no-pressure, upbeat chat. Even if we don’t end up working together in any capacity, you’ll still leave the Zoom with a useful insight or two. Pinky promise.
If you decide to work with me (yay!),
Here’s how it’ll go:
On our first full coaching call, we’ll dive deeper into where you are now and where you want to be. Then we’ll look at how and if this deep desire is showing up in all areas of your life. (Hint: it’s usually not, which is why you feel disconnected, dissatisfied, and dis-ain’t-where-I-wanna-be.)
Next, we’ll begin the intentional and even sometimes playful work to make your vision a reality.
We’ll have a standing 90-minute call every month for 10 months, depending on your progress. In between, you’ll have homework that you can apply in real life.
On our private coaching calls:
You’ll identify which of your driving forces actually come from YOU — and which might be coming from other people, your upbringing, or the pressure-cooker culture we all live in. Â
You’ll pay attention to your own patterns. You’ll learn to spot your own blind spots. You’ll start establishing boundaries, and feeling the ease and relief on the other side of those cheek-clenching “Oh no, what if they don’t like me?” moments.
(What about the times when everything is great at work? We’ll explore other life areas. It’s very rare that you’ll have nothing to talk about. And this work is all about how to thrive in the 9-5 and beyond!)
This self-discovery process is crucial — because to get to the next level, you’ll need a wide range of tools to keep yourself healthy, intentional, focused, and balanced.Â
What about between calls?
In between our coaching calls is when you get to practice what you’re working on. I’ll usually give you at least one action to take. Or one habit to start establishing. Or, mostly: something to start removing that no longer serves you, so you can replace it with something else.
These practices might look like…Â
- Putting your phone upstairs when you get home from work (even if that feels really really wrong)
- Letting your needy team member try to solve their own problem before you jump in to fix things
- Creating a calm morning routine instead of getting sucked right into whatever fire is burning (and reaching for something soothing, instead of your phone)
- Not responding to non-urgent emails after 6pm… or any emails, for that matter! And encouraging your team to do the same
- Establishing clear agreements with your team about who will do what, by when
- Starting and ending all meetings on time — no matter who shows up late
- Giving direct feedback to those team members who’ve been getting away with some sort of slight murder
- Setting clear UNAVAILABLE blocks in your calendar for focused work
- Leaving your desk for lunch instead of wolfing a protein bar while you refresh your inbox
- Learning to say "I need to check my calendar" (and not feeling guilty about that) instead of immediately saying yes
- Creating a shutdown ritual to mentally close your workday
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Oh, and of course there are...
BONUSES
Daphne on Demand
When you coach with me, you also get Daphne on Demand: Seasoned advice and gut checks by text, 3 days a week. Shoot me a message when that next hair-on-fire situation inevitably pops up, and I’ll help you handle it like a boss.
Precision Leadership Lab membership
Want to meet and mindshare with other leaders like you? Your coaching engagement comes with access to the Precision Leadership Lab. Inside the group, you’ll find even more support, community, and accountability.
From burned out to breaking through:
How One Leader Reclaimed His Vision
and Built the Life He Wanted
The roots of our work together
Everybody loves a clear process, and I’m no different.
I created the 5 Pillars of Precision to walk you step-by-step through the process of becoming a more aligned, evolved leader.
Your coaching will loosely follow the process below. We’ll work through each pillar together, starting with what you really want — because that’s the first step toward getting it.
You’ll see these Pillars as you work through the Waking Up a Leader course that’s included with your Precision Leadership Lab membership. Each pillar includes specific exercises and actionable behaviors you can implement immediately IRL, so you can take your performance to the level you know it can be.
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Get into itÂ
What else do you want to know?
And other things you might be wondering…
I already have a therapist. How is coaching different?
Am I the right fit to coach with you?
What results can I expect from our 10-month coaching engagement?
Can you connect me with past clients?
I decided to study the intersection of psychology (AKA our human-ness) with leadership — and everything that being in a high-pressure professional role demands of that human-ness.
Then, because I’m an overachiever, I also became a certified mindfulness teacher. I began integrating mindfulness with leadership to help high-performing individuals and teams do their best work in a way that feels rewarding and sustainable.
Now I work one-on-one and in community with leaders who find themselves overwhelmed, burned-out, and ready to make a change.
Working with me usually involves a mix of practical tools (delegation and boundaries will become your best friends) and self-reflection.
We’ll figure out what’s most important to you, so you can actually live your values, instead of just putting them on a dusty pedestal and visiting them during your stress dreams. We’ll identify weak spots in your leadership. And then we’ll solve those problems so you can feel great about work and life.
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MORE ABOUT MECustomize Your Leadership Workshop
Team-building, inspiration, & hands-on improvement for everyoneÂ
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Want to improve your team’s communication? Want to build trust? Want to unite your team around a shared vision? Give me two hours.
I offer a range of presentation and workshop topics, including:
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Mindful Work and What That Means
Hiring, Firing and Everything In Between
Avoiding the Burnout Trap
Along with learning new, practical leadership skills, your team will get the chance to dive into fun, experiential activities. (When I say these group exercises are fun and not cringe, I mean it. I’ve seen enough bad improv shows to know the difference.)
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Before you book me, we’ll have an in-depth call to customize your presentation. I want to make sure our work together results in meaningful change — so we’ll talk about exactly what the ideal outcome looks like, and how to get there.Â
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Schedule your workshop planning call here
Katie H.
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If you are fortunate enough to contact and engage Daphne as a speaker, you'll first be completely drawn in by her enthusiasm for life and complete commitment to partnering. Her funny bone has continued growing throughout her life and will start vibrating with you as soon as you connect.
Her attention is like a combo of the best merry-go-round ever covered by a completely inclusive umbrella of welcome. She truly has master improvisation and loves surprises and meeting life as it happens.
Her three brains are on very good terms with each other, which means she can pull compelling and relevant studies out of her hat at any time, resonate with the feelings and energy in the room and add them to her speaking, and she can see and shift the territorial squabble that always arise among groups of humans.
The irresistible draw to action, to move toward solutions and enjoy new kinds of collaborating are some of the biggest impacts from Daphne's presence and speaking. When I met Daphne, we started talking, didn't stop for hours, and by the time we finished we'd created a podcast (The Super-Fantastic Leadership Show) which we're still enjoying. If you have any opportunity to work with Daphne, jump on it. Now.
DAVID B.
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Daphne has been an excellent addition to our team. Culture is such a difficult thing to define and to create as we grow larger. What was easy with a few sites has become difficult to keep going across a much larger organization. Daphne's leadership education, coaching and other cultural interventions have helped us to define what we want our culture to be and then to help spread it to our distributed leaders and employees. We have seen tremendous improvement in our leaders' ability to have difficult conversations and take on '100% responsibility' while holding their employees accountable to the same. This is one of those intangible skills that simply makes all the difference in results. Still, it is just one example of the benefit of a culture of conscious leadership. Without a doubt, our leaders would say that being able to work with Daphne is a benefit that they wouldn't do without. Â
Renew your relationship with work
Become the decisive, calm, energized leader you want to be.
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