Client Case Study: Owning Your Value - The Journey of Becoming an Academic Professor

A brilliant and high-achieving academic at a university was standing at a crossroads in her career. I first met her while delivering a keynote to a cohort of academic staff, and our conversation quickly turned to her ambitions, her achievements, and the next big step she dreamed of taking: Professorship. The university saw her potential and, with our support, funded coaching sessions to help her clarify her vision, amplify her impact, and take bold, strategic steps toward this career-defining milestone. What followed was a transformative journey of clarity, confidence, and personal branding that would change the way she showed up in her academic community — and ultimately, her career.

Challenge

Despite her impressive record, and like many professional women she was faced with competing demands.

• She wasn’t clear on the exact steps to achieve Professorship - despite the framework outlined by her university.

• Her daily workload and personal demands left little space to focus on long-term goals.

• She welcomed additional support to articulate the unique value she contributed to her academic community.

  
  

Coaching Approach

Over the course of our sessions, we worked together to bring clarity and a clear set of next steps to level-up her personal brand ahead of the next application window for professorship positions.

Our approach centred on:

• Clarity: success looked like for her not just in securing the promotion but also after she obtains it.

• Personal Brand: Identifying her 'why' (her unique value, strengths, and contributions) — and learning how to articulate them with authority and the right way.

• Integration: Embedding career progression into her existing responsibilities, rather than adding more to her to-do list.

• Momentum: Developing strategies to show up consistently as the leader she already was.

  
  

Outcome

By the end of our work together, she had:

• A strong sense of clarity and direction.

• A clear personal brand that showcased her value to her academic community.

• The confidence to step into opportunities aligned with her vision - but importantly, a clear framework of when to say no to projects.

  
  

The result? She achieved her long-term goal and was promoted to Professor.

Why This Matters

This case study shows what’s possible when you are given the space, structure, and support to connect with your strengths and own your value.

It’s not just about promotion. It’s about:

• Clarity of purpose

• Confidence in contribution

• A personal brand that makes impact visible

Interested?

Whether through university-funded programmes or individual sessions, this coaching approach helps academics unlock their potential and take their careers to the next level.

📩 Reach out via the contact page >

Discover a way of working smarter: Hi i'm Dr Sam Lynch and I help high-achieving women and their teams unlock their ambitions through personal brand-led career and business coaching. We support women in the professions, in business and in corporate careers.