Coaching for humanistic leaders
Soft is not the opposite of strong.
Whether you have the leadership title or not, you lead with empathy, curiosity and care, and somewhere along the way you were told it's too much, or not enough. Let's turn it into the strength it already is.
Sound familiar?
You're the one people come to. It just never shows up in your review.
People bring you the hard conversations. Your review asks for more "executive presence."
You build the trust that holds a team together, and it's invisible on every dashboard.
You've been told to toughen up. You'd rather not become someone else to get ahead.
You care a great deal. Lately, it's been costing you more than it gives back.
None of this is a flaw to fix. It's the fibre we work with.
What is coaching, anyway?
Coaching, therapy and mentorship get mixed up all the time. Here's the short version.
Therapy
Looks back.
Helps you heal and understand where patterns come from. Essential work, and a different job.
Mentorship
Looks across.
Someone who's walked your path shares what worked for them. Good advice, drawn from their map.
Coaching
Looks ahead.
A thinking partner for where you're going. You bring the direction; I bring the curious (and sometimes challenging) questions, the mirror for self-reflection, and the follow-through to get there, on your terms.
Not sure which one you need? That's what the free conversation is for →
How it works
Felt is made from loose fibres, warmth and patience. So is change.
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Gather
A free 60-minute conversation. We look at what you're carrying, what you want, and whether we're a good fit.
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Warmth & pressure
60-minute sessions at the frequency you choose (usually every two weeks). Real situations from your week, small experiments in between.
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Whole cloth
Over 3–6 months, the strengths you were told to soften start carrying real weight. You have tools to leverage your strengths.
"I don't have time for this." The commitment is about 3 hours a month - what's the real cost of staying undervalued?
See the options
Felt needs no loom and no pattern. Just loose fibres, warmth and patience, until they hold together.
Leaders are made the same way.
Kind words
What changed, in their words.
Catherine is the summer breeze, quietly helping us find our destination...she will also scoop us up and bring us back in line if we flutter too far off course."
"She has the ability to see something in me that I never really knew was there, or if I did know, didn't know how to acknowledge or encourage it."
"I moved from feeling stuck to seeing tangible possibilities. She asks insightful questions that help uncover clarity and build confidence, without ever making you feel judged or pressured."
Note: all client relationships are confidential but references are available upon request.
Hi, I'm Catherine.
I've been the leader who didn't fit the mould.
After decades of working across a variety of corporate roles, I kept seeing the same pattern: the work that mattered the most, building psychological safety and helping people thrive, was the hardest to measure and the first corner to cut when circumstances became challenging. I started Felted Butterflies to do the work that calls to me, for people who will value it - and to help other humanistic leaders get there faster than I did.
More about me, and why "Felted Butterflies" →Field notes
On leading as yourself.
Ready to talk?
A free 60-minute conversation. Bring whatever's on your mind, and we'll work out together whether coaching is the right next step.
Book a free conversationor write to cfox@feltedbutterflies.com