You’re good at what you do. You know it. So why doesn’t it always feel that way?

You’ve reached a level in your career that others would consider a success. You lead people, influence decisions, and carry real responsibility. And yet — there’s a version of you that still holds back in the room. That doubts the preparation you’ve put in. That watches others take up space with apparent ease, then wonders why imposter syndrome is louder than your own track record.

Or perhaps you’re at an inflection point — ready to make the move from Director to Executive, or to step into a level of leadership that feels just slightly out of reach. Not because the capability isn’t there. But because visibility, confidence, and navigating a system that wasn’t designed for you are getting in the way.

Or perhaps you lead organisations, and you’re watching talented people — brilliant, capable, overlooked — who aren’t thriving the way they should. Not because they lack ability, but because the culture doesn’t make them feel like they belong.

This is the work I do.

Who I am

I’m Carol Stewart — Coaching Psychologist, Executive Coach, and founder of Abounding Solutions.

I work with senior women, introverted leaders, leaders from underrepresented groups, and the organisations that want to get serious about creating cultures where people don’t just perform — they belong.

I didn’t arrive here by accident.

I spent 28 years in employment before founding Abounding Solutions, moving from the most junior position in my organisation to Senior Manager — as an introvert, as a Black woman, and as a single parent. I know what it costs to lead when the environment wasn’t designed with you in mind. The energy it takes to constantly calibrate how much of yourself to bring. And I know what changes when someone finally says: the way you lead isn’t the problem. It’s a strength.

That shift is what brought me to coaching.

My Work

My practice is built on coaching psychology, MSc-level research, and over a decade of work with leaders across some of the UK’s most recognised organisations — including Barclays, NatWest Group, NHS England, the Crown Prosecution Service, ICAEW, and Warner Music Group.

My MSc research — conducted using in-depth qualitative methodology — explored how introverted women leaders experience belonging and psychological safety at senior levels. What I found confirmed what my clients had been telling me for years: the barriers aren’t usually about capability. They’re about environment, visibility, and the weight of navigating spaces that weren’t designed with you in mind.

That research, combined with data from over 1,800 introverted women leaders, underpins everything I do.

For individual leaders, this means coaching that addresses what’s actually getting in the way — self-doubt, imposter syndrome, confidence under pressure, visibility at senior level, and the particular identity shift that comes with moving from Director to Executive. Not generic development. Work that goes to the root.

For organisations, as well as coaching for senior women, introverted leaders, and leaders from underrepresented groups, I offer keynotes, workshops, and webinars that work as standalone interventions or as part of a broader leadership development programme — depending on where you are and what your people need. Whether that’s a single session to shift a conversation, or ongoing work to build a culture where everyone leads well, we can shape something that fits. I work with leaders at all levels, from emerging talent through to the executive team.

For events and conferences, I bring a perspective that is research-led and distinctive. I speak from research and from the inside — not as an observer of these experiences, but as someone who has lived them. I speak on introverted leadership, belonging, psychological safety, and what it means to lead well when the system wasn’t built for you.

What Clients Achieve

Working with me, clients have:

• Secured C-suite appointments
• Moved from Director to Executive level
• Built the visibility and influence to be considered for roles they’d previously talked themselves out of
• Led through significant organisational change with greater confidence and steadiness
• Dismantled imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and the habits of self-diminishment that were holding them back
• Developed executive presence — without abandoning who they are

Recognition

• Diversity Power List 2024
• LinkedIn Top Voice (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 — Gender Equity; LinkedIn Blue Badge 2023)
• Northern Power Women Power List 2023
• Inspirational Woman Award, Wise Women Awards 2023
• We Are The City Rising Star Champion 2018
• Britain’s Top 50 Business Advisers, Enterprise Nation 2015
• Column contributor, Sheffield Telegraph
• Author, Quietly Visible: Leading with Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman
• Host, the Quietly Visible Podcast

Qualifications and Professional Membership

• MSc Coaching Psychology | MSc Psychology — University of East London
• PG Diploma Management Studies | Certificate in Neuroscience for Coaches and Consultants
• Member, Association for Coaching
• Fellow, Institute for Leadership and Management
• Graduate Member, British Psychological Society