If you’re a busy working mum, trying to progress your career while maintaining some semblance of a life...
You’ve already heard it’s impossible to “do it all”,
But you know there’s a more balanced life out there for you.
You’re strong, you’re capable and you’re ambitious.
You know you need to be seen and heard to make something more of your career.
You want your boss to recognise you for what you do, and to have more say in where your time is allocated.
But you also want to have some sort of a family life and time to yourself as well.
Because you can’t even remember what you did with your ‘free time’ before you had kids.
And you’re struggling to work out your next step.
The truth is, you don’t want your career to take a back seat just because you have kids, but speaking up and taking action feels a lot harder for you now...
You don’t have to continue feeling overlooked
And you don’t have to go it alone.
You’ve already given so much of yourself to your employer and you know it’s time you got some more value back.
But if you’ve already tried having those difficult conversations with management and it hasn’t turned out the way you’d hoped, you might be feeling a bit lost.
What if you had some one-on-one support and guidance in how to broach those chats, how to ‘manage up’ and how to be ‘seen’ without having to spend all night at the office?
"I was given a clear road map about how to ask for what I want, in a way that suits the people I am seeking to influence. I found Sam’s guidance on specific issues to be invaluable because it was tailored to my personal style and industry."
- Sarah V., 35, Department of Justice
Introducing,
Boundaries Coaching
An 4-week mentoring program for working women, that takes you from feeling stuck to getting exactly what you want from your workplace.
My mentoring program gives you access to everything I’ve learned from 16 years working in corporate Australia – managing large teams, navigating difficult conversations, and embedding behaviour change as a diversity consultant.
I’ll act as your trusted advisor to help you move ahead even when you feel like the odds are stacked against you.
Boundaries Coaching...
Isn’t just about career coaching, it’s about digging into what you want (and don't want!) and building the confidence to ask for it.
Yes, you'll learn some great communication strategies to ‘manage up’ and have those tricky conversations about projects you're on, how you spend your time and where you want to put the focus, but more importantly, you'll have an action plan that leaves nothing out and takes nothing for granted as you implement it.
We talk. You do. Because the GOLD is in the action.
"Samantha helped me de-clutter my mind and learn about the values that were truly important to me. She then helped me map out a way to reach these values. Without her support I would never have been able to guide myself to the things that truly matter. I am much happier!"
- Aideen B., 32, Southern Cross Austereo
My 4-week boundaries program is designed to help you fast-track the next step in your career, by getting rid of distractions and putting your energy where it has the biggest impact
You will:
- Uncover what you truly want out of your job and your workplace
- Find the words and the confidence to talk about what you do and what you WANT from your role
- Reduce the stress of working too many hours (because you feel like you need to work twice as hard to be considered for promotion...)
- Have a clear plan with simple action steps for how to move forward
- Get your work mojo back!
Here's How It Works
This 4-week program involves four 1-hr calls (one call per week) to help you uncover what you really want from your current job, how to go after it with confidence, and how to say 'no' to everything that doesn't get you there.
Free chat to find out if we're a good match
We jump on the phone for a free 15 minute chat so I can find out more about your situation and whether I think I can help, and you find out more about the way I work to decide whether we're a good fit!
Preparation to get clear on your goals
Before our first session I’ll give you a few pieces of homework to help you get the most out of our time together. This will help you get clear on what you want to achieve and help me understand you and your goals.
Mentoring sessions that fit in with your life
All sessions are run via Zoom video calls or phone, making it easy to fit around the rest of your life. You can duck into a meeting room for a call during the day, or hop onto Zoom when the kids are asleep – all with zero travel time or disruption to your (already super busy!) day.
Follow up to keep you accountable and on track
After each session, I’ll send you an email summary, additional resources I think might help you, and a few things to work on before our next call.
And to make sure you're supported every step of the way, you'll also get access to:
BONUS: Voxer voice messaging between sessions
Working up to that tricky conversation with your boss and need a bit of extra support or motivation to get you over the line?
My coaching program also gives you access to Voxer voice message support between sessions.
This means you can message me your concern and I’ll send one back with an idea or a thought to keep you on track.
"Sam is a fantastic mentor and has coached me on how I can leverage my strengths and role in the workplace to better negotiate my salary review, attaining a 20% increase. The wealth of insight and advice that she had to offer gave me the confidence I needed to negotiate the non-negotiable!"
- Kubeni R., 26, Senior Consultant
So who am I to be giving you advice on how to get more from your workplace?
Hi, I’m Samantha Sutherland.
With 16 years of corporate experience, managing teams of up to 25 people and reporting up to Board level, I understand how to navigate the corporate environment.
I was able to more than double my salary over a three-year period and always stepped forward for interesting projects and new challenges.
But more importantly, I’ve experienced the corporate world both as a mum (and before) and I’ve seen the permafrost that starts to prevent upward movement for women once they’ve had a child.
I also interview some amazing change-agents on my podcast Women at Work, now with more than 58,000 downloads (and growing), and I understand the systemic barriers at play for women.
My mission is to give you the practical steps to change your circumstances, while shining a light on the deeper issues that make it difficult for women to move ahead.
"In 2018 I was returning to work from maternity leave after my second child. In my absence the requirements of my role had changed considerably and I was returning to greater responsibility. I engaged Samantha to help me negotiate a better financial package from my employer as well as the flexibility I required now I was a busy mother of two. Sam help me strip away the emotion, speak to the trends in the market and focus on how I was adding value in the organisation rather than what I thought I "deserved". Sam helped me position myself and my experience in commercial terms, gave me specific talking points and delivery tactics and left me with a feeling of clarity and confidence as I proceeded through the negotiation. The result was a financial package that allowed me to work four days without a decrease in salary, and a bonus that was double their initial offer, exceeding my expectations."
- Julia K., 39, Director Investor Relations, Australian boutique fund manager
Imagine what life would be like if you could…
- Ask for – and get to – work on the projects that excite you and where you know you add huge value
- Change the way you ‘manage up’ to improve your career prospects and your day-to-day workplace experience
- Move on from those pieces of work that you don't really enjoy, and you're not learning from anymore.
That’s what could be possible in the next four weeks!
"I recently found myself at a bit of a crossroads career-wise and found myself wondering if there was more to life. Enter Sam, the lifesaver. She was an awesome listener, a sounding board and offerer of fresh ideas (with practical homework). I can recommend Sam without hesitation. She helped me change everything"
- Lisa W., 42, General Manager
Boundaries Coaching
Includes
4 WEEKS OF 1:1 MENTORING SESSIONS
- 4 x 1-hr calls (one call per week) via Zoom or phone to help you uncover what you really want (and don't want!) from your current job and how to go after it with confidence
- Practical homework and action steps to help you set goals and start implementing small changes straight away
- Any additional resources that I think will help you get clarity or take action
Bonus support between sessions
Voxer voice message support between our calls to keep you motivated and moving ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Questions women like you ask before saying “yes, please” to getting some support to make the most of their career
Q: What if I have a really shitty boss? Will this work for me?
Here’s the thing: I can’t change your boss’ personality, and I can’t change your workplace policies (although I’m working on that!).
What I CAN do is help you figure out how to best navigate the situation you’re in, give you back some confidence you may have lost with this shitty boss, and help you start thinking about the best next step, and whether that’s in your current workplace.
Q: I’m worried that if I take on more at work, my home life will come crashing down, shouldn’t I just keep doing what I’m doing?
Most of us working mothers feel like we’re at capacity, that’s for sure. We’re keeping all the plates spinning, so how do we add in more plates?!
That’s why we’ll talk about more than just stretching yourself at work, and I won’t be suggesting changes that you can’t manage within the rest of your life.
Some of the outcomes people have achieved while working with me are: a 20% pay increase, being allowed to work 5 days in 4, and doubling their bonus percentage.
What help could you get around the house with a 20% pay increase?
Q; How long is each session and how much support will I get between calls?
Our mentoring calls are one hour and you’ll get one follow up email from me with homework.
Unlike most other career mentors, I also offer Voxer support between calls which is super helpful if you’ve got a big chat coming up and you just need an extra pep-talk to keep your confidence high.
Q: My nights are already chock-a-block, why should I make time for this?
I’m not gonna lie, this is a tough one. But the truth is we have more time when we’re doing the work we love and we feel valued for it.
We spend the majority of our waking hours at work, so we need to be rewarded for what we do there or we’ll start to feel resentful. And, if you get that pay rise you can hire a cleaner to get back more time!
Importantly, we don’t have to do our calls at night. We can arrange it for your lunch hour – when you pop into a meeting room or out for a walk. We’ll do the sessions at times that are convenient for you.
Q: How do I know that I’m ready to take the next step in my career?
You’re ready! But also, we can work through that when we chat.
I’ll find out more about where you’re at and what you’re doing, and it might be that ‘the next step’ is actually about having the courage to ask for a massive bonus since you’re doing such a great job in a role you want to stay in.
Q. What if I want to get another job - will this still work for me?
Absolutely. I can help you figure out what the next step is and how to go about getting in. I can help with resume tweaking, how to get that interview, and how to build your network.
However, if you’re after a wholesale career change and have no idea what you want to do next (but just know it’s not what you’re doing now) then I have an amazing colleague that I can refer you to.
Q: What if I don’t have kids yet? Is this program only for working mothers?
While I work mostly with mums, this mentoring program is for all women who are looking to move ahead in their career and get the most out of their workplace.
The truth is, all women face barriers in the corporate world. I want to give you practical steps to change your circumstances (whatever those are), while being aware of the systemic issues that can make it difficult for you to move ahead, and how to work around them.
Are you ready to take the next step?
"Sam’s energy, compassion and wise council are well worth the investment."
- Kate R., 43, former National HR Manager at Visy
"Once you meet Sam, you can’t help but be filled with optimism and passion. She’s amazing."
- Hannah H., 39, former Senior Management Origin Energy