About Me
Hi, I'm Tania, and I'm so pleased you're here.
I work with clients in Canberra and virtually across Australia who are navigating the complex reality of leadership: the strategic decisions that keep you up at night, the team dynamics that resist textbook solutions, and the tension between who you are and who you think a leader "should" be.
If you're leading in the public sector, higher education, or a people-centred organisation where the stakes are high, I get it. I've been there.
My passion for leadership development started early, working in university residential colleges where I saw first-hand the transformative power of good leadership support. It deepened when I co-created a global undergraduate leadership program focused on helping students lead across cultures and contexts.
I then spent 20 years in leadership roles in higher education, leading complex, people-centred portfolios. In my final role, I built and led operational teams to improve student wellbeing, equity, and transition across a G08 university, including establishing a 24/7 critical incident response team and contributing to training programs now used across Australia and internationally.
That experience taught me what leadership really looks like under pressure: the weight of responsibility, the complexity of human dynamics, and the courage it takes to lead with both strength and compassion.
It also led to my own burnout. After COVID, I paused, retrained as a leadership coach, and in 2021 founded Advantage Coaching and Consulting.
What this means for you
Because I've sat in your seat, I bring a coaching style that's both empathetic and practical. I know what it's like to lead through uncertainty, to manage teams through crisis, to balance competing priorities, and to question whether you're doing "enough."
My approach is grounded in evidence - neuroscience, positive psychology, strengths-based coaching, and intercultural development - but it's never academic for the sake of it. Everything I do is designed to help you build the self-awareness, clarity, and confidence to lead authentically and effectively.
I'm also honoured to serve as President of ICF Australasia (the International Coaching Federation's charter chapter for Australia and New Zealand), which keeps me deeply connected to the global coaching profession and committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional coaching practice.
My Core Services
1:1 Coaching: A structured space for emerging, new and evolving managers and leaders to pause, reflect and think more clearly about how they lead. Through guided reflection and practical exploration, leaders deepen their self-awareness, strengthen their capabilities and make more intentional decisions that lead to better outcomes for themselves, their teams and their organisations.
Team Facilitation and Workshops: Interactive facilitation designed to strengthen team culture, collaboration and psychological safety while supporting innovation, alignment and high performance.
Custom Leadership Development Programs: Tailored leadership development programs designed to meet the specific needs of your organisation, combining evidence-based frameworks with practical learning that participants can apply immediately.
Coach Mentoring:
Structured mentor coaching for coaches working towards their ICF ACC or PCC credential, or preparing for renewal. Through recorded session review, targeted feedback and reflective practice, coaches deepen their skills, build confidence and develop a coaching presence that meets the highest professional standards.
My Approach: The Advantage Leadership Cycle
After three decades of leading teams and many more years coaching leaders across government, universities and not-for-profit organisations, I've come to believe that meaningful leadership growth follows a consistent pattern.
The leaders who create the greatest shifts aren't the ones with the most answers. They're the ones who pause long enough to reflect, gain clarity about what truly matters, and then take intentional action.
This observation, drawn from my own leadership journey and years of walking alongside others, became the foundation of
The Advantage Leadership Cycle - the framework that now underpins everything I do, whether I'm coaching an individual leader, facilitating a team or designing a leadership program for an organisation.
Qualifications/Accreditations
Coaching Certifications
- Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coaching Federation (ICF)
- Diploma of Organisational Coaching, Open Door Coaching
- Certificate IV Workplace and Business Coaching, Open Door Coaching
- Certified Executive PEP Coach
- Reach Leader Xcelerator Certified Coach
Leadership/Academic:
- Master of Management, ANU
- Bachelor of Administrative Leadership, UNE
- Certificate IV Workplace Assessment and Training, UNE Partnerships
- Fellow, Institute of Managers and Leaders (FIML)
- Professional Member, Australian Institute of Training and Development (MAITD)
- Brain-Friendly Leadership Trainer, About My Brain Institute
- Reach Certified Leader
Assessment Tools:
- Accredited in DISC, Driving Forces and TRIMEX EQ assessment and facilitation
- Accredited Strengths Profile Practitioner
- Reach LX Individual, 360 and Group Debrief Certified
- The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety Certified Coach
- Certifications in Positive Psychology, including Emotional Intelligence, Motivation and Goal Achievement, Meaning and Valued Living, Positive Relationships, Realising Resilience and Self-Acceptance
- Intercultural Development Facilitator
- Facilitator and Instructor Certifications in Strengths-Based Education, Gallup
- Certified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Administrator
- Certified Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory (IDS) Administrator
If you're ready to explore what's possible - for you, your team, or your organisation - I'd love to hear from you.
Book a clarity call and let's talk about where you are, where you want to be, and how coaching, a leadership program or a workshop might help you get there.
Or, if you're not quite ready to talk but want to stay connected, subscribe to our Advantage Point newsletter below, where I share research-backed insights on leadership, coaching, and building cultures where both strategy and people thrive.
Ready to take the next step?
