Finding New Possibilities Beyond Leadership
When Catherine Rees joined the Wise Goose coaching programme, she was already an experienced school leader with a successful career in education behind her.
Like many senior leaders, she was deeply dedicated to her work, committed to her community and investing enormous energy in supporting others. Yet she was also beginning to wonder what else might be possible.
“I wanted to get my teeth stuck into something. I wanted to focus a bit more on my own learning as well as professional learning. I was already thinking about what else might there be beyond teaching and beyond leadership.”
What started as a professional development opportunity became something much more significant: a journey that transformed not only how Catherine worked, but also how she understood herself, her strengths and the possibilities for her future.
Moving from Action to Presence
Coming from a fast-paced educational environment, Catherine was accustomed to solving problems, making decisions and moving quickly from one challenge to the next.
One of the most important shifts she experienced through the programme was learning the value of slowing down.
“The coaching course taught me the enormous value of stopping and pausing, really listening and giving opportunities for different perspectives to come forward, rather than jumping straight to solutions.”
The programme helped Catherine develop deeper listening skills, greater presence and more confidence in working with uncertainty and complexity.
She describes learning to:
- Create space for thinking
- Listen more deeply
- Stay present with complexity
- Resist the urge to provide immediate answers
- Trust the wisdom already present in individuals and teams
These changes had a profound impact not only on her own leadership but on the culture of the schools she worked with.
A Different Approach to Leadership
As Catherine integrated coaching into her professional practice, she began to see shifts across teams and organisations.
Rather than leadership being concentrated at the top, people started taking greater ownership of their own learning and development.
“There was a real sense of shared responsibility and ownership. It created a culture where everybody was learning all the time.”
The coaching mindset influenced:
- Staff development
- Performance reviews
- Team collaboration
- School partnerships
- Relationships with families and communities
Most importantly, it encouraged people to feel heard.
“Parents and members of the community often feel they’re not truly heard. I think the coaching approach helped create a culture where people’s voices could really be heard.”
Preventing Burnout Through Self-Awareness
Catherine speaks openly about the pressures of school leadership and the risk of burnout.
Like many purpose-driven leaders, her commitment to others often came at the expense of her own wellbeing.
“There were times when I was really close to burnout and I had to think carefully about how to support my own health and wellbeing in order that I could keep doing a good job.”
The coaching programme helped her recognise that caring for herself was not selfish but essential.
Looking back, she now sees this as one of the programme’s most important lessons:
“I really needed to do that piece of work. It wasn’t a selfish thing at all. It was a necessity.”
The coaching training played a significant part in that.
Several years later, Catherine says she remains grateful for that learning.
“I am not close to burnout in any way, shape or form, very much as a result of what I learned through my Wise Goose training.”
Discovering Strengths and New Possibilities
One of the themes Catherine returns to repeatedly is how the programme encouraged her to recognise her own strengths and transferable skills.
After spending more than twenty years in education, she found herself thinking differently about what was possible.
“The coaching training really helped open doors for me. It helped me recognise that many of the skills I’d developed over twenty years could be applied in different ways and in different areas.”
Initially, she combined part-time educational leadership with developing her coaching practice. Gradually, she began working with a much wider range of individuals and organisations.
What had once felt like a fixed career path became a landscape of possibilities.
Coaching Beyond Education
Today, Catherine coaches across multiple sectors.
While she still works extensively with leaders in education, her coaching now supports people in many different contexts and professions.
One of the most valuable discoveries was that coaching skills are fundamentally transferable.
“I realised quite quickly that you can apply the skills of coaching in any field.”
The qualification provided a framework that enabled her to contribute far beyond the boundaries of her original profession.
Extending Impact Through Coach Supervision
Catherine has since gone on to train as a coach supervisor, supporting coaches in their professional development and reflective practice.
She describes this next step as a natural extension of her learning journey.
“It’s a real honour to apply my own learning in that way. It’s really exciting.”
Working with coaches from diverse professional backgrounds continues to expand her learning while enabling her to support others as they develop their own coaching practice.
Values-Based Leadership in Public Life
Alongside her coaching work, Catherine also serves as a city councillor.
The programme helped her clarify the values that now guide both her coaching and her public service.
“The course gave me the chance to really think about what matters most, my own values, the things that really mean a lot to me.”
Community, inclusion, listening and collaboration remain central themes in her work.
Whether supporting residents, coaching leaders or contributing to local decision-making, she continues to apply a coaching mindset.
“Different perspectives strengthen the decision-making process.”
This belief in the value of dialogue and collaboration has become a defining feature of her leadership.
Creating Inclusive Communities
One of the projects Catherine is most proud of involves supporting a local social enterprise that works with people with disabilities.
Initially offering pro bono coaching, she helped support organisational development and leadership growth.
The impact has extended well beyond the organisation itself.
The project is helping:
- Challenge assumptions about disability
- Increase inclusion across local organisations
- Build more ambitious strategic thinking
- Strengthen community partnerships
- Create wider social change
For Catherine, this work reflects deeply held values that have been present throughout her career.
“Everyone in a community should feel valued. Everyone should feel they have a voice.”
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Several experiences from the Wise Goose programme remain vivid years later.
One particularly influential aspect was learning outdoors and using place, nature and environment as resources for reflection and coaching.
This inspired Catherine’s ongoing interest in outdoor coaching and the role of nature in deepening self-awareness.
“There’s so much richness outside. That’s something that will always stay with me.”
The experience reinforced a key Wise Goose principle: meaningful learning often happens when we step outside familiar environments and see things differently.
Looking Back: The Long-Term Impact
Nearly a decade after completing the programme, Catherine sees the impact continuing to grow.
Rather than remaining confined to one sector, the learning has enabled her to influence schools, charities, community organisations, political systems and leadership teams across the country.
“The Wise Goose coaching course has enabled me to impact far more widely than I would have done staying solely within education.”
What began as a desire to develop professionally became something much larger:
- Greater self-awareness
- Improved wellbeing
- New professional pathways
- Wider social impact
- Stronger communities
- Greater confidence working with complexity
Most importantly, it gave Catherine a way to continue serving others while remaining true to her values.
Reflections for Prospective Coaches
When asked what advice she would give to someone considering coach training, Catherine emphasises the breadth and depth of the Wise Goose approach.
“There isn’t just one path. The possibilities really are enormous.”
She values the programme’s emphasis on:
- Purpose and values
- Real-world complexity
- Collaborative learning
- Practical application
- Community and connection
- Making a meaningful difference
For Catherine, the greatest gift was not simply becoming a coach.
It was discovering new possibilities for contribution, leadership and impact.
Curious about where coaching training could take you?
Whether you are a leader, educator, consultant, entrepreneur or someone exploring your next chapter, the Wise Goose Professional Coaching Programme offers a rich opportunity to deepen self-awareness, develop practical coaching capability and create positive change in the systems you care about.
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Here’s the video of our conversation: