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Executive Coaching

Support and clarity for established business leaders.

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Leadership Coaching

Develop your leadership skills as your business grows.

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PERSONAL LIFE Coaching

Deepen your self-awareness with a personalised program for your desired outcomes.

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21

Years in Financial Services Leadership

Executive coaching is a reflective and supportive process and one of being a sounding board. I play an objective and non-judgmental role, giving leaders the opportunity to share their views and receive input into these, creating more clarity and understanding of their way forward.

When coaching individuals in a team, I play a role of unifying people by dealing with conflicting opinions, thoughts and views of different groups and help them see and appreciate other points of view, the feelings they have about situations, and their intentions.

About me

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

– Rumi

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

" I had the privilege of working with Laura for over 10 years. She provided me with advice, support and essentially the tools to understand my strengths, weaknesses, define my goals and to best channel my energy to become a more rounded executive and leader within the business. I highly recommend Laura to anyone in search of personal and business growth! "

Riek Olivier – CEO Gomo

" Laura, I so appreciate your gracefulness and loving nature. To be coached by you is to feel deeply cared for, held, seen and considered. How lucky I am to have that experience."

Dr. Antonia Wadley – Associate Professor of Physiology

" Laura is deeply empathetic and gentle. She was able to help me see how my own views of myself were impacting how I behaved around the boardroom table and were holding me back. Changing my behaviours has been difficult, but having Laura as a coach walking with me as I make these changes has helped me and I can’t believe the difference in how I’m feeling about my work. "

Rachel – Marketing Executive

"Laura is a fantastic coach who played a crucial role in my leadership development. Although she has a calm and gentle manner, she is firm, and her coaching enabled me to overcome some of my more challenging management challenges. She has the perfect blend of critical thinking, problem solving and supportiveness, which made her an invaluable asset to me. I must also add that she has a wicked sense of humour, something I need when it comes to coaching. I can honestly say that I loved working with Laura for many years, and would encourage anyone who is looking for a coach to seek her out."

Dean Harrison - Freelance Creative, Designer and Strategist

"Laura Acres supersedes the traditional boundaries of coaching and executive development. Her ability to fully comprehend the commercial imperatives combined with the personal growth journey of key individuals allows for her to positively impact both on people and on the enterprise. She has a gift of understanding complex layers of both the person and the organisational framework and culture, that defines her ability to unlock a sustainable change. She has been my trusted and dependable colleague for the last few years and I have not made a strategic human capital decision without consulting with her and getting her opinion on critical business issues. In many instances she was able to meet exclusively and successfully with key executives as the business grew."

Terry Kier – CEO, SA Taxi

Working with Laura has been a game-changer for both my personal growth and my business. Her insight and guidance gave me clarity, sharpened my leadership skills, and helped deliver measurable results. I highly recommend Laura to anyone looking to elevate their impact and unlock new opportunities.

Paul Kent, CEO

The opportunity to work with a coach (like Laura) has been truly invaluable — not just for a leader, but for anyone seeking to elevate their performance and unlock their full potential. Coaching provided me with a rare and safe space to confide in someone who had no bias, no agenda, and only my best interests at heart. Sometimes it was about exploring ideas and concepts, other times about working through challenges, and at times simply having someone to listen when I needed to vent. The benefits for me personally were immeasurable. Coaching gave me the opportunity to crystallize my thoughts, test different approaches, and gain clarity. This process not only enhanced my performance as a leader but also strengthened my skills and capabilities as both a professional and a human being. I would recommend coaching to anyone — whether you’re looking to navigate a specific challenge or simply continue to grow. It’s like having your own trusted confidant: someone who listens without judgment, offers perspective without bias, and holds you accountable in a constructive and supportive way. – Paul Kent, CEO

To enable me to navigate a new challenge in my work-life it was important to unpack my values and purpose and how I show up to deliver in a way that enables and support my ambitions. Laura worked with me to get a deeper understanding of myself, to set clear goals and boundaries and ultimately to be more aware of what is actually important to me versus what is "noise". Laura was always open, reflective, honest and encouraging to get clarity on the issues I was grappling with. I highly recommend working with Laura to really understand how you want to show up and deliver to the best of your abilities while being true to yourself and your values.

Cornel Geldenhuys, Associate Director – Corporate Finance

FROM THE BLOG

Less, Not More

For a long time now, I’ve been drawn to the idea that improvement doesn’t always come from piling things on. Often it comes from stripping things back.

full article

Developing a Sense of Agency

Agency is the belief—and the lived experience—that you have the ability to influence your circumstances, shape outcomes, and take meaningful action toward your goals.

full article

Execution Energy: Moving Beyond Burnout to Sustainable Pace

Because the truth is: burnout kills execution. It doesn’t matter how brilliant your plan is — if your people are running on fumes, nothing moves forward well.

full article

Managing Impulsivity – Balancing the rider and the elephant

In leadership, where decisions decide the destiny of our organizations, we often find ourselves juggling between the impulsive urges that drive action and the cool-headed logic needed for strategic direction

full article

True Confidence - Fueling from Within

Define confidence on your terms. Authenticity matters more than fitting into others' expectations. Embrace what truly empowers you, whether it’s preparing meticulously for a speech or using physical posture to bolster your confidence. Do it your way.

full article

Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a common feeling and one of the frequent experiences that come up in my discussions with high-achieving executives

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Exploring Liminal Spaces – The Journey of Executive Transitions

Embracing the liminal space as a transformative experience can set the stage for a meaningful and impactful leadership journey.

full article

Resilience - Not just a 'nice-to-have'

While some people seem to naturally have more resilience inherent in their personalities, the good news is that it is a skill that can be learn and practiced.

full article

Emotions And The Intelligence They Bring

Being aware of, regulating and expressing our emotions develops our personal mastery (ability to self-manage).

full article

Mindfulness & Meditation

I first went to meditation about 15 years ago. Not something I pursued myself, but I went along with someone very interested. It was a Transcendental meditation course (teaching how to focus our attention inward to induce a state of deep...

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Thought Distortions – Getting In Our Own Way

Some of the toughest obstacles we'll face on our journey is of our own making. Our amazing brains play all sorts of tricks on us, including thought distortions - exaggerated patterns of thinking our minds use to convince us of ...

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Listening - Much more than being silent

Sitting at lunch this December with friends from London, one of them, an executive who decided to step out of his field and study medicine, was telling us about an interview he had been for when he was younger, for a sought-after position...

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