The Coaching Approach
Most coaching works on what you do. This works on how you lead.
Genuine leadership change doesn’t come from better tactics. It comes from understanding the energy - the mindset, emotional patterns, and habitual responses — that shape every decision, conversation, and relationship you have at work.
That's the foundation of how we coach at Climb Up.
Most leadership development focuses on the external: the decisions you make, the processes you follow, the skills you demonstrate. That work matters. But it misses something fundamental.
The way you show up as a leader - especially under pressure, during change, in the moments that count most — is shaped by something deeper than skill. It's shaped by your mindset, your emotional patterns, the energy you bring to situations before you've consciously decided anything.
Leadership isn’t just behavior. It’s the energy behind the behavior
Two leaders can face the identical situation and respond completely differently - not because one has better tactics, but because they're operating from a different internal place. One leads from fear, scarcity, and defensive thinking. The other leads from clarity, accountability, and genuine care for outcomes. Same situation, fundamentally different leadership.
Understanding where your energy sits - and developing the self-awareness to shift it deliberately - is what separates leaders who perform well occasionally from leaders who perform well consistently, including under pressure.
This is the lens through which all coaching at Climb Up operates. It's not a replacement for practical skill-building - it's the foundation that makes skill-building stick.
How the work is structured
Two tools. One integrated approach.
Every coaching engagement at Climb Up draws on two interconnected elements - the coaching methodology and the leadership assessment - to create a picture of how you lead and a clear path for building on it.
01 Coaching Methodology
Energy-based leadership coaching
An approach to coaching that works from the inside out — exploring not just what you're doing but how you're being, especially in the moments that matter most. It operates through a framework of seven distinct energy levels that describes the full spectrum of how leaders show up, from reactive and draining to deeply intentional and empowering.
The focus is on building lasting self-awareness — not quick performance fixes — so that the changes in how you lead are grounded, sustainable, and genuinely yours.
What this means in practice: Sessions explore the mindset, emotional patterns, and habitual responses that shape your leadership — and develop the awareness and tools to shift them deliberately, in real-world conditions.
02 Assessment Tool
The Energy Leadership™ Index
(ELI)
A research-backed attitudinal assessment that measures how you currently show up - both in everyday situations and under stress. Unlike personality tests that label you as a type, the ELI measures patterns of thinking and responding that can be changed. It gives you a precise, data-informed picture of your leadership energy as it actually is, not as you'd like it to be.
The ELI is included in every individual coaching engagement at Climb Up, and is available as a standalone assessment with a full debrief session.
What makes it valuable: The ELI shows your energy at two points - your baseline (normal conditions) and under stress. That gap is often the most revealing data a leader receives about themselves.
Most assessments tell you who you are.
The ELI tells you how you are.
That distinction matters more than it might seem. Knowing you're an introvert or a "driver" or a "blue" personality type tells you something about your tendencies. It doesn't tell you much about how you're actually showing up in the situations where your leadership is most tested.
The Energy Leadership Index measures your attitudinal tendencies - the patterns of thinking and responding that you've developed over time, that shape how you lead without you necessarily being aware of them. Because those patterns are learned, they can also be shifted. That's what makes the ELI a coaching tool rather than just a personality profile.
The assessment is completed online and takes approximately 20 minutes. The debrief is a 90-minute 1:1 session where we walk through your results in detail - what they mean, where they're serving you well, and where they may be costing you more than you realize.
1 - Complete the online assessment
A 20-minute attitudinal questionnaire completed at your own pace. No right answers - just honest responses.
2 - Receive your personalized results report
A detailed breakdown of your energy levels across both normal conditions and under stress - with specific patterns identified.
3 - 90-minute debrief
A deep, structured conversation about what your results mean in the context of your actual leadership challenges and goals.
4 - Use it as the foundation for coaching
The ELI becomes the starting point for every subsequent coaching conversation - a shared language for patterns, shifts, and progress.
Where this fits
The coaching approach in every engagement.
This isn't a standalone product. It's the methodology that runs through every way of working with Climb Up.
Corporate Programs
& Offsites:
For cohort-based leadership development, the ELI can be deployed across an entire management tier - creating a shared language for leadership energy and capability that makes group coaching significantly more effective
Standalone ELI & Debrief:
Not ready for a full coaching engagement? The ELI assessment and 90-minute debrief is available as a standalone investment. Many clients use it as their first step before deciding on a longer program.
Individual Coaching:
Every individual coaching engagement includes the ELI assessment as the opening module - giving us a precise, data-informed baseline before the coaching conversations begin. The energy framework runs through every subsequent session.
“I worked with Jenni and it was an incredibly valuable experience. She introduced me to the Energy Leadership Index in a way that was clear, practical, and easy to apply to my thinking and decision-making. What stood out most was her ability to ask thought-provoking questions that challenged my thinking, while creating a supportive space to reflect. That made the insights far more meaningful.
Each session focused on clear actions and outcomes, building accountability and momentum. I left every conversation with a stronger sense of direction and practical steps I could apply immediately. I’d highly recommend Jenni to anyone looking for a coach who is insightful, supportive, and results-oriented”
- Kirstie, Founder of KT Training | Coaching Client