What Comes After Traditional Leadership

In 2022, I happened upon a course with Laurence Hillman hosted by Meridian University called Archetypes and the Poly-Poetic Psyche.

I hyper-absorbed it as if I had always known it — it was more-like I remembered it. 

When the course was complete I asked Laurence if I could continue to study and become a member of the Archetypes at Work Guild ™ . He said it was for practitioners who already had their own counselling or coaching business, but knowing I have a performance background, I ought to audition for the other branch of the company called Olivier Mythodrama. Mythodrama takes leaders on a developmental journey exploring all types of leadership challenges in a way which is practical, relevant, long-lasting, and profound. They use archetypes in a collection of their classic programs like Henry the V - Inspirational Leadership, and have others like The Art of Communication and Leadership Presence.

My timeline went something like this: 

2022, December – online audition for Mythodrama 2023, January – St. Louis training with Mythodrama2023, June – San Francisco coaching test and sign-off2023, August – Completion of certificate: Archetypes at Work ™ 

2024? There was a call to coach in Texas, but I was in New Zealand visiting my partner. I felt like I missed an opportunity, but in hindsight, that time was well spent developing my realm of Order; the Sovereign and the Strategist parts of myself. It’s not like I’m done — oh no no nooo — but I filled in some crucial gaps in my foundation:  

🌱 Beliefs that were keeping me stuck — playing it small in the room and online.

 🧠 Self-sabotaging habits, like overthinking, “thought-bleeding,” or mind-wandering.

 🔥 Raising my standards by saying no to energy-draining or low-value events.

These lessons reassured me: I work in leadership for a reason. When I made my business cards two years ago, I didn’t think calling myself a Leadership Coach was a good fit — because I wasn’t “the leader” of anything. I thought no one would take me seriously because I hadn’t been a CEO or led a large, important, money-making team.

Many traditional leadership models have prioritized size, status, and profit—often at the expense of people, planet, and emotional intelligence. In doing so, they’ve overlooked the essential qualities of empathy, complexity, creativity, and multidimensionality. But in today’s shifting world, these are no longer optional — they’re vital. For too long, societal systems have kept us confined to narrow definitions of success, power, and leadership. That fog is finally lifting.

With Millennials rising into leadership roles across sectors, it is crucial they learn basic skills on presence —  they’ve been conditioned not to take up space, not to make a fuss, to doubt their dreams, to live in a way that’s some kind of apology for existing.

But this is changing.

My recent coaching with Olivier Mythodrama for the Duke Corporate Education program affirmed that we are now in a challenge-accepted state — ready to give and receive feedback, ready to build a new world instead of freak out over the one that’s collapsing. Ready, finally, to work together and use our differences as strengths — puzzle pieces that fit beautifully together, rather than anxiously trying to become the same shape as someone else.

During my session with a group of six executive leaders, we worked with the inner critic — and it was both confronting and liberating. At one point, we even created an inner critic choir that voiced the dissenting thoughts usually trapped inside the mind of the person in the spotlight. The group’s biggest revelation came when they were encouraged to be ridiculous and larger than life in their presentations — and every single time, it came across as perfectly natural. It highlighted how rarely people allow themselves to take up enough space, and how much brilliance we withhold when we assume we’re “too much.”

Recognizing our uniqueness is what will move each of us forward into leadership — where we can affect and heal the partnerships, families, teams, and communities we touch.

We create culture. We create space. We, the ones who are seemingly not  “in charge” of anything “important” will lead where we are — in our own right.

And don’t think for a second that you’re not a leader — that you’re not enough, too young, too old, too introverted, too scattered. Those inner critic voices are traps — invisible traps that feel real but once their roots are exposed they have no say on your ability to show up for what matters to you.

Billions of tiny micro-revolutions are underway.

Everyone has the opportunity to reinvent systems. But before that happens, the most vital task you have right now is figuring out what is valuable to you and why. What gives you the most energy in your life? If the answer is “nothing”… call me. (Ha! No, seriously.)

This step cannot be skipped in building the new foundation for our collective global society — one that is simultaneously the largest it will ever be and also comprised of many smaller, complex systems. Instead of nations run by national leaders, the globe will be run by thousands of communities — each with their own styles, quirks, strengths, and places to grow.

In order to have patience for the growth of these emerging community systems, you must have growth and patience for yourself.

Start rehearsing now. When you’re ready to take the stage, you will very quickly become a leader of the New Earth.