About Kate
I’m Kate James, an author, leadership coach and mindfulness teacher. I help midlife women navigate their careers and lives with greater clarity, confidence and direction.
If you’re here, it’s possible you’ve spent years feeling uncertain about your direction, or second-guessing your career and life choices. You may have become skilled at adapting to what others expect, while quietly questioning your own path. Many of my clients describe patterns of over-functioning, overthinking, perfectionism, or feeling like an imposter.
Over time, this can lead to a disconnect between the life you’ve built and the life you actually want to be living.
I’ve experienced these patterns myself, and I know it’s possible to shift them.
My work is about helping you reconnect with what matters most, so you can lead your life and work with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
Over the past two decades, I have built more than 6,000 hours of coaching experience alongside extensive training in mindfulness and evidence-based psychological approaches.
After gaining my accreditation from International Coach Academy in 2002, I was among the early coaches in Australia to achieve a PCC accreditation with the International Coach Federation.
Since then, I have worked extensively as a leadership and confidence coach, supporting women through career transitions, self-doubt, and life direction challenges.
Alongside my coaching practice, I became one of the early teachers of mainstream meditation in Melbourne. Today, I share meditations with a global audience on Insight Timer and each week I host a live session with around 200 participants worldwide.
My work is informed by training in Mindful Self-Compassion (developed by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer), Positive Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Internal Family Systems. I continue to draw on a wide range of psychological and contemplative approaches to support meaningful change and self-leadership.
Some of the authors and thinkers I most often draw inspiration from are noted here.
How can I help you?
If you’ve found your way here, it’s likely you’re ready for change.
My work may be right for you if…
- you want to move beyond self-doubt and learn to trust your own judgement and inner clarity
- you’re ready to let go of perfectionism and overthinking, and move forward with more confidence
- you’d like to worry less about external expectations and focus more on what truly matters to you
- you want to feel more confident starting, growing, or leading your work or business
- you want to strengthen your ability to lead yourself and others with clarity and steadiness
- you’re ready to reconnect with your creativity, intuition, and sense of direction
- you want to feel more grounded and present in your relationships and daily life
- you’re seeking more ease, balance, and alignment in how you live and work
Life Stories and Guided Autobiography
I am deeply interested in people’s stories – the experiences, challenges, and turning points that shape who we are.
I am a trained facilitator in the Birren Guided Autobiography method, which supports people to reflect on their lives, uncover meaning, and recognise the patterns that have shaped their journey.
In my Life Stories workshops and deep-dive coaching sessions, I guide people to explore their personal narrative in a safe and structured way. This process helps you gain insight, perspective, and a deeper understanding of yourself and your life experiences.
Used alongside my leadership coaching and mindfulness teaching, this approach supports greater clarity, self-awareness, and a more integrated sense of your life as a whole.
Why I do what I do
I believe that each of us has a unique set of gifts.
I’m passionate about helping women become more self-aware, intentional, and grounded in how they think, choose, and lead their lives.
Through my leadership coaching, I support women to move beyond self-doubt and reconnect with clarity, confidence, and direction, so they can make decisions and create lives that feel more aligned and authentic.
I’m committed to meaningful contribution, both through my work and through causes I care about in the wider community.
I’ve been fortunate to learn from many exceptional teachers and to work alongside skilled coaches, and I value the opportunity to pass on the insights, tools, and perspectives I’ve gathered over time.
My personal values include inner harmony, kindness, connection, contribution, creativity, courage, and a deep respect for freedom and authenticity.
Kate James: in my personal life
In 2017, my husband Chris and I made a tree change to a small acreage on the Mornington Peninsula, a long-held dream of mine. We’ve spent the past nine years renovating our 80s-style farmhouse and gradually restoring a very run-down garden.
I’m an introvert at heart, and I value quiet time deeply, while also enjoying meaningful time with close friends and family.
Outside of coaching, teaching, and writing, I spend time walking local bush tracks, meditating, gardening, cooking, paddleboarding, reading, and writing. I also love time with my grandchildren, Oscar, Milla, and Clover.
“Kate listens with an open heart, cuts through the rubble of self-doubt and practises non-judgement.”
Giving back
As well as caring for the natural environment and supporting organisations that value diversity and inclusion, I contribute time and a percentage of my income to a range of not-for-profits that focus on the wellbeing of women and children.
Read more about current causes I support here.
What people are saying about Kate James
Writing
In 2014, I fulfilled a lifelong dream when I wrote, and had published my first book, Believe in Yourself and Do What You Love. Since then, I have written several other titles including Be Mindful and Simplify Your Life, Change How You Think and Be Happier Now, Create Calm and Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life. Two of my books were listed in the top-ten best-selling personal development books in 2017. Believe in Yourself and Be Mindful have also been released in the US.
My latest title, Quietly Confident was released in 2024.
Meditation
I was first drawn to meditation in my early 20’s and almost a decade later, finally made a commitment to a daily meditation practice, which has continued for over 30 years now. I credit this practice with changing my life. Meditation is about more than just creating inner calm – it helps you to see yourself with greater clarity, connects you with your thoughts, feelings and intuition and helps you to see everything with greater clarity.
These days, my guided meditations are freely available on the Insight Timer meditation app, home to over 30 million meditators around the world.
Organisations Kate James has worked with
What’s it like to work with Kate James?
Clients often describe me as kind, intuitive, supportive and compassionate. Many say they feel deeply seen and understood in a way that helps them gain clarity and perspective on their lives. These qualities are important to me in my work.
My approach is calm and reflective, with a strong focus on helping you understand the patterns that may be keeping you stuck, so you can make clearer decisions and move forward with more confidence and direction.
Alongside deep listening and reflection, I may share resources, tools, or ideas when helpful. The work is collaborative – I support you in reconnecting with your own insight, wisdom, and capacity to navigate change.
If you’re in Melbourne, I see clients in my home office on the Mornington Peninsula. I also work with clients from around the world via Zoom.
Interested to work together?
If there’s something we haven’t answered, please reach out. We would love to hear from you.