Hi, I’m Mary Ann
I believe leadership is less about titles, tools, or techniques and more about how we show up in relationship with ourselves and others.
With more than 30 years working with leaders and organisations, I’ve seen time and again that strategy, systems, and structures only take us so far.
What ultimately shapes culture, performance, and the employee experience is human behaviour — especially in everyday moments.
That belief sits at the heart of my work.
I've spent years inside the corporate system
I know your language and I understand the pressures leaders carry:
- the competing demands
- the pace and complexity
- the expectation to deliver results and look after people
- the emotional load that often goes unseen
I’ve also seen what happens when capable, well-intentioned leaders are promoted without the support to develop the self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conversational skill their roles now demand.
This experience has shaped how I work: practical, human-centred, and rooted in the realities of organisational life.
Who You Are is How You Lead
Mary Ann McGowan
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My career has spanned senior roles inside organisations as well as many years working alongside leaders as a leadership development specialist and executive coach.
I’ve worked with organisations across sectors, supporting leaders at different stages of their journey — from newly appointed managers to experienced senior leaders navigating complexity, growth, and change.
Alongside professional experience, my work is informed by a deep respect for the human side of leadership.
I’m interested in what shapes us — our beliefs, habits, emotional patterns, and assumptions — and how these quietly influence how we lead, decide, and relate to others.
I care deeply about dignity, mattering, and the quality of conversation at work. Not as abstract ideas, but as lived experiences that affect how people feel when they come to work each day.
That interest isn’t theoretical. It comes from years of listening to leaders talk honestly about what they find difficult, what they carry silently, and what they want to do better — for their teams and for themselves.
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How this shows up in my work
My approach brings together:
- leadership development grounded in self-awareness and behaviour change
- emotional intelligence as a practical, measurable workplace capability
- coaching as a space for reflection, clarity, and growth
- conversational intelligence as the bridge between insight and impact
I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions.
I work in partnership with organisations and leaders, shaping programmes and conversations around their context, culture, and challenges.
At the centre of everything I do is one simple idea:
Who we are shapes how we lead and how we lead shapes the experience of work for others.
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Why this work matters now
Leadership today is happening in a world of increasing pace, pressure, and technological acceleration.
As AI and automation reshape how work is done, the uniquely human aspects of leadership — judgment, emotional awareness, presence, and relationship — matter more, not less.
My work supports leaders and organisations to strengthen those human capabilities, so they can meet the future with clarity, steadiness, and care.
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