About Melanie White
Executive coach. Performance strategist. Recovering high-achiever.
I’m Melanie White – an executive coach and performance strategist. I help high-performing women lead what’s next – without losing themselves to get there.
I’ve spent 30+ years working with leaders and businesses. I co-founded and helped scale an environmental consulting firm to $10M+ revenue before it was acquired by a global engineering group. I burned out. Twice. And what I learned reshaped my work entirely.
The first time
In 2007, I was the GM of a fast-growing consulting firm. The work was demanding, the team was growing, and I kept asking myself the same question: why does everything feel harder than it used to?
I left. I retrained. I moved into personal training, women’s health coaching, and business mentoring – work I genuinely loved. And eight years later, I burned out again.
The second time
The 2015 burnout was the one that stopped me properly. I’d been giving everything to my work – my clients, my business, my mission – and almost nothing to myself. The pattern that had broken me at 37 had sneakily rebuilt itself by 45, just wearing different clothes.
That wake-up call changed everything. I finally learned that emotional and physical wellbeing are the foundation of professional performance. And I saw that the leaders who last aren’t the ones with the most stamina. They’re the ones who’ve learned to lead themselves first.
What I do now
Sustainable performance isn’t about working harder, optimising more, or grinding through. It’s about clarity, alignment, and the courage to challenge what isn’t working — including in yourself.
Today I work with three kinds of clients:
- Senior women and executives ready to lead with more clarity and confidence – through career growth, midlife transitions, or recovery from burnout.
- Founders and SME leaders who need a strategic thinking partner – someone who’s built and scaled a business and can help cut through complexity.
- Organisations building cultures where women in leadership are recognised, supported, and retained – delivered through Sage Womens Health, the consultancy I co-founded and lead.
In a coaching session, I bring empathy, calm, and unconditional positive regard. I listen deeply, ask questions that gently challenge outdated thinking, and help you see patterns you can’t see from the inside. My work is facilitating self-discovery and self-recognition – so you come home to who you’re meant to be, and lead from there.
I’m guided by three principles: Contribute. Challenge. Simplify.
