What our alumni say about their scholarships

We share these quotes from the alumni of our coaching scholarship programme to offer you a tangible sense of their experiences and how our coaching supported them.

Coached by Alex Martynov

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  Alex’s exceptional approach made it a game-changer for both my professional and personal growth… His deep expertise in coaching shone through in his ability to ask thought-provoking questions, challenge my assumptions, and guide me toward meaningful insights with remarkable skill. He helped me uncover strengths I hadn’t fully recognized and empowered me to become a more confident, authentic version of myself as a leader More ↓

Coached by Alia Rose Connor

• I had a really great time working with Alia as my coach. She excelled at taking my thoughts and, through thought-provoking questions, guided me to profound insights I wouldn’t have discovered on my own. These “gems” not only gave me a deeper understanding of my professional motivations but also enabled me to become a more effective leader by clarifying my career priorities and what to let go of.

Coached by Amy Rich

• Working with Amy was a positive game changer. With each of our conversations, I either learned something new about myself or it reinforced a strong belief that aligned with my values. It was a very holistic way of approaching engineering leadership, going beyond the technical aspects and into the whole self. In doing so, that reaped greater rewards and it had positive ripple effects in my personal and professional life, along with teams and community. I highly recommend Amy!

Coached by Fiona Siseman

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  Over the course of our working together [with Fiona], I was able to implement better ways of communicating. I’m now more confident to share my perspective when before I would have held back, and I’m influencing better outcomes by proactively sharing my experience and opinions. I’ve seen a lot of positive changes in my professional life More ↓

Coached by Francis Lacoste

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  What I appreciated most was Francis’s holistic approach, he doesn’t separate professional and personal development which helped me identify patterns affecting both areas of my life. Our conversations created space for reflection while providing actionable prompts I could implement right away. He integrated tools I was already using, like meditation and journaling, and complemented the therapy work I was doing rather than competing with it. I’d recommend Francis to any leader looking for thoughtful, integrated coaching support!

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  Thanks to the coaching I have received from Francis, I have gained a new perspective, enhanced confidence in my decision-making as an executive, and greater effectiveness as a leader in managing and navigating challenging situations with my team.

Coached by Joel Chippindale (me)

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  Thanks to [Joel] I took on some experiments in social interactions, and improved my own understanding of what was important to me in both my work and development. With these actions, I landed a new job — moving me in the direction I wanted while also increasing my salary by over 20%.

  If you want someone who will just tell you what to do, that’s not Joel. Instead, he will help you uncover what you really want and what is stopping you from getting there, offering suggestions and thought-provoking questions along the way More ↓

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  Joel helped me get out of my own head in a practical, not-fluffy way. We worked through real situations that I am facing in my role. By the end, I wasn’t just handling those situations differently; I was going into them with more confidence.

  I finished the programme with a clearer sense of the leader I am (not the one I thought I needed to be), and enough confidence to make a big decision I’d been putting off.

  If you’re at a crossroads or just feeling like you’re not operating at the level you know you can, I’d recommend Joel without hesitation.

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  Joel’s style of coaching resonated with me and I found our first conversation very engaging, with an healthy dose of challenge. Joel managed to pick up on a lot of nuances on what I was saying. He gently questioned and challenged some of my thoughts and perceptions of myself, and situations around me. Even when it made me feel (physically) uncomfortable, with his help, I was able to navigate my ways of thinking and identify where I was heading into negative thinking/behaviours and adapt my approach More ↓

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  Throughout the journey, Joel encouraged me to reflect and introspect deeply. He would challenge me where I needed to be challenged and he would support me where I needed to be supported - while continuously sharing relevant experiences and insights along the way.

  I’ll always look back at this period of my life as a significant turning point in my career and I have Joel to thank for that More ↓

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  Joel coached me in a very important moment of my career, as I had just been promoted to CTO and also had additional new challenges including leading the product organization, going through an M&A and important cultural and strategy changes. At the beginning of our conversations I was feeling very overwhelmed and worried about doing a great job in my new role and ensuring my team and my company succeeded.

  Having Joel as a coach was very valuable to me and had great impact on my team and company. As my confidence in my role grew, I’ve been able to better direct my team and we’ve been hitting our targets and constantly delivering value to the company. I recommend that any leader going through challenging and stressful times be coached by Joel.

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  What I appreciated most about Joel’s coaching was his calm and thoughtful style. He didn’t just address the symptoms but helped me through a process of discovery to get to the root causes holding me back. He challenged me with tough questions, sometimes to the point where I didn’t have immediate answers and then guided me through frameworks and solutions.

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  Working with Joel has been transformative for my career as a senior technical leader. His unique blend of coaching and mentoring combined with deep expertise helped me navigate complex leadership challenges, guiding me to understand myself better than I could’ve ever imagined in the process.

  Joel creates a space where you can think clearly, challenge your own assumptions and discover solutions you didn’t know you already had. I’m endlessly grateful for his guidance, it’s genuinely been life-changing for me.

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  Joel’s coaching sessions were nothing short of exceptional. I felt heard and empowered during these sessions. They made space for deep thinking and were also action driven. I’ve experienced an immense amount of growth as a result of these coaching sessions. I highly recommend coaching with Joel.

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  Joel’s coaching has been genuinely transformative for my career toolkit, giving me the strategies, mindset, and support to not only identify my goals, but a clear path to achieve them. I’ve dialed up my bravery and learned to voice, and even run towards, the things that scare me. Even my friends have felt the ripple effect and benefited indirectly, because his strategies and insights are impossible not to share More ↓

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  What stood out most to me was Joel’s ability to gently challenge and guide me toward a clearer understanding of the kind of leader I want to be—and the kind of organization I want to work for. Through our work together, I’ve gained more confidence in my leadership style and a stronger sense of direction for the next chapter of my career.

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  It’s no exaggeration to say that Joel has had a deeply positive effect on how I view my career and myself within the tech industry. As an active ally, Joel offered a scholarship which I was lucky enough to receive at a critical moment in my career and offered me a profound turning point.

  Before joining Joel’s program, I grappled with low confidence and uncertainty about my future in tech. By the end, I emerged reinvigorated, with clear direction and renewed enthusiasm to tackle new challenges.

  As a result, I feel much more able to be true to myself and to stand behind my experience and my unique approach so me and my teams can thrive.

Coached by Stefan Ross

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  If you’re looking for a coach who empowers you to find your own way forward, Stefan is an excellent choice. He creates a supportive and non-judgemental space for exploration, guiding you with thoughtful questions rather than providing direct answers.

• Working with Stefan has been genuinely transformative. He has helped me not only to navigate my job search but to rediscover confidence in my own abilities that I had not fully recognised.

  What sets him apart is his ability to shine a light on the achievements you’ve accumulated over a career but somehow never stopped to acknowledge. He helped me to see the real value in what I have done, articulate it clearly and walk into interviews with a confidence I simply did not have before.

Coached by Tobi Tonner

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  It’s been really fantastic to work with Tobi as my coach. Tobi has a remarkable way of asking insightful questions that challenge my assumptions, spark new insights, and help me see things from fresh perspectives.

  Through thoughtful inquiry, he empowers me to find my own path forward, rather than just waiting for someone else to give me the answers.

  If you want to understand yourself better, and gain clarity on your goals and challenges, I highly recommend working with Tobi.

Find out more about our coaching scholarship programme.