Executive and Leadership Coaching Services

Coaching for leaders who’ve run out of people to think out loud with

You’ve reached the level where the problems no longer come with obvious answers. The decisions are bigger, the politics are more tangled, and the higher you go, the fewer people there are you can genuinely think out loud with.

I’m Keisha-Ann Down, an IAPC&M Accredited Master Coach with over 2,000 coaching hours and more than a decade of coaching and leadership experience across nine industries and several countries. I work with senior leaders and executives across the UK who want to think clearly, decide bravely, and lead in a way that still feels like them.

That’s what executive and leadership coaching is for. Not more advice, more noise, or another framework, just a considered conversation that actually moves you.

not sure how to put both accreditations in…as some prefer the ICF one

What is executive and leadership coaching?

Executive and leadership coaching is a structured, confidential partnership between you and a trained coach, focused on how you lead and on the decisions in front of you right now.

It isn’t consultancy. A consultant brings you answers; a coach helps you reach better ones on your own. It isn’t mentoring either; a mentor has walked your specific path and advises from that experience, while coaching starts from the assumption that you already hold most of what you need, and provides the space to surface it. And it isn’t therapy: coaching looks forward at the leader you’re becoming rather than back at the reasons you lead as you do, though good coaching leaves room for both.

In practice it looks like a series of protected conversations. You bring the real thing, the restructure, the director who isn’t performing, the promotion you’re not certain you want. I ask the questions that let you hear your own thinking properly, then hold you to what you decide.

Most leaders arrive wanting to solve a particular problem. What usually changes is how they approach every problem after it.

I also coach in a more holistic way…so often life comes into it

Who leadership coaching is for

Coaching tends to matter most at the points where leading stops being straightforward. You might recognise one of these, or even several, because they rarely happen in isolation.

Leading through change

Restructures, mergers, new mandates, or a strategy you inherited rather than chose. You’re expected to hold steady for everyone else while working out what you think yourself.

Stepping into leadership

A promotion into a room where the rules are different. You were excellent at the job that got you here, and this is a different job entirely.

Building confidence

You know you’re capable; your record says so. But there’s a gap between how you’re seen and how you feel, and it’s costing you in the moments that matter most.

Difficult conversations

The feedback you’ve been avoiding, the boundary you haven’t set, the relationship that’s quietly shaping your working life. Coaching is a place to prepare properly.

Executive coaching packages

I offer four ways to work together, from a single conversation to an intensive three month package. If you’re not sure which fits, that’s exactly what the discovery call is for.

1. A discovery call

A short, no-obligation conversation to talk about what’s going on and whether coaching is the right answer. If it isn’t, I’ll say so.

2. We agree the shape of the work

What you want to be different, how we’ll know it’s working, and which programme fits. Some leaders want a focused sprint on one decision. Others want a longer relationship across a whole chapter.

3. The sessions themselves

Sessions typically run 45 minutes, at a rhythm that suits your diary. They’re usually fortnightly, sometimes weekly during an intense period. Each one is yours to direct. I bring structure, challenge, and coaching tools where they’re useful, and I keep the agenda yours.

4. The work between sessions

The shifts rarely happen in the room. Where it helps, you’ll leave with something to try, notice or reflect on before we next meet.

How coaching with me works

Every engagement starts with an open conversation and we go from there. My pledge is to always be honest with you and to work impartially to help you find the best way forward. My process happens in 4 stages:

Space to Think – daily listening space

A protected space to think aloud every weekday for four weeks. You speak, reflect and decide when your thinking is complete; I listen without interrupting, directing or trying to solve the problem for you.

Laser Focus – short, sharp, one goal

Ten focused sessions aimed at a single challenge or objective. Ideal when you know precisely what you want to shift and you want momentum rather than a long engagement. This might suit someone preparing for a new role, working through a specific relationship, or getting a stalled decision moving.

Standard – a full coaching engagement

Twelve sessions with room to go deeper. This is the classic coaching relationship: enough time to work on the immediate challenge, notice the patterns underneath it, and change something that lasts beyond the engagement. It’s the programme most leaders choose.

Unlimited – intensive support for a demanding period

Unlimited sessions across three months, for leaders in a chapter that warrants it. This might be your first few months in a new role, a turnaround, or a transition with a lot riding on it. Coaching and accountability as often as you need them, rather than as often as a schedule allows.

Why work with me?

Coaching is an unregulated industry, which means credentials and evidence matter more than they might elsewhere. Here’s what I bring.

IAPC&M Accredited Master Coach – accredited by the International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring
Over 2,000 hours of coaching delivered
More than 10 years of coaching and leadership experience

Clients coached across multiple countries
Sector experience spanning education, energy, aviation, hospitality, construction, charities, sport, media and professional services
A background in education, leadership and strategy on a global scale

What that adds up to in practice: I’ve sat with leaders in very different rooms, and I don’t arrive with a single model I try to make your situation fit. My approach is values-led and honest, with the sole aim of supporting you. In plain terms, I’ll respect you and take your goals seriously enough to disagree with you if it helps you move forward.

Frequently asked questions

Who is coaching for?

Senior leaders, executives, directors and people stepping into those roles. You don’t need a specific title, what matters is that you carry real responsibility for people, decisions or direction, and that you’re willing to look honestly at how you’re handling it.

What's the difference between coaching and mentoring?

A mentor has done your job and advises from experience. A coach doesn’t need to have done your job, because the work isn’t advice, it’s helping you think more clearly and act more deliberately. Mentoring transfers knowledge; coaching builds capability. Plenty of leaders benefit from both.

How long do programmes last?

Anything from a single conversation to twelve months. Most leaders start with a three or six-month engagement, which is usually enough to work on something specific and see it hold. We’ll agree the right length for you together rather than taking a one size fits all approach.

What actually happens in a coaching session?

You bring what’s live. I listen properly, ask questions that open the thinking rather than close it, and reflect back what I’m hearing, including the things that are easier not to say. We’ll usually finish with something you’ve decided to do differently.

Is what I say confidential?

Yes. What’s said in a coaching session stays there. Where an organisation is funding the coaching, we’ll agree upfront what, if anything, is reported back, and it won’t be the content of our conversations.

Ready to start?

If you’re at a point in your life or career where you need some support to move forward, let’s have a chat. Just book a no obligation discovery call below and I’ll be in touch.