You've done the leadership programmes. You've got the books and podcasts. But overwhelm keeps resurfacing. In a world on fire, leading can cost more than it gives.
You have a track record of success. You've led through complexity, navigated difficult rooms, and delivered when it mattered. You've also made bold decisions. But you're still not confident taking care of yourself or leading without overgiving yourself.
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You're the person others rely on to hold the room or organisation together.
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You often overstretch because you can. You don't like breaking your commitments or saying 'no'.
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You can feel when something’s off in a meeting, but you're not always sure what to do.
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Power dynamics, politics, and conflict drain more energy than the work itself
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You leave some rooms wondering if real collaboration is possible when resources are limited.
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You know things could be better but you don't know if it's worth the energy, or what the new vision might be.
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You wonder if it's time to change job, career, or life path entirely.
And you know more talking, reading, or performance and positivity psychology won't fix it.
The gift of overwhelm: realising it's time to expand capacity by letting go and making a fundamental shift.
Why leadership can be so exhausting...
Throughout history, leaders have carried four stresses:
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loneliness
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lack of guidance
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lack of structure
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uncertainty
But in daily conversations and teams interactions, leading can turn into problem-solving, fixing, rescuing - lifting others and moving things forward but forgetting about self-sustainability. These patterns of caretaking increase dependency from others and overwhelm for you, especially in times of complexity and uncertainty.
There's another way of leading that shifts from carrying the people in the room, to holding space in it. From giving answers to enabling decision-making.
You don't have to choose between yourself and the world.
WELCOME TO
The Hearth
Liberating others as you liberate yourself.
The Hearth builds on previous programmes that have run annually since 2020. It includes the personal transformation aspect and expands the relational transformation. This enhances the integration of your own transformation into daily life. The practice isn't just how to expand your leadership. It’s how you lead without losing yourself - under pressure. The Hearth offers a unique and powerful experience in these ways:
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Many leadership development programmes split into either performance and productivity goals or wellbeing and spirituality. They either centre the system and delivery or personal recovery and self-care. The Hearth weaves them together.
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The Hearth expands your capacity to stay present with the questions "what's it like to be you, what's it like to be us, and where are we going?" beyond reflective time so you can ground and act effectively under pressure and complexity.
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You'll be with like-minded, service-driven leaders, professionals, coaches, and facilitators holding complex decision-making while also doing their own inner work.
Members of previous related groups include:
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a professor of medicine and chief in a large hospital
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a vice president in a well-known digital company
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the head of communications in a global bank
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an occupational physician and president of a national professional body
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the public health advisor for a global humanitarian agency
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a strategic advisor to the World Health Organisation
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a Director of a conservation agency
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Finance leader-turned-leadership coach
In Amina’s programmes, you feel truly seen in ways that are both comforting and uncomfortable. This is not surface-level change, but a deeper exploration of the patterns and assumptions that may be limiting you without you realising.
The shifts feel subtle at first, but they change how you approach opportunities, relationships, and leadership.
Working with Amina challenged and changed me in meaningful ways. Over time, I noticed a significant shift in my confidence — not only in understanding myself more deeply, but also in asserting myself personally and professionally.
Karen Kramer Wilson,
Principal Officer, Natural England
Amina helped me reach new clarity — I'm not just content with my next phase, but really excited by it.
Dr Ebere Okereke
MD PhD, CEO Africa Public Health Foundation, Independent Global Health Advisor
How it works
Two tracks. One programme.
The Hearth isn't a curriculum. It's a field of practice.
The Hearth works on two levels simultaneously: 1) your inner capacity as a leader to liberate yourself from tendencies of rescuing, perfectionism, self-doubt or control and deepen your presence; as well as 2) your ability to liberate others from the corresponding dynamics that distort decision making, so you can co-create the rooms you're in.
1 SELF-LEADERSHIP: LIBERATING YOURSELF
You can't lead the room
without being present: 5 personal capacities
The recent MIT Sloan EPOCH study identified critical qualities in a world of rapid technological change, including presence. Being present doesn't mean being calm, but the ability to be sensitive to complexity without losing clear direction. This requires capacity in 5 areas:
A
Awareness and energy
What you're carrying into the room before you've said a word.
What's it like to be you right now?
L
Leadership
The willingness to trust yourself and your inner-compass when there's no roadmap.
What’s moving through you?
I
Identity
The aspects of yourself you emphasise or suppress around rescuing, sacrifice, power, or money.
Who are you under pressure?
V
Vision
What channels energy and guides shared reality.
What’s the collective dream that lives in you?
E
Embodied impact
The bridge between the dream and reality. The translation of vision into action and feedback loops.
What’s moving beyond you?
2 ROOM LEADERSHIP: LIBERATING OTHERS
You can't lead a room
if no one else is present: 3 room capacities
Recent doctoral research by Sebastian Fox (2025) suggests that teams work best not because of goal-orientation but by being present to the unspoken and making space for emergence.
What’s possible in a room is shaped by tone. When room tone is free from distortion and well set — neither too tight nor too loose — new possibilities can be acted on. Tone is influenced by capacities in 3 areas:
Without vision in the room, a meeting becomes management — not leadership.
THE PROGRAMME: ONLINE
Eight sessions. Live situations. Deep presence.
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McKinsey’s research in “Why leadership-development programs fail” argues that most programmes do not move leaders beyond information into deeper transformation and real-world application. The Hearth is 80% experiential and 20% reflective. Fully presence-based, systemically aware, and evidence-informed.
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Each session begins with reflective insights, then moves into live practice using real scenarios brought by you, with integration and feedback over time.
Session 1:
Sensing the room: Who are we individually and together?
Learning to track the level of openness and energy in the room with simple practices.
Session 2:
Shaping the room: Who do we want to become individually and together?
Developing the ability to shape room tone as a leader regardless of your role, through invitational moves rather than fixed agendas.
Session 3
Bringing your vision: What do we want to create together and why?
Clarifying what matters to you and why; and how to communicate so it lands.
Session 4
Making the asks: How do we make it real?
Moving beyond inspiration and ideas into specific action. Working with the vulnerability of asking, receiving, and saying 'no' based on vision and capacity.
Session 5
Navigating power and politics: How do we connect across differences?
Deepening your awareness of foundational power dynamics and how to work with them. Holding space for differences without compromising safety and ethics.
Session 6
Timing interventions and unifying disruption: Are we still together?
Refining your intuition about when and how to speak, shift dynamics, and set boundaries that deepen trust and connection.
Session 7
Landing safely: How do we work together apart?
Learning how to ground the room even amid unresolved complexity, with clear completion and continuity.
Session 8
Integration: What's possible now?
Reviewing and refining real-life scenarios brought by the group. Having specific tools to continue your journey.
The programme also includes live deep-dive and practical sessions shaped by the needs emerging in the group.
If you want to change the world, start with the room - and enter with presence.
WHO THIS IS FOR
The groups are diverse and include mid- and senior leaders, as well as professionals in transition, and practitioners of coaching and facilitation who are high performers in their field. They are reflective, empathic and interested in deep human development and systemic challenges.
YOU
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Mid/senior leader in health, government, consulting, academia, finance, or law or a practitioner supporting leadership
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Navigating complex decisions and organisational dynamics
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Want to lead with clarity, depth, and relational intelligence
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Ready to work experientially with real situations
NOT FOR
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Looking for rigid frameworks or surface techniques
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Seeking a therapy-focused space
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Prefer theory and inspiration without real-world application
What changes here isn't what you know — but how you show up in the room.
I joined Amina’s group programme a few years ago and later continued working with her through both group and 1:1 coaching. At the time, I found myself questioning how I was showing up and leading, the roles I was playing, and who I wanted to become on the other side of it all.
The space Amina created for the group was special. It was somewhere I could actually breathe, explore possibilities, and generate new thinking. Amina has a perceptive way of seeing you that helps you see yourself more clearly — and gently nudges at the things you’ve been carrying without realising.
What’s stayed with me, even now, is how differently I lead in my life, work, and relationships.
Dr Amber Sadiq
Consultant Psychiatrist and Founder
I spent decades orienting around external expectations and came into the group anxious and performing. That dropped quickly... I could question assumptions, reset priorities, and lead from a place that actually feels aligned. Amina creates a space where people engage more honestly. That changes how people relate, think, and lead — and it shows up directly in how we work with others.
Ginger,
Former Fortune 500 Senior Leader turned Leadership Coach
Amina has a presence which makes me forget that we exclusively meet online. That presence also creates a space that feels wide open, yet cosy, safe and comfortable. This leads to a very special group dynamic, attentive, respectful, and collaborative. Amazing things happen.
Dr Muna Sidarus
Corporate scientist turned physician.
Frequently Asked Questions
FOUR MONTHS AT THE HEARTH
What you'll accomplish:
1
Radically shift your approach to leadership - let go of old industrial, control-based models, and embody the complexity-holding, relational power of presence-based leadership.
2
Shift rooms through your presence - reduce overthinking decisions and communication to influence without apology or manipulation.
3
Clarify your vision, values, and voice - communicate from a clear and consistent signal that lands immediately and draws the right support.
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Work with power and politics skilfully — protect your integrity and navigate differences without falling into unhealthy conflict or collusion.
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Weave the group through subtle but precise moves - keep the room connected even when things remain unresolved, conflicted, or in tension
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Use tension and uncertainty as elements of coherence not fragmentation
What's included in this online space:
5
Hearth group channel — your ongoing board of advisors
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Digestible notes with a menu of tools and practices
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Session replays available for each session
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Optional: 1:1 coaching available as add-on
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8 × 2hr live sessions: gathering at the online hearth every two weeks
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20-min optional monthly 1:1 check-in
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2 × pre-calls in August to prepare and connect
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ALIVE assessment — your personal before/after
BONUS: 45-min Clarify Your Vision session — for those joining before end of June 2026
ADDITIONAL LIVE SESSIONS:
The programme also includes 1-3 live deep-dive sessions depending on the needs emerging in the group.
Possible themes include:
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How to move forward when the world appears to be collapsing — beyond meaning-making into deeper sensemaking
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How to care for your energy under pressure — lessons from post-COVID recovery
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How to create your own role — shifting from an expert-employee to an entrepreneur-leader mindset
INVESTMENT
Early bird
£3,500
Then £3,900 - after June 2026
Payment plans available on request. 1:1 coaching add-on priced separately. 6 places total.
Claudia,
Organisational Specialist and Coach, HSBC
If you're drawn to this programme, go for it. Amina is highly competent, very professional, and able to create a unique space. I am very experienced in working with coaches and am trained as one myself - and I have seldom experienced such respectful and effective work.
My time in the group has been nothing short of life-changing. I joined with some specific leadership skills I wanted to achieve and quickly found so much more - purpose, vision and most importantly, joy. Amina is a phenomenal coach. She selected a wonderful group of leaders, and supported, counselled and guided us throughout.
Dr Olaa Mohamed-Ahmed,
Consultant in Global Public Health, UK Health Security Agency
ABOUT YOUR HOST, FACILITATOR AND COACH
Hi, I'm Dr. Amina Aitsi-Selmi
People often know me through my work with high achievers and senior leaders who want to make a meaningful difference in the world — and break free from what keeps them stuck.
My medical career took me into hospitals, humanitarian crises, and the corridors of national and global health policy. I've sat in rooms where the stakes were high and the dynamics were difficult. I've delivered babies in a war zone and been on call during a global pandemic.
Since 2016, I've worked with senior leaders and professionals as a trusted advisor and executive coach in both 1:1 and group settings. In 2020, I published The Success Trap — a UK Business Book Award winner exploring why talented people get stuck and how they break free. My training spans Integral Coaching, Nonviolent Communication (BayNVC), and Transformational Connection facilitation.
The Hearth draws on two decades of work: systemic thinking, social and medical science, relational leadership, and a long contemplative practice that keeps me honest about the gap between knowing and being. This work matters to me because the rooms you lead affect real people.
If you're drawn to deeper human transformation and more honest, liberating leadership in complex times, you're, join us at The Hearth.
"Before I started working with Amina I was in a pretty difficult place — burnt out, physically and mentally, after an extended period of many challenges which ended with me being asked to lead the closure of the company I worked for. I was exhausted, questioned my leadership capabilities and could not see a clear path forward.
Amina's ability to understand and get to the heart of the struggle is astonishing. Her coaching and group sessions nourished my confidence and helped me become the leader I know I am capable of being. I've just started an exciting new CEO role that aligns with the way I want to lead and live."
Kerrie Gemmill,
CEO, ScoutsCymru
FAQ
01
When and where do we meet?
On Zoom, every two weeks. Two optional pre-calls in August, then the programme kicks off in September.
02
Can I reclaim the fee from my organisation?
Many participants reclaim all or part of the investment through their leadership development budget. Proof of payment and attendance available on request.
03
Will there be homework?
Not formally. Between sessions you'll be back in your real life decision-making room— that's where the real practice happens. You may receive a suggestion during the session based on what you bring. You may choose to try something different based on an insight from the session. What you do with it is yours to decide.
04
Will I get 1:1 coaching?
Each participant has a 20-minute optional monthly check-in with Amina. Additional 1:1 executive coaching is available as an add-on.
05
What if I miss a session?
Sessions are recorded. That said, the live relational work is where the real value is — consistent attendance is part of the commitment to yourself and the group.
06
Is there any preparation?
No required reading in advance — any references will be provided during the programme based on what the group needs. The best preparation is noticing the patterns that already show up in your leadership and communication. A meditation or reflective practice helps. The August pre-calls are also useful for a strong start.
07
Can I get a refund?
Fees are non-refundable, though in exceptional circumstances we may be able to transfer your place to a future cohort.
Ready to take your seat in the room?
The Hearth takes a maximum of 6 leaders. Places are confirmed through a short application and a conversation with Amina.