Leadership Coaching for Managers and Leaders in Geelong

Lead Your Way

Most managers don't fall apart in the big moments. They fall apart in the small ones: the conversation they've been avoiding, the team member who's checked out, the meeting that should have gone differently.

CollabbWAY is leadership coaching for the relational side of the role, the part no one trained you for.

The 1:1 Coaching Experience

Think of it as a working conversation; a space to pause, reflect and move forward with intention.
No technical buzzwords or scripts. Just real talk that helps you see things from a new angle. Each session is built around what’s happening for you right now, focusing on the people, the pressure, the possibilities.

Together, we look at what’s working, what’s getting in the way, and what’s next.

Coaching can be in person (Geelong-based) or virtual.

The Coaching Specifics

My background sits at the intersection of people and leadership, a Master's in Human Services Management, a 20-year career in social work, and years of coaching and developing leaders across community, health, and education sectors.

The coaching I do is built on the Relational Leadership Method (RLM), the same framework I've developed working with managers and leadership teams across the Barwon region. It's practical, grounded, and designed for people leading real teams through real situations, not theory.

I use accredited professional tools, including the Human Synergistics Life Styles Inventory (LSI), to guide reflection and growth. Tools like the LSI help you understand how your thinking and behavioural styles shape the way you lead, communicate, and problem-solve. But the real work happens in conversation, when we unpack the patterns, habits, and choices that are showing up in your leadership right now.

You won't get leadership theory in our sessions. I'll share frameworks, research, and evidence-informed tools where they're useful, but the work is about finding a way of leading that actually fits you and the team you're leading.

What We Explore

• Understanding how you lead and communicate

• Building confidence in tough conversations

• Managing energy, boundaries, and expectations

• Identifying the internal thinking patterns and blockers impacting how you show up

• Navigating team dynamics and trust

• Making decisions when there's no clear answer

• Leading through uncertainty and change.

Who is Coaching For?

Coaching can support anyone; however, it’s especially valuable if you’re ready to grow your capacity and stretch into the next version of your leadership.

It’s for people who are:

• Early in their leadership journey — figuring out the kind of leader they want to be, not just repeating what they’ve seen.

• In the middle — managing people, priorities and pressure, and wanting to lead with more focus and intention.

• Next in line — preparing to step up and wanting to build solid foundations before the title arrives.

The Coaching Process

Step 1

The Discovery Conversation

It begins with a chat about your career, leadership journey or aspirations. A space to talk about what’s happening for you right now; what’s working, what feels stuck, and what kind of leader you want to be.
If you choose to include an assessment, such as the LSI (Life Styles Inventory) or another accredited leadership tool, we’ll integrate it early in the process. The insights from this assessment will shape your goals and focus areas for coaching.

You’ll walk away with insight, direction, and clarity on whether coaching is the right fit for you. We also determine at this point what accredited tool we might use.

Step 2

The Work in the Room

Once we start, each session becomes your space for confidential, honest, and grounded coaching, exploring what’s showing up for you at work (and sometimes, beyond it).

We’ll explore patterns, habits, and decision points through conversation, reflection and evidence-based frameworks. If an assessment is part of your plan, we’ll use those results to unpack your leadership style and identify areas for growth and strength.

You’ll leave each session with something worthwhile: a shift in perspective, a practical tool, or a next step to test in your everyday leadership.

Step 3

Integration & Growth

The real change happens between sessions — when you start applying what we’ve discussed in your work and relationships.

I’ll support you to reflect, notice what’s changing, and build new habits that stick. Coaching is less about getting it ‘right’ and more about staying intentional and adaptable as you grow.

The goal is simple — to help you lead with more awareness, confidence and clarity, in a way that feels true to you.

Every coaching journey looks a little different, but here’s how we start.

Work With Me

Coaching engagements are typically 3 to 6 months of 1:1 work. Here's what tends to shift across that time:

• Early sessions: We map what's actually happening in your team, in your relationships, in you as a leader. This is where the patterns get named.

• Middle sessions: We work on the specific conversations and situations you're navigating in real time. Real prep for real moments.

• Later sessions: You start running things differently. We refine, troubleshoot, and build the habits that hold under pressure.

Sessions are available in person in Geelong or online.

Your Next Move

90 minutes

$450 AUD

Pattern Breaker

Behaviour Shift Intensive

This coaching session is for when you are feeling stuck.

A conversation you’re avoiding, a team member not stepping up, a decision you keep circling. You bring one real management situation to unpack.

We break it down properly, understanding:
- What happened?
- What you said.
- What you didn’t say.
- What you’re tolerating.

You leave with a clear next move and the confidence to execute it.

Simple. Focused. No over-processing.

3 sessions over 5 to 10 weeks

$1,300 AUD

For when something keeps circling.

It might be:

- An employee issue that won’t resolve.
- A conversation you keep avoiding.
- Friction in your team.
- Feeling stuck in how you’re showing up.
- Wanting to step up but not sure what’s holding you back.

Across three sessions, we interrupt the pattern.

Session 1 – See it clearly

Session 2 – Shift your approach

Session 3 – Refine and expand

Then we lock in the adjustment so it becomes part of how you operate. This is hands-on.

Whether it’s a team issue or a personal growth edge, the focus is the same.

Change how you show up, and the outcome changes.

6 sessions over 10 to 16 weeks

$2500 AUD

Includes LSI assessment 1 & 2 through Human Synergistics.

This is deeper, structured work. You complete the LSI assessment so we can clearly see the thinking and behavioural patterns shaping your results.

Then we:

- Link those patterns to real workplace situations.

- Identify where you create friction or avoid challenge.

- Adjust specific behaviours.

- Practise cleaner conversations and clearer expectations.

This isn’t abstract insight.

It’s behaviour change that shows up in how your team responds to you.

If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into one of these options, that’s completely fine.
We can tailor something to your needs.

Read to Lead Differently?

If something on this page landed, a conversation is the place to start. No pitch, no pressure, just 20 minutes to talk about where you are and whether this work makes sense for you.

Based in Geelong. Built for regional leaders.

About Brooke Baxter, collabbWAY

I'm Brooke Baxter, a leadership consultant and coach based in Geelong, working with managers and people leaders across the Surf Coast, Ballarat and regional Victoria.

I've worked with leadership teams across community services, family violence, mental health, education, and people-centred organisations in the Barwon region, including implementing large-scale projects and practice initiatives in large CSOs, and chairing the Barwon Area Integrated Family Violence Committee.

Regional leadership has its own texture. The teams are smaller, the relationships are closer, and the systems are under pressure. That's the work I do.

Discover Your Leadership Style and Strengths Quiz Today

This quiz helps current leaders reflect on their leadership style, uncover their core strengths, and highlight opportunities for growth.

Leadership Assessment

Leadership Insights

Human Synergistics - Life Styles Inventory (LSI)

Unlock growth at every level — individual, team, and culture.
At collabbWAY, we utilise the Life Styles Inventory (LSI) to help leaders and teams gain a clearer understanding of themselves, build on their strengths, and shift patterns that hold them back.

LSI 1 – Self-Insight for Leaders

LSI 1 is a self-assessment that helps leaders understand their thinking and behavioural styles. It shines a light on how intentions drive actions and where growth can unlock new impact.
- Build awareness of personal leadership patterns.
- Identify strengths and opportunities for change.
- Create a practical development pathway.

LSI 2 – Feedback that Fuels Growth

LSI 2 complements LSI 1 by gathering feedback from colleagues and direct reports. It bridges the gap between how you see yourself and how others experience your leadership.
- Gain a 360° view of your leadership impact.
- Turn feedback into actionable growth steps.
- Strengthen trust, credibility, and influence.