Group Coaching For Professional Women

by
Judith Thorpe

I was educated in a single sex school and convent to boot, raised by a quietly introverted woman who was the first person in her family to pursue higher education, relished her own financial independence, but supported the maverick, entrepreneurial risk-taker that was my Dad.

I was brought up to believe I could and would run the world.

Shaped by my own experiences, I never thought that being a woman could be a career-limiting factor. Unfortunately, my career in recruitment taught me otherwise, as I heard from women who shared personal experiences of:

• Losing sight of their purpose.
• Being overlooked in their career progression.
• Not being valued for their skills, knowledge, experience, and what they have to offer.
• Feeling excluded in specific professional situations.
• Lacking a supportive, professional network.

Their experience and the stark statistics highlighting the lack of women in senior roles prompted me to take a more proactive, targeted approach to my mentoring work. I attended conferences, read widely on the subject, and consulted senior women whom I deeply respect, about what I could do specifically to promote this agenda.

One wise woman told me to create a movement, a collective of supportive peers who would learn from and encourage each other in the pursuit of their career goals. 

That's why I created the Ikigai Group Coaching Programme, and my ambition is for it to become a community of women who help each other to get after what they want from their professional lives.

Having attended many cohort-based courses over the past 27 years, I wanted to put together something grounded in a shared sense of belonging and purpose that ultimately led to empowerment. For the women who join this programme to feel they're in the right place, gaining the confidence and tools to map out an action plan that works for them. 

From the first cohort, I learned:

• Honesty and vulnerability are the foundations of leadership and great friendship.
• Women are resilient, resourceful, and highly capable, yet often unsure of themselves. During the programme, we watched as the space for imposter syndrome shrank.

Women from the first cohort have gone on to make substantial personal transitions, achieve their dream jobs, and take their careers in directions they didn't imagine were possible. 

The second Ikigai Group Coaching programme starts in January, with 10 places available. Over the course of 20 weeks:

• You'll participate in 10 group coaching sessions.
• Work 1:1 with accredited coach Zia Savel.
• Meet female leaders who will share specific business knowledge at our Ikigai Speaker events.
• Participate in stimulating discussions and informal learning at the Ikigai Supper Club.

This is a one-of-a-kind development programme, and if you're curious to learn more, I'd love to hear from you: jthorpe@tmmrecruitment.com.