Raise resilience and achieve effective outcomes to complex challenges in a fast changing world without stress and conflict. Harness the power of Inner Sustainability, Systems Awareness and Adaptable Leadership for high performance with high wellbeing and happiness.

About Aeona

Dr Sue Mitchell

Aeona is an award-winning leadership development and executive coaching business, founded by Dr Sue Mitchell, that supports individuals, teams and organisations to unlock potential through nurturing resilience, mindset transformation, and effective leadership.

Sue is author of The Authority Guide to Engaging your People, an experienced executive and leadership coach, keynote speaker on resilience and adaptable leadership, facilitator, and a practitioner of Equine Shiatsu. She is a former evolutionary ecologist, marine biologist and expedition leader.

Sue brings a unique perspective to her events and 121 coaching from her diverse work and life experiences. She combines a spirit of adventure with the rigor of scientific thought and the value of mental, emotional and sensory perception.

Sue's speaking events are eligible for CPD Certificates (accredited with the CPD Standards Office, CPDSO). Sue has over 20 years’ experience as a trainer, facilitator, speaker and coach, with a diverse knowledge base supporting her practical approach. Her qualifications include Executive Coaching, Leadership, and profiling in Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i2), Mental Strength (MTQ Plus), Leadership Styles (ILM72) and Positive Intelligence (PQ) amongst others. Her academic qualifications include a PhD in Evolutionary Ecology and Masters in Marine Environmental Protection.

Sue has earned recognition as a Fellow of the PSA UK&I (Professional Speaking Association of UK and Ireland) and was the Regional President for PSA Scotland in 2020.

Sue is the co-founder of the IDG Edinburgh Resilience Hub.

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Sue delivering a Keynote speech on Adaptable Leadership: Navigating Change and Uncertainty

“As a scientist, I was trained to take the person out of everything, to focus on the science and the task to get properly objective results.

Over the years, I’ve come to realise that no matter what discipline or sector you work in, you can only be your best and inspire high performance (for yourself and others) when you put the person into everything. I help you do this through nurturing inner sustainability: a mindset approach to self-leadership and leading others that gives you tools to raise wellbeing, engagement AND performance.”

Professional Speaking Association Professional Member

Sue delivers unique perspective and knowledge drawing on her own experience and established research

I am passionate about raising awareness of the importance of inner development and what I call inner sustainability, to achieve effective outcomes, set and achieve stretching aspirations, and thrive even under challenging conditions and pressures. This inner development, including emotional intelligence and understanding mindset and motivation, is crucial to how effective we can be in any role, and especially when we step up to manage and lead people.

Sustainable leadership starts within, yet inner development is too often neglected. Managers and leaders are hired or promoted in recognition of their professional expertise and it is expected (if indeed, any thought is given to it) that the people management and leadership 'will just happen'. Certainly, this was my own experience, and that of many of my clients. I know that lack of this inner development contributed to considerably higher stress and mistakes that were entirely preventable. I aim to help individuals, teams and organisations to value and invest time and energy in their inner development for more sustainable and effective outcomes along with high wellbeing.

I am passionate about the diversity of thought that is essential for uncovering blindspots, making wiser choices and decisions, and creating an inclusive community where each person is valued as themselves. I care about fairness, equity and equality, which is why much of my work involves supporting women in leadership and in male dominated industries.

I am also passionate about contributing and 'giving back' and I have held wide-ranging voluntary mentoring, committee and board positions. My current contribution project is the IDG Edinburgh Resilience Hub that I co-founded to
(i) raise awareness about the value of inner development as a necessary part of achieving effective outcomes, especially when it may involve systemic change.
(ii) encourage connection, collaboration and inspiration using the IDG framework for raising resilience and wellbeing.

My purpose is helping you, as a person, with your team and in your organisation and communities, to get to where you want to be more easily and sustainably, with clarity, confidence and courage to take action.

My vision is that every person, and especially every leader, is invested with the inner development that enables them to bring people with them, achieve their aspirations and inspire a sustainable future.

What is Inner Sustainability?

Inner sustainability is about ensuring you have the inner capacity, mental models, knowledge and emotional resources that give you clarity, confidence and optimism to persevere and take purposeful action in a rapidly changing world. Inner sustainability helps you to trust in yourself and earn trust from others, to connect and collaborate effectively and to navigate complex situations. The foundation is a positive mindset that helps you to bring out the best of yourself and others.

What is Adaptable leadership?

Adaptable leadership is about having a clear purpose and focus on where you want to be, combined with the confidence to be flexible and adapt to immediate circumstances as required to keep going. It is about always keeping in mind your ultimate destination, with the determination that you will get there in the end no matter what curveballs life throws your way.

At the same time, it is acknowledging your route to reach your destination is not pre-determined and you can change how you go about it, and perhaps change the destination in light of new knowledge you couldn't access previously. It's about: being open to change; adapting to different situations; noticing the opportunities in your challenges; recognising that the solutions to challenges may lie in a different part of the system; being open to listen to different perspectives and embrace diversity of thought; having courage to take calculated risks and make decisions that are best for the team or organisation while maintaining respect for others.

Resonate

Resonating is more than aligning purpose, passion, values, motivation and attitudes. When we are aligned and in harmony can we pull together in the same direction - towards our common purpose. When we resonate we do all that AND create double the energy, enthusiasm and power for action.

Trust

Trust is the invisible glue that makes relationships work - and hence leadership, since leadership happens in relationships between people. Trust is the foundation for strong relationships, a sense of belonging, listening to and valuing diverse perpsectives for effective decision making, learning from mistakes instead of blame, effective collaboration with colleagues and effective leadership.

We nurture trust with our clients as we partner together to deliver success in terms that are relevant to you. In our coaching sessions and other events, we aim to create an environment of trust that encourages open conversations.

We aim to help you nurture trust in yourself, within your team(s) and organisation and earn trust from others.

Contribute

Take action and make things happen for the common purpose and good of the group.

We feel it is important to show up, take part, make things happen and give back to the community.

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Meet our Clients

A few of our amazing Clients

We're proud to work with and support a range of clients, from individuals to organisations ranging from micro-businesses, SMEs, public sector, and multi-national corporations.