RISE Coaching & Development

06/05/2026

I’ve come to the conclusion that ‘bespoke workshops’ is my “happy place”! I really admire consultants who have a suite of workshop offerings (and I am sure they contextualise and adapt them for the audience) and I have tried to mould myself to be that and it just hasn’t worked. (Although I think I am about to break my own rule!) I’m never going to get rich doing things this way, but I’ve decided the outcome and the enjoyment I get from working this way are well worth it.

The reality is that I feel a distinct “frizzle” (I think I might have made that word up) when I meet with a potential client and get to hear about the challenges the team is facing and why they think a workshop might help. I listen to their ideas and then I dig deep, asking questions that they likely have not considered before to really get to the HEART of the matter (that is the ‘coach’ in me!). And then I explore the greater organisational context to give me a broader view.

If I think I can be of help, I go away and craft an experience that fits the brief, utlilising the experience and tools that I have at hand. I ADORE this part of the process! The more adventurous my approach the happier I feel! I don’t follow formulas, although I do follow what we know as facilitators actually works from a process perspective.

But the truth is, until I am standing in the room, in front or amongst all those amazing human beings, I have ABSOLUTELY no idea how it is going to go. It might sound terrifying to you, but to me it is exciting! I plan thoroughly then I make myself present to what the group brings- the energy, the knowledge, the engagement, the vulnerability. And I flex and flow to honor what the group brings.
The frizzle is alive and well when the first faces light up with a gentle “aha” moment. Or when someone feels safe enough to challenge the status quo.

I ran a particularly successful workshop recently that I think is worth offering to others… aimed at dispersed teams or teams where there has been a number of newbies start. Where maybe misunderstandings are arising because assumptions are being made, probably because they just haven’t enough spend time together developing RAPPORT.

The HEART of the matter is collaboration, team work and effective communication, so that they can produce amazing work and enjoy what they do- TOGETHER.

The tools I used include Whole Brain Thinking - a useful, easy to understand and colorful model about knowing your own natural thinking preferences and communication style and that of the people you work with, learning more about what each person brings to the table and learning how to utilise the cognitive DIVERSITY in the team for better team outcomes.

The vibe of this 3 hour workshop is “fun, colorful and interactive” with experiences driving the learning, rather than the other way around. It truly was enjoyable.

If you think this could be for your team, please reach out NOW whilst it’s still on the offering menu!

Herrmann Asia

01/05/2026

It’s been a funny old year so far…

I thought turning 50 catapulted me into more novelty and adventure, but I gotta say, turning 60 has been next level!

I’ve bought 2 gorgeous new horses, started competing (I haven’t competed in 35 years) in a brand new discipline (working equitation) and entered into a wonderful coaching associate relationship with Sean O'Leary PCC AIECL from Collective Advantage Australia! My days are filled with coaching sessions with amazing emerging and senior leaders!

World class leadership development and coaching coming from right here in Gippsland, Victoria!! If you’re interested in leadership development with a difference, drop me a DM and I’ll send you the prospectus of delectable offerings!

Oh and I’m going on a wander through Sri Lanka in July!
Freaking love this decade!!

Photo.
Showing appreciation for my little horse’s best effort.
It was far from excellent but we won the competition anyway.
Sometimes it’s about being less s**t than everyone else 😝😝😝

25/03/2026

I’m noticing some themes in my coaching sessions

Middle Manager Coaching Note 👇

Currently I have 8 wonderful coaching clients and it’s interesting to note some common themes that they are bringing to coaching.

Managing the balance between..
- staying in touch with the work of direct reports vs micromanaging
- fairness and flexibility- managing dispersed teams and requests for people to work from home
- leadership and friendship- transitioning from team member to team leader
- listening and speaking in meetings (especially the folks with introversion tendencies)
- managing up and managing down- being the middle manager can be like being the salami in the salad roll!

If any of these things are creating a little consternation for you, coaching can help.

Whilst you wont always get the balance right, developing your own sense of leader identity, knowing your values (what matters to you) and understanding what is important to the people you lead, (and those who lead you) can make the world of difference.

“From second guessing to confident in such a short time. It is amazing what one particularly challenging question helped me explore and challenge in my own belief system!” Kara* Team Leader.

*not their real name

I have vacancies for two coaching clients (fortnightly or monthly available) between now and the middle of July (when I go on a big exciting overseas adventure for a couple of weeks).

Go to https://risecoachdevelop.as.me/Discovery-call for a no obligations chat about your challenges and focus right now.

03/03/2026

St Augustine, the 4th century philosopher, is credited with the quote “solvitur ambulando”; “we solve it by walking” 🚶‍

I think he might have been onto something there!

I'm curious to know what you get out of being outdoors generally and in nature. I am currently studying Coaching Outdoors and keen to validate theory with real life experience.

24/01/2026

I am proud to one of these professionals doing this important work. ;-)
Doesn’t matter what women come to coaching with, these issues often arise. By creating a space for safe exploration, women always go away feeling heard and often inspired and reinvigorated. This article explores the nuances and power of coaching.

After turning 50, a quiet restlessness that I first noticed six months earlier began to grow louder. Is this it? Is there more?

15/10/2025

When you get the invite to work with a team like this, why wouldn’t you just drop everything and make it happen?

Yesterday I had the privilege of working with the marketing and communications team at TAFE Gippsland on their organization planning day 2025.
The team chose my Navigating with Strengths workshop- an opportunity to explore and shine a light on individual and team strengths then use the time together to get really intentional about planning for greater satisfaction in an area of life or work that they deemed deeply important. So powerful.

And of course, when you work with such a team of amazing creatives, they think of everything, including bringing a selfie stick, encouraging me to use it to take a photo of us all together! What a great idea!

👏 Thanks to Anna Townsend, Wendy Reeves (selfie stick owner) and all the other good humans who bought their full selves to the experience. Until we meet again 👏👏

09/10/2025

🔥 What’s hot at the moment?

Leaders are asking me for short, simple workshops to provide their team members with a chance to take a mini break at work for some personal development. Strengths seems to be the flavor of the month and also having a look at life satisfaction, considering various domains. Of course the benefits translate into greater satisfaction and efficacy at work, but what is very heartening to see is that leaders are genuinely interested in the well-being of their team members and are looking to give them personal development opportunities.
Think this sounds good and might be good for your people?
Reach out and I’ll fit you in before the end of the year.

30/09/2025

I’ve got a b**g knee and a new physio.

The new physio is part of a group that includes their core values AND mission statement (It is our mission to help our clients stay strong and mobile to keep enjoying life’s adventures) on the personalized list of prescribed tortures they prescribe as homework after each session.

I gotta say, it makes me feel good that “above and beyond care” is their leading value. And it helps that “enjoying life’s adventures“ is the bottom line in their mission statement. Adventure is one of my highest values.

And the icing on the cake is that I just procrastinated on doing my physio homework whilst writing this post!!! 💥

Oh well. Can’t put it off any longer. If this is going to help me be strong and mobile and they care THAT MUCH, then I’d best not let them (or me) down by avoiding the hard work 😂🤣😂

Give me a “yes” if you’ve paid the big bucks for physiotherapy then not followed through with the exercises!

02/09/2025

Ah September 💗
My birthday month.

When you look around in nature, you will find growth isn’t just about constant improvement or achievement.

As humans, at times, we can frame it that way because many of our frameworks focus on growth as progress or growth as productivity. But when we look at trees, rivers, or fields, we are not just seeing plants and landscapes. We are being reminded, in real time, of how growth happens naturally in cycles.

And in those cycles, yes, there will be storms. Yes, there are things in nature that decay, wither, and return to the earth. There are ways entire landscapes shift and change after loss. The way things grow or stop growing is not separate from grief.

And in those very same cycles within landscapes, there is also the possibility of renewal. Rain pours from the sky, and so does sunlight. Leaves fall on the ground, and yet soil also replenishes in that very space. There are things that seem to take forever as they struggle to grow, and then there are also moments, all throughout the year, where we are surprised by the presence of wildflowers, butterflies, mushrooms, migrating birds, and the list goes on.

I hope you find that kind of growth this September, the kind of growth that appears in ways that don’t feel like constant straining or improving but natural movement unfolding in its own time.

Growth does not come easily, but that does not mean it cannot be freeing. That does not mean it cannot surprise you in beautiful, natural ways as you move through September’s landscape.

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May September lead to the kind of beautiful growth that comes so naturally it surprises you and frees you to keep flourishing, despite it all, how you were meant to.

15/08/2025

This is what turning 50 looked like to me.
Sitting on the side of a mountain on the other side of the world- alone- deep in the work of reconciling this life to date and what I wanted the next chapter to look like.
I needed to travel alone to the Montana wilderness to shrug off the cloak of expectations- that I had put on myself and that society had cunningly put upon me. When you travel alone, you live entirely off your own wits- every decision your own. Everyone seeing you as new. It’s empowering and invigorating.
It was daunting and scary many times too, but that’s the point, right? To find the edges? To get into the discomfort zone?
Getting brave enough to do this solo road trip across the remote areas of the US was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, launching me into the next decade which has been full of learning and growth.
You don’t need to do anything as extreme as this to take stock of your life, or maybe you do! I’d love to hear about it.