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The higher you rise, the fewer places you have to think out loud.
Leadership can be deeply rewarding. It can also be surprisingly isolating.
As responsibilities grow, so do the decisions, the complexity, and the expectations.
And at certain moments, having the right people around you matters even more: when you step into a new role, take on greater responsibility, lead a new team, navigate change, or face a challenge that asks something different of you.
Yet the more senior you become, the fewer spaces exist where you can openly discuss what you’re actually navigating – without performance, without hierarchy, without having to appear like you have all the answers.
You don’t need another course. Or another leadership book.
You need a trusted circle of experienced peers and skilled facilitation – a space to think out loud, gain honest perspective, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
And you get to do that alongside other experienced leaders who are also navigating moments that ask something different of them.
What It’s Like to Be Part of the Circle
The Circle brings together a carefully selected group of experienced women leaders who are ambitious, thoughtful, and ready to share their experience and bring the real challenges they are navigating right now.
The Circle is a confidential space where you don’t have to pretend you have all the answers. A place to think out loud, gain perspective, test ideas, and receive honest feedback from people who understand the pressures, complexities, and responsibilities that come with leadership.
All members sign a confidentiality agreement at the start of the programme. What is shared in the Circle stays in the Circle.
We work with the real leadership, career, organisational, and business challenges members are facing right now. Every conversation becomes a learning opportunity for the entire group – drawing on collective wisdom, lived experience, and facilitation to generate clarity, perspective, and action.
The Four Pillars of the Circle
The Circle combines peer learning with the C³ Method – Clarity, Confidence, and Change – to help members navigate challenges, make better decisions, and show up differently in the moments that matter most.
Perspective:
Fresh thinking from peers who lead at your level – so you see what you can’t yet see alone.
Reflection:
Dedicated space to step back, think strategically, and focus on what matters; not just what’s urgent.
Accountability:
Commitments, buddy partnerships, and support – so progress continues beyond the room.
Action:
Real-world experiments between sessions – so insights become habits, not just good intentions.
How the Circle Works
Six months.
Six leaders.
One session a month.
Ongoing support and growth between sessions.
All Circle sessions are held online via Zoom.
Monthly Circle Sessions
Once a month, you’ll join a facilitated 90-minute Circle session. The exact session day and time will be agreed with participants before the programme begins and kept consistent throughout.
Each session focuses on the real challenges, decisions, and opportunities members are navigating right now – generating fresh perspectives, clarity, and practical next steps through discussion, reflection, and expert facilitation. This is also your dedicated space in the calendar to step back from the day-to-day and focus on what matters most.
Monthly Leadership Support Hour
Between Circle sessions, members have access to a monthly drop-in Support Hour – an informal space to bring a current challenge, seek perspective, or receive coaching without waiting until the next session.
Whether you’re preparing for a difficult conversation, navigating a decision, or simply feeling stuck – guidance is available when you need it most. Participation is entirely optional.
Between Sessions
Leadership growth doesn’t happen during a 90-minute meeting. It happens when you apply what you’ve learned.
Members receive ongoing support between sessions to maintain momentum and turn insights into action, including:
There is power in being asked the right questions and in hearing how other experienced leaders see what you’re navigating.
Why 6 Months?
Because meaningful leadership growth isn’t about collecting more insights. It’s about consistently applying them.
The Circle is designed as a six-month experience to give you time to experiment, implement, reflect, receive support, and create lasting change – in the real context of your real leadership, not in a workshop bubble.
Who This Is For
By the end of the programme:
Typically, members bring 20+ years of professional experience and hold significant responsibility for people, teams, or organisational outcomes.
Founding Cohort
Fall 2026
The True North Leadership Circle is born from a pattern I’ve seen repeatedly. As leaders take on greater responsibility, they often have fewer places where they can openly discuss challenges, test ideas, gain perspective and think through important decisions.
As a founding member, you’ll also secure your place at a special founding investment of €1,800 – 50% of the future programme investment.
Applications close when the cohort is full – limited seats.
Founding Cohort
€1,800
50% of future investment
Fall 2026
Future Programmes
€3,600
Future Cohorts
As a founding member, you’ll also secure your place at a special founding investment of €1,800 – 50% of the future programme investment.
A payment plan is available: 3 monthly payments of €650
What You Receive Before the Circle Begins
Leaders who secure their place before the programme begins will receive immediate access to two resources designed to prepare you for your first session.
Energy Compass Workbook
Discover what gives you energy, what drains it, and what this reveals about how you work and lead at your best. Identify clues to your natural talents, understand where your energy is going, and choose one small experiment to put your insights into practice.
Values Discovery Programme
Identify the values that guide your best decisions and help you lead with clarity and authenticity. Includes a video training, workbook, and reflection exercises. Completing this before your first session means you’ll arrive knowing more clearly who you are, what matters most to you, and how you want to lead.
How to Apply
Because places are limited to six leaders, joining the founding cohort involves a simple application process to ensure the right mix of experience, perspectives, and commitment in the room.
Short Application
A brief form (approximately 5 minutes) so we can understand your role, your current challenges, and what you’re hoping to gain.
Short Conversation
A 20-minute call to explore whether the Circle is the right fit for you – and you for the Circle.
Your Invitation
Selected applicants will receive their invitation to join the founding cohort, with details to confirm their place and secure immediate access to the preparation resources.
About Ilse Noppen
Ilse Noppen is a certified leadership and career fulfilment coach with more than a decade of experience supporting leaders across corporate, non-profit and entrepreneurial environments. She created the True North Leadership Circle in response to a pattern she sees repeatedly in her coaching work: the more responsibility leaders carry, the fewer places they have to think out loud, challenge their thinking, and gain honest perspective from people who understand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please contact me if you have further questions.
All members sign a confidentiality agreement at the start of the programme. What is shared in the Circle stays in the Circle. Circle sessions are not recorded, helping to create a space where members can speak openly.
Potentially, yes. Cohorts are carefully curated to ensure every member feels able to speak openly. If more than one person from the same organisation applies, we will discuss this with those involved before confirming their places.
All Circle sessions are held online via Zoom. You will need a stable internet connection and a private space where you can participate freely.
Yes. The Circle is held online and is open to participants outside Belgium. Sessions take place in the early evening, Central European time.
The value of the Circle comes from the commitment and contribution of every member, so participants are expected to attend at least five of the six monthly Circle sessions. If you know you will be unable to attend, please let me know as early as possible.
To protect confidentiality and encourage open conversation, Circle sessions are not recorded.
In the unlikely event that I am unable to facilitate a scheduled Circle session, it will be rescheduled within two weeks.
Your investment includes six monthly 90-minute facilitated Circle sessions, monthly Leadership Support Hours, between-session peer support and accountability, practical leadership experiments and curated resources, as well as the Energy Compass Workbook and Values Discovery Programme.