INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
A group coaching experience for public-sector leaders who want to lead with clarity, intention, and purpose.
A committed space where leaders deepen their self-awareness, strengthen their mindset, and become more emotionally agile, together.
Perfect if you’re unsure whether this is the right next step for you now.
Space to think. Confidence to act.
You’re a thoughtful, capable leader navigating a complex, ever-changing environment where demands are constant and support is limited. You’re managing people, making decisions, and moving priorities forward in a system that rarely slows down, all while striving to stay grounded, intentional and effective.
You’re guiding a team with different personalities, needs, and levels of readiness. You’re supporting people through change, addressing resistance or underperformance, and trying to build trust while balancing organizational pressures.
You want to lead with clarity and intention, but the pace of public-sector work, competing priorities, shifting direction, frequent interruptions, and emotional load, can drain your energy and make it harder to stay grounded.
You need a space to think, connect and grow with peers who understand your world, so that you can lead with clarity, confidence and purpose. A space where you can build self-awareness, strengthen your mindset, and develop the emotional agility needed to lead effectively in moments of pressure.
If this resonates, you’re exactly who the Intentional Leadership Circle was designed for.
Is This What Leading Feels Like Right Now?
You’re overthinking, second-guessing, and hesitating on tough decisions.
Difficult conversations and conflict drain your energy and stay with you long after they’re over.
Constant demands, shifting priorities, and nonstop interruptions pull you away from what matters most.
Following through consistently is challenging, and setting or holding boundaries feels uncomfortable.
Communicating clearly in all directions, up, across, and down, requires significant emotional energy, and you’re not sure you are being effective.
Your attention is impacted, and your ability to focus on what is important is affected.
Aligning your team to deliver results is inconsistent, shared ownership often feels unattainable.
Team dynamics, resistance to change, or unclear expectations slow progress and make trust and collaboration harder to build.
Organizational pressures, competing priorities, and limited resources make it difficult to create the culture you want.
You can feel the gap between the leader you are today and the leader you know you can become, and you need a sustainable system to get there.
If this feels familiar, you’re exactly where many leaders find themselves:
at the point where the challenges you’re facing can’t be solved by another training course, they require a new way of thinking, a deeper level of self-awareness, and the kind of intentional growth that transforms how you lead from the inside out.
Perfect if you’re unsure whether this is the right next step for you now.
Why This Approach Is Different
Most leadership programs teach skills. This one develops you, the person behind the skills.
What makes this approach different is the integration of two powerful elements:
Leader identity development and ICF-credentialed group coaching.
Together, they create the kind of deep, sustainable change that traditional training cannot accomplish.
We Focus on Leader Identity Development, the Foundation of Real Change
Skills only work when the mindset behind them evolves.
The Intentional Leadership Circle goes beneath surface-level behaviours to help you understand and reshape the beliefs, assumptions, and mental models that drive how you show up, especially in moments of pressure, conflict, or uncertainty.
This is the work that strengthens your leader identity:
the confidence you lead from
the clarity you make decisions with
the way you communicate, influence, and respond
the presence people feel
the boundaries you hold
ongoing support and resources
When you are clear on your identity as a leader, everything becomes easier.
Communication. Decision-making. Conflict. Accountability. Resilience. Follow-through.
It all starts with who you believe yourself to be.
This program gives you the tools, rooted in neuroscience, mindfulness, and reflective practice, to make that shift.
And it gives you something just as important:
a space to step away from constant doing and reconnect with what matters.
Workplaces rarely offer this time, but leadership depends on it.
The Core of This Program Is Group Coaching, Led by an ICF-Credentialed Coach
While there will be targeted teaching, the heart of this program is group coaching.
Group coaching creates something no classroom, webinar, or even one-on-one coaching can replicate:
A safe, intentional space where leaders learn, reflect, and grow together.
Group coaching brings together a group of individuals who are working towards their own goals and share an interest, challenge or are in similar stages of their lives. The group coach creates a safe and brave environment in which all group members can evolve, helps them define individual objectives, harnesses collective wisdom and guides the process with the ultimate goal of having each participant reach their identified growth objectives. The coach also encourages peer coaching to allow members to get curious with each other and develop their coaching skills.
In these sessions, you benefit from:
Guided coaching in real time, facilitated by an ICF-credentialed coach
Peer coaching that builds empathy, listening, trust, and shared accountability
Collective wisdom drawn from leaders who understand public-sector realities
Deep connection that reduces isolation and strengthens confidence
Real-world insights grounded in your day-to-day leadership
Meaningful accountability that supports consistent progress
This is not passive learning.
This is active transformation, shaped by your lived reality and supported by the community around you.
We grow best in connection, to ourselves, to each other, and to new ideas.
Group coaching is where that connection accelerates growth.
Why Group Coaching Matters Now
We are living in a time where fewer than one in five employees worldwide are fully engaged. Leaders are exhausted. Psychological safety is low. Teams feel disconnected. Technology is accelerating faster than our capacity to adapt. And no one has time to think.
Leaders spend almost all their time doing. Very few have access to the kind of protected space required to reflect, make sense of their experiences, and re-anchor to what matters.
The Intentional Leadership Circle gives you that space. A protected hour each week to pause, to step out of motion and into clarity. It is a human strategy in a world that feels increasingly overwhelming.
No AI tool can replace what happens when a group of humans come together intentionally to share, think, reflect, and grow.
Research shows group coaching builds:
psychological safety
belonging
trust
collaboration
collective intelligence
confidence
resilience
These are the human capabilities AI cannot replicate, and the very ones leaders need most.
What We Explore Together
Each group brings its own needs, real-time challenges, and collective wisdom, so the themes we work through evolve organically. What stays consistent is the structure: coaching, in-between sessions reflection, teaching and tools that help you grow as a leader.
Here is a sample of topics we will likely explore:
Clarity, confidence, and grounded decision-making
Communication that builds alignment, trust, and shared ownership
Navigating conflict and difficult conversations with emotional agility
Balancing support and accountability in a complex workplace environment
Strengthening resilience and leading through uncertainty
Understanding your leadership identity and staying aligned with it
Connecting daily actions to your team’s culture and strategic priorities
Every theme comes directly from what the group brings, ensuring the work is relevant, timely, and deeply supportive.
What Will Change as You Grow in This Space
The Intentional Leadership Circle helps you close the gap between the leader you are today and the leader you know you’re capable of becoming, more confident, clear, steady, and effective in how you think, communicate, and lead.
Through weekly protected space, reflective practice, and real-time coaching, you’ll sharpen your decision-making, strengthen your boundaries, navigate conflict with more ease, and show up with the presence and clarity your role demands.
Alongside peers who understand your world, you’ll build the confidence, resilience, and leadership identity that make your growth not just possible, but sustainable.
You decide how long you stay, and you’ll know when you’ve gained what you came here for.
How the Intentional Leadership Circle Works
Small group.
This is an ongoing, high-support coaching container designed to meet you where you are and grow with you over time.
There is no minimum commitment; you stay for as long as the space serves you and supports the leader you’re becoming.
Group Coaching (3 sessions per month):
This is the heart of the program. Each one-hour session gives you the space to step out of constant doing and into intentional reflection, guided coaching, and meaningful peer connection. You’ll explore real challenges, clarify your leader identity, and apply new perspectives to your day-to-day leadership.
It is the kind of protected thinking space most workplaces simply do not provide, and leaders desperately need.
Monthly Masterclass
Your educational pillar, teaching grounded in neuroscience, leadership research, emotional agility, behavioural science, and mindfulness.
Personalized Coaching Support
You’ll begin with a private coaching session to clarify where you’re starting, what you want to strengthen, and the identity shifts that matter most for you. When you’re ready to complete your time in the program, you’ll end with another private session to integrate your growth, reflect on who you’ve become, and design a continuity plan you can carry forward with confidence.
In addition to the group experience, the first 8 leaders who join will also receive one private 1-on-1 coaching session each month. This gives you dedicated space to go deeper, work through specific challenges, and receive personalized support alongside the collective learning in the program. This enhanced level of access is reserved for early members and may not be available once the Intentional Leadership Circle reaches capacity.
Your Non-Negotiables
Early in the program, we’ll identify the few intentional actions that will truly move the needle for you. These simple, steady practices keep you aligned, grounded, and growing between sessions.
Email Support Between Sessions
You’ll have access to email support for questions, reflection, accountability, and guidance as you integrate insights into your day-to-day leadership.
Coaching Tools, Reflections, and Resources
You’ll receive tools, guided reflections, and practices designed to help you deepen your self-awareness, strengthen your leader identity, and apply your learning in meaningful ways.
Stay as Long as the Program Serves You
There is no fixed end point — growth unfolds at your pace. You remain in the program for as long as you’re gaining clarity, confidence, and meaningful progress toward the leader you want to be.
By the Time You Leave This Program, You Will Have…
Moved from operating in constant motion, rushing, reacting, and trying to keep up, to leading with greater clarity, steadiness, and intention. You’ll know how to pause, choose what truly matters, and move forward with purpose instead of pressure.
You’ll have strengthened your leader identity, understanding how your self-image, patterns of thinking, and emotional responses shape your results. This deeper self-awareness will help you communicate clearly, set healthier boundaries, navigate conflict with more ease, and make confident decisions even in complex situations.
You’ll have the mindset, habits, and simple structures that support consistent, grounded action, helping you stay focused on your priorities without sacrificing your energy or well-being.
You will also walk away with:
A clearer sense of who you are as a leader, and the identity shifts that have allowed you to show up with more confidence and authenticity.
Intentional practices and non-negotiables that keep you aligned, centered, and moving forward, even during busy or challenging seasons.
A personalized continuity plan, developed in your final 1-on-1 coaching session, so you can sustain your growth long after you choose to leave the program.
A set of practical tools, reflections, and frameworks you can continue using for yourself and your team, supporting intentional conversations, decision-making, and development in everyday leadership.
A deeper sense of connection and belonging, having learned and grown alongside other leaders who share your values, challenges, and commitment to leading with purpose.
You decide when this feels complete for you, and you’ll know when you’ve experienced the growth, confidence, and clarity you came here for. And you’ll leave with the confidence that comes from knowing you were never doing this alone, you grew in community, supported by peers, through coaching practices, in a space that was intentionally designed to help you think, reflect, and lead with clarity.
What Clients Are Saying
Group coaching with Simona has been such a valuable experience for me. It’s given me a supportive space to work through challenges, reflect on different perspectives, and learn from others in a way that feels practical and real. I’ve especially appreciated the focus on understanding the reasons behind behaviours. It’s helped me approach tough conversations with more empathy and intention. It has also made me feel more confident in my leadership and better equipped me to create a transparent, collaborative environment.
Mary O’Connor, Branch Supervisor, Guelph Public Library
Participating in group coaching has been a grounding and empowering experience. It gave me not only tools and strategies, but also the space to reflect and learn from others who were facing similar leadership challenges. Unlike traditional training, the group format created a sense of community and support. I didn’t feel like I had to figure things out alone. This experience helped me model openness, reflection, and growth for my own team. I’ve brought the same spirit of shared learning into how I lead, and it’s making a difference in how we connect and work together.
Catherine Arthurs
Group coaching was a completely different approach to leadership development than I had experienced before. It offered a chance to connect with others who had a similar goal of increasing their leadership capacity, while also offering a different perspective from those in other organizations and professions. I went into group coaching to further my own confidence in my leadership practice and learning that others were challenged by similar experiences helped to provide a starting point for discussion. Conversations were organic and empowered the group to ask questions, challenge beliefs, and explore situations from a fresh perspective. The group format kept me accountable and provided me with some practical tools to test out outside of the sessions. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to reflect and grow their own leadership capacity.
Jaclyn Derlatka, Manager, Collections and Digital Experience, Pickering Public Library
Why I created the Intentional Leadership Circle
I created the Intentional Leadership Circle because public-sector leaders are constantly doing, serving communities, supporting teams, navigating expectations, yet rarely given the space to think, reflect, or grow intentionally. Workplaces offer endless meetings, but almost no dedicated time to cultivate who you are becoming as a leader.
After running this program in seven different iterations with leaders across various public service areas, I’ve seen how deeply leaders need a space where they can step away from the noise, make sense of their experiences, and not feel so alone in the challenges they carry. This kind of space simply doesn’t exist inside most organizations, so I built one.
Why This Program Reflects the Heart of Connect to Grow:
We grow best in connection.
Connection to each other.
Connection to what matters.
Connection to ourselves.
Connection to new ideas.
That is the philosophy behind Connect to Grow, and it’s the foundation of this program.
This space gives leaders exactly what workplaces don’t provide, a safe environment to think, inside a community designed for reflection, insight, and intentional action.
My mission is to grow the number of public service leaders who lead with intention and live in alignment with their values, creating workplaces and communities where everyone thrives.
The Intentional Leadership Circle is the space where that mission comes to life.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Investment & How To Join
The Intentional Leadership Circle is designed to be accessible to both self-funded leaders and those whose organizations support their development.
Early Member Pricing:
$87 per month + tax
This rate is reserved for the first 8 leaders who join. Once the Circle reaches capacity, the monthly investment will increase for future members.
There is no minimum commitment, you can stay for as long as the space supports your growth, and you are welcome to leave whenever you feel complete.
No one is turned away for financial reasons if this program is the right fit.
If you want to participate but the investment is a barrier, book a call and we will find an approach that makes participation possible.
If your employer is covering the cost, I’m happy to provide documentation to support your request for professional development funding.
Two Ways to Join
If you’re confident this is the right step for you, complete the application form, and I will contact you personally to confirm that the Intentional Leadership Circle is the best fit for your goals and leadership stage. Because this is a highly curated group, applying does not automatically guarantee enrollment.
Begin Your Intentional Leadership Journey
I’m Simona Dinu, a Certified Executive Coach with two decades of leadership experience in public service. I help public service leaders gain clarity and take aligned action by focusing on three foundational elements: self-awareness, mindset, and emotional agility. Together, we build simple systems that create sustainable results and help you lead with intention, confidence, and purpose.
If you’re ready for a space where you can think differently, grow intentionally, and be supported by a community that understands the realities of public-sector leadership, the Intentional Leadership Circle is your next step.
Step into the kind of leadership that feels aligned, grounded, and sustainable.
There are two ways to get started:
If you’re confident this is the right step for you, complete the application form, and I will contact you personally to confirm that the Intentional Leadership Circle is the best fit for your goals and leadership stage. Because this is a highly curated group, applying does not automatically guarantee enrollment.