Upcoming live event on March 25th with Jess Eddy from Google!
How designers can build strategic influence at work
Coming Fall 2026
Strategic Design Leadership Coaching
Cohort program for senior designers ready to build the strategic influence and executive presence that drives career advancement
9 months
Small group
Group & 1:1 coaching
Who this coaching program is for
Designed for senior designers navigating strategic growth
01
Senior designers at mid-stage or high-growth companies
You are carrying significant responsibility and ready to increase your strategic influence, not just craft excellence
02
Designers on the cusp of Staff/Lead promotion
You are ready to operate at a higher level and need guidance on strategic influence and business impact
03
Design managers building leadership capabilities
You are ready to shape product direction and organizational design maturity.
The 9-month transformation
What You'll Achieve
Translate Design into Business Impact
Stop defending design with aesthetics. Learn to articulate your work in terms executives care about—revenue, retention, strategic differentiation—and connect every decision to company KPIs.
Build Stakeholder Influence & Executive Relationships
Understand cross-functional motivations, build coalitions, and cultivate executive sponsors. Navigate organizational politics and socialize ideas before formal meetings to secure buy-in.
Communicate with Executive Presence
Present with authority, craft compelling stories around your work, and handle high-stakes meetings without hesitation. Develop your 30-second, 2-minute, and 10-minute versions of any project.
Position Yourself for Career Advancement
Initiate strategic conversations at high organizational levels, mentor others on influence, and shape how design functions within your organization—becoming the designer executives seek out for strategic input.
Through my mentorship journey, Femke assisted me with unpacking various topics. We dived into subjects like effective processes, personal development ideas and expectations to consider as my team expands.
Sarah
Product Designer
Program format
How we'll work together
Weekly group coaching
Small-group coaching through strategic leadership themes. We workshop your real presentations, stakeholder challenges, and career moves—active problem-solving, not lectures.
1:1 sessions with Femke
Private 45-minute monthly coaching on your specific challenges, career strategy, and advancement goals. Get personalized guidance tailored to your situation and company context.
Guest leader sessions
Connect with design leaders at top companies. They share tactical playbooks on executive influence, organizational politics, and strategic positioning.
Self-paced materials
that you keep forever
Access frameworks, templates, and resources on your schedule. Implement what you're learning immediately in your day-to-day work. You keep lifetime access after graduation.
Cohort mentorship model
Join a cohort that overlaps with the graduating group for 3 months. Learn from designers actively completing their transformation—see real progress, not just testimonials.
Private community access
Connect with your cohort of 15 designers. Share challenges, practice presentations, and get support from peers navigating similar career growth.
36 group coaching sessions
9 private 1:1 sessions with Femke
9 guest leader sessions
Framework and template toolkit
Lifetime access to program materials
9 months of cohort community access
Enrolment steps
Get coaching program access in 3 steps
Step 1
Book a 15 min fit call
You need 5+ years of experience to get accepted. If you don't have them yet — sign up for a waitlist to be notified about future coaching intakes.
Step 2
Share your goals and challenges
Share with our team your goals and challenges
Step 3
Wait for the invite
Get your invite, secure your spot and get ready to join the next cohort
Meet you coach, Femke
Design lead, educator, and mentor — I've spent my career building products and helping designers develop the strategic skills that drive real career advancement.
What I've learned: the designers who advance fastest aren't always the most talented. They're the ones who pair craft with strategic thinking, business fluency, and the ability to build influence across an organization.
Designed at these companies
