Kate McCready

Personal & Professional Coach & Strategist

FOUNDER OF LEADING BEINGS | LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS & PERSONAL COACH | STRATEGIST | PODCASTER | FACILITATOR | LEARNING DESIGNER | MUM | HUMAN

Kate is standing holding a coffee. She is looking to the left with a big cheesy smile. She is wearing a rust shirt, tan jacket and blue jeans. There is a monstera plan and coffee menu in the scene.

As the founder of Leading Beings, I’m passionate about supporting people to grow: in work, leadership and life. I created Leading Beings with a focus on how we can each expand our consciousness and potential, so that we can lead fulfilling, flowing and impactful lives.

I have a deep belief that when we’re all living and working in alignment with who we are, our unique strengths and potential, that’s when we have the capacity to truly make a difference in the world. (And also be financially free).

I love to work with people in the sweet spot between self, life and work/business to achieve this. This is whole self development. I help people tune into what’s really important and what they need to have a meaningful career, be a conscious leader or business owner and of course, live a good life.

A big part of my work is brining awareness to what is: helping people better understand themselves, others and the systems and environments in which they operate. Then supporting them to take practical steps towards becoming more of the person they want to be, doing the kind of work they want to do and living how they want to live.

I’ve supported my clients to:

  • Create businesses or careers aligned to who they are, the life they want to live and the impact they want to make in the world

  • Become more empathetic, human centred leaders who understand their people and know how to develop them

  • Make the transition into more meaningful and fulfilling careers and businesses that support a better life

  • Create business or leadership strategies to align to values and wider life or organisational goals, while also being financially prosperous

  • Become more of the person they want to be (or really are deep down)

  • Uncover and better understand their purpose, strengths, skills and value

  • Gain clarity on what they really want out of work and life

  • Develop their self awareness and make changes that support greater wellbeing and fulfilment

  • Challenge old paradigms, patterns and beliefs that no longer serve

  • And much more.

Working with me

Working with me as your coach or having me design or lead you through a learning experience, you will be supported by someone who can combine: empathy with logic, feeling with strategy, science with spirituality, structure with flow, being with doing, creativity with planning and practicality with intuition.

Coaching and Development Specialities

I am a multidisciplinary practitioner and fuse different disciplines, fields and philosophies across personal, professional, spiritual and business growth

  • Human potential

  • Mindful productivity + personal effectiveness

  • Indie Leadership (Read more about Indie Leadership HERE)

  • Work-life design (Kind of like work-life balance, but better)

  • Career, business and leadership purpose + strategy
    (including meaningful career change)

  • Meaningful work + purpose driven start-up

  • Conscious business + leadership

  • Human centred design and leadership, strategic design, customer experience design, design thinking, service design

  • Innovation + entrepreneurship

I am a positive realist with a down to earth approach. I love helping you connect dots and make meaning out of mess. I believe the best is already in people and I’m there to help them bring it out and help it grow.

Qualifications & Credentials

  • Bachelor of Business Entrepreneurship

  • Certified Human Potential Coach (Human Potential Institute)

  • Certified Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy 

  • Meditation Initiator in the Vedic tradition

  • Diploma of Arts: Small Companies and Community Theatre 

  • Mental Health First Aid Certificate

  • Facilitation (via Deloitte)

  • Design Thinking (via Deloitte and Stanford D-School) 

  • And a very long list of programs and courses relating to coaching and personal, professional + business development (I'm a life-long learner). 

FOLKS I’VE WORKED WITH

Deloitte

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Vision Australia

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Fusion 5

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Translink

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Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade

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City of Borondarra

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Centre for Sustainability Leadership

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Suncorp

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Engineers Australia

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Medibank

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City of Melbourne

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NAB

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Department of Education (VIC)

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World Vision

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Deloitte >>> Vision Australia >>> Fusion 5 >>> Translink >>> Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade >>> City of Borondarra >>> Centre for Sustainability Leadership >>> Suncorp >>> Engineers Australia >>> Medibank >>> City of Melbourne >>> NAB >>> Department of Education (VIC) >>> World Vision >>>

My Story and Experience (the longish version)

After a few years of exploration and ‘getting to know myself’ (a Theatre diploma, working in call centres, and as an English Teacher in Japan), I found my path in innovation after returning to Australia to study a Bachelor of Business Entrepreneurship. 

I worked as an Innovation Catalyst in State Government (yes, that was really my title), then jumped over to the corporate world to work in innovation at Deloitte. It was there I eventually stumbled across the world of 'Design Thinking.' Which I instantly knew would become part of my career.

Around this time, I had a major medical event. I developed blood clots (a DVT in my leg and pulmonary embolisms in my lungs) and ended up in hospital for two weeks, very lucky to be alive at the age of 28. This saw me take deep stock of what was important to me in life and work and I realised the corporate climb life was not for me.

So in 2013 I took the leap from employee to self employed with my first solo business as a human centred designer (including experience design, service design, learning design + customer experience). Here I could really tap into my passion for the human side of business. I lead projects (both as a contractor for other agencies and for myself) with organisations such as RealEstate.com.au, The Department of Education (VIC), Suncorp, Medibank, The Department of Health and Human Services (VIC), Australia Post, City of Melbourne, Engineers Australia, NAB and more.

Forever the personal and professional development nerd, I was naturally drawn to coaching. I completed my first coaching certification, with the view to integrating this with my business experience so I could support people to build impact driven businesses and careers.

For six years I ran a successful business as a solo practitioner working as a coach, facilitator, designer and strategist with both organisations and individuals. Initially starting out in strategy, design and coaching for purpose driven businesses and projects, I slowly branched out towards my current focus of integrated personal and professional development – an approach that considers meaning, wellbeing, fulfilment and impact from a whole work-life perspective.

Teaching meditation later became a part of this journey as I saw the incredible impacts it had on my own life and the lives of others, as a foundation for meaningful personal and professional transformation and growth. I trained in and taught Vedic Meditation for three years before Covid hit and then the birth of my son.

Over the past years I have kicked off a number of projects to help me share my passions. In 2015 I launched The Good Work Revolution podcast, now renamed the Leading Beings podcast – which remained in the iTunes new and noteworthy section for a number of years. In 2018 I collaborated with my dear friend Kate Cashman to create Work-Life X conference - an event to inspire and empower people to take a more intentional approach to how they craft their working lives.

In 2021 I became a Mum to a kind, cheeky, funny little human and scaled back my business so I could both work, and care for my son. One of the things I’m most proud of in my business is being able to financially support my own maternity leave and enable part time work that supports our life.

My experience (and my life) is a living, breathing example of my work and my message – that we can all create work and lives aligned to who we are, our values and how we want to live. Work is changing and we are no longer bound by old, outdated paradigms. Purpose and meaning have power for individuals and organisations. People become leaders by how they show up, not their title. Leadership starts with the self.

Testimonials