Pilot programme | 2026
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Between Worlds
A group coaching programme for academics navigating the transition out of (or within) an academic life. Six sessions. A small cohort. Space to think, without the pressure to have the answers yet.
“A truly kind, soulful coach and companion to exploring what the future may look like. I would wholeheartedly recommend Chloe.”
Who this is for
Maybe you're questioning whether to stay. Maybe you've already left, but haven't yet found your footing. Maybe you've moved country for your research and feel like you're performing a version of yourself that doesn't quite fit.
Whatever your particular version of this, you're not lost — you're in transition.
You've invested years in academia. And something has shifted.
— You feel a pull in multiple directions and can't seem to choose
— You know what your CV says about you, but not what you actually want
— Leaving feels like failure, even though staying feels impossible
— You've adapted to a new culture, professionally, linguistically, but something still feels off
— You're exhausted by performing competence and longing for a space to think honestly
—You don't need someone to tell you what to do. You need help hearing yourself again
What to expect
“I would absolutely send anyone to Chloë who is at a crossroads, feels stuck in ingrained ways of thinking, or knows they need space to pause and reflect but isn’t sure how to do that on their own.”
— Maxine, CEO, charity sector
This is not
✘ Career advice or job-search strategy
✘ A list of transferable skills to add to your CV
✘ Motivational content or productivity frameworks
✘ A course that tells you what to do next
✘ Therapy — though it may feel adjacent to it at times
This is
✔ A space to think, slowly and honestly
✔ Guided inquiry into the assumptions keeping you stuck
✔ A small group of people in similar territory — resourceful, reflective companions
✔ Questions that surface what you actually know but haven't said out loud
✔ Coaching in its truest sense: helping you think, not telling you what to think
The Journey
Three phases. Six sessions. One cohort.
I
WEEKS 1 — 2
Unhooking
Who did academia ask you to be? What did it give you? And what did it cost? We begin by naming the identity that's been built, and the grief that comes with questioning it. Without pathologising it.
I I
WEEKS 3 — 4
The Messy Middle
Sitting with uncertainty, productively. Unpicking the ‘I've invested too much to leave’ paralysis. Reconnecting with what actually matters to you, beneath the layers of 'should'.
I I I
WEEKS 4 — 6
Re-authoring
Beginning to build a new narrative — not a ‘pivot’ story for LinkedIn, but a genuine sense of direction. Identifying next steps from a grounded place, with self-trust and dignity intact.
Session by session
Six live group conversations
Each approximately 90 minutes, held online
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Who did academia ask you to be? What did you gain from that identity? And what did it quietly cost you?
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Naming the losses — of identity, community, purpose, status — without shame and without drama.
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Unpicking the ‘but I've invested so much’ paralysis. Why the past doesn't have to determine what comes next.
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What do you actually care about, beneath the pressure to be a certain kind of professional? Separating yours values from those of others.
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Not a competency audit. An imaginative look at what you know how to do and how that might be valuable in today’s world.
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Emerging with a story you feel comfortable telling. A sense of direction. And, perhaps, a little more self-trust and dignity than when you arrived.
Format & Investment
The Group Programme
— 6 live sessions over 6 weeks
— Small cohort - maximum 6 participants
— Online via Google Meet
— A private space for reflection between sessions
— Led by Chloë FitzGerald PhD, ICF-trained coach
Optional 1:1 Add-on
— One individual coaching session with Chloë
— 60 minutes, held at any point during the programme
— For things that feel too personal for the group
— Or simply to go deeper on what's surfacing for you
— Available to all participants at the pilot rate of €75 (usually €150)
Full programme value
€600
→
Pilot price
€120
This is a founding cohort. In exchange for a significantly reduced investment, I'll ask for honest feedback and, if the programme serves you, a short testimonial.
Why me
I’ve been exactly where you are
Following a PhD in philosophy and a decade in academic research, I made my own exit. No roadmap. No one who truly understood the particular texture of that loss. Just years of sitting with the uncertainty until, slowly, something shifted.
My research into implicit bias — how we think without knowing it, how identity shapes decision — turned out to be exactly the right preparation for this work. I'm not here to give you answers. I'm here to help you hear your own.
I'm ICF-trained with Barefoot Coaching Ltd.
Six places. One starting cohort.
If this feels like the right moment, I'd love to hear from you.
Start with a free 30-minute exploratory call — no commitment, no pressure.