I get it.

I scaled Headspace from live events to a global technology platform - which means I've lived the impossible choices, sleepless nights, and unrelenting pressure of hyper-growth.

Raising capital when the stakes feel existential. Building products under brutal timelines. Keeping world-class teams motivated when everything's on fire. Managing boards and stakeholders. Launching a brand that cuts through. Scaling culture without breaking it.

And then there's the part people don't talk about enough: the hardest part isn't the business - it's you. Evolving as a leader while the ground shifts beneath you. Making decisions when there's no playbook. Leading with clarity when you feel anything but clear.

I've been there. I know what it takes.

When you work with me, you get someone who's been in the arena - no theory, no fluff. Just hard-won experience, strategic clarity, and the insight to help you lead with more impact and less burnout.

I scaled Headspace from live events to a global technology platform - which means I've lived the impossible choices, sleepless nights, and unrelenting pressure of hyper-growth.

Raising capital when the stakes feel existential. Building products under brutal timelines. Keeping world-class teams motivated when everything's on fire. Managing boards and stakeholders. Launching a brand that cuts through. Scaling culture without breaking it.

And then there's the part people don't talk about enough: the hardest part isn't the business - it's you. Evolving as a leader while the ground shifts beneath you. Making decisions when there's no playbook. Leading with clarity when you feel anything but clear.

I've been there. I know what it takes.

When you work with me, you get someone who's been in the arena - no theory, no fluff. Just hard-won experience, strategic clarity, and the insight to help you lead with more impact and less burnout.

How we can work together

Coaching, blended with mentorship

The higher you go, the fewer people you can actually talk to about it. You're managing board expectations, steering through pivots, making calls that ripple through your entire organisation. You need more than a coach. You need a strategic sounding board who's been in the operator seat and knows what it takes to lead under pressure.

I work 1:1 with founders, CEOs, and C-suite executives to develop the capabilities that separate good leaders from great ones. We explore strategy, rehearse high-stakes conversations, and work through the decisions that will define your business. But we also go deeper - I teach you to recognise when you're operating from fear, ego, or survival instinct, and how to shift into clarity and wisdom before it costs you.

I call it The Human Operating System - a neuroscience-backed framework for making better decisions, leading more effectively, and staying grounded when everything around you is chaos. It's performance optimisation for leaders who refuse to be run by patterns they can't see.

I'll hold you accountable to becoming relentlessly responsible - for your growth, your team's growth, and the trajectory of your company. You'll become the leader your business needs: clear, confident, and unshakeable

Real people, real results

‘Working with Shona was transformative. She possesses an incredible ability to identify strengths in me that I hadn't recognised in myself, and I consider myself lucky to have her unwavering belief, support and mentorship. Working alongside her extends beyond business; it's a journey of personal growth and shared success.’

Leyya Satar

CEO, Other Box & Forbes 30 under 30

How we can work together

Speaking, backed by science

The Human Operating System: Lead from consciousness, not code

The companies that win in the future won't have the best algorithms - they'll have the most conscious leaders. The gap is widening fast: while AI automates technical execution, McKinsey confirms what 83% of workers already know - the capabilities that can't be automated are empathy, judgment, ethical decision-making, and adaptive leadership under pressure. But most leaders haven't been trained for it.

I deliver keynotes that answer the question every leader is asking right now: "How do I stay relevant when AI can do everything I was trained to do?" As former COO of Headspace, I lived through hypergrowth and burnout, then rebuilt my leadership using the neuroscience-backed practices I now teach. Audiences walk away with The 3 As - Awareness, Altitude, Alchemy - upgrades they can use immediately in their next crisis decision, board presentation, or high-stakes moment.

This isn't another "be more mindful" talk. It's neuroscience meets business strategy for the AI era. High-energy, story-driven, backed by research from MIT, Stanford, and Harvard Medical School - and delivered by a real-world operator who speaks the language of business. Leaders leave knowing how to catch themselves reacting and choose differently.

Real people, real results

'It was an honor to invite Shona to join one of my world renowned Jeffersonian Dinners in San Francisco. Her presence was vital for our discussion and her enlightening insights and original expertise were greatly appreciated by the distinguished audience.'

‘It was an honor to invite Shona to join one of my world-renowned Jeffersonian Dinners in San Francisco. Her presence was vital for our discussion and her enlightening insights and original expertise were greatly appreciated by the distinguished audience.’