The Mastered and Unlimited programmes are not just for launching a coaching business – they offer a strategic asset inside any organisation.

In our Tales from Beyond series, we hear from Graduates of our Mastered programme so that they can share their many and varied stories. This month, Rachel Denning – who’s completed both the Mastered and Unlimited programmes – shares how Meyler Campbell helped shape her leadership style, taking her from Global HR to an executive coaching mindset.

From Global HR to Executive Coaching Mindsets: How Meyler Campbell Mastered and Unlimited programmes transformed my leadership in the workplace.

My challenging but extremely fulfilling career has revolved around global HR and Talent roles, working with hugely inspirational, talented, and diverse executives from every corner of the globe. To make it even more special, I spent most of my career in one of the most fascinating sectors, Media.

I have stories people often find hard to believe: the time I accidentally stood up George Clooney, sat at Dumbledore’s desk at the height of Harry Potter fame, and partied with the Game of Thrones cast and crew.

I thrived on helping leaders raise their game and perform at their best. To excel at their craft. To learn from others. To be humble. To develop their teams and, most importantly, to look inwards and understand how they could unlock their full potential.

My interventions, partnership and support could be described as ‘coaching’… but I never saw myself as an experienced coach. I was not formally trained. I did not have a toolkit. I barely had time to read leadership or coaching books. I just knew I loved this part of my role.

So, when I decided to leave WarnerMedia, I decided to deepen my coaching skills and become an accredited Executive Coach.

I threw myself into the Mastered programme, and latterly the Unlimited programme, and met my wonderful tutor, Helen Duguid, and my amazing fellow ‘coaches in waiting’ who quickly became soulmates for the next nine months. We laughed, we cried, we learned how to coach brilliantly—and most importantly, we asked ourselves tough questions.

What surprised me most was not just the coaching models or tools. It was the mindsets.  Shifting from problem-solving to curiosity, asking non-directive, powerful questions instead of giving answers, holding space, and encouraging others to think for themselves, seeing potential rather than performance gaps, embracing reflective practice (something I still struggle with!).  And most importantly, being challenged, supported, and stretched by others to create profound growth.

During the programme, I was headhunted for my current role at Terra Firma, supporting and advising the shareholder, Guy Hands, on all things people. The portfolio is extremely diverse: 300,000 Australian cattle, hospitality, burgers (the well-known ones!), jewellery, housebuilding, land… and more. The first few months were exciting, intimidating and completely different to anything I had done before.

In this new role, with no playbook to follow, I drew on the discipline, confidence, and commercial coaching approach I had developed through Mastered and Unlimited. Rather than jumping into solutions (which I found challenging in this new world), I focused on creating clarity, enabling better thinking, reflection and building trust at the most senior level. I used questioning to unlock insight, elevated conversations to a more strategic level and helped leaders own their decisions. This shifted culture, accelerated leadership effectiveness, and delivered real business impact.

In my first six months, I was asked to define what great Executive Coaching looks like, design leadership programmes that genuinely change behaviour and build a Coaching Cadre by selecting world-class coaches aligned to our business needs and values. The Mastered and Unlimited programmes gave me the tools, credibility, and confidence to deliver at this level. By combining coaching psychology, team development theory and the practical approaches I had experienced first-hand, I created solutions that elevate leadership capability and drive tangible results.

My coaching books are now well-thumbed. I use them daily in my corporate role and in the pro-bono coaching I love doing.

Perhaps the greatest gift from Meyler Campbell is the network—a community of faculty and coaches with unmatched expertise and incredible superpowers.  When I need to sense-check a challenge, explore a model or find world-class coaches, they are my first call.

I initially worried I should start a coaching business to retain what I had learned, but I should not have been concerned. I draw on those programmes every week at work. They transformed how I lead, how I partner, how I influence culture and how I drive performance in complex organisations.

The Mastered and Unlimited programmes are not just for launching a coaching business—they offer a strategic asset inside any organisation. They develop leaders and coaches who listen, challenge, empower, and create the conditions for others to thrive.

Rachel Denning, 2024 Mastered & Unlimited Alumna