Mary Vaz, strategic transition coach for senior executive leaders, sitting on a beige sofa with a green pillow, wearing a black top and a teal blazer, inside a room with large windows and a potted plant.
Mary Vaz, strategic transition coach for senior executive leaders, sitting on a beige sofa with a green pillow, wearing a black top and a teal blazer, inside a room with large windows and a potted plant.
Mary Vaz, strategic transition coach for senior executive leaders, sitting on a beige sofa with a green pillow, wearing a black top and a teal blazer, inside a room with large windows and a potted plant.

Design your next chapter with intention, without the exhaustion

Strategic transition coaching for senior executives who are succeeding — and quietly wondering whether this chapter is still the right one

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Design your next chapter with intention, without the exhaustion

Strategic transition coaching for senior executives who are succeeding, and quietly wondering whether this chapter is still the right one

IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR

You may be successful, but still quietly questioning what comes next.

You may not be in crisis. You may still be performing well. But something in you knows this chapter may no longer fit the way it once did.

Strategically isolated

Too much is at stake to ask the question out loud. Your colleagues, your board, your team — none of them can hold this with you.

Externally successful

People say "what's your problem?" and you shut down. The expectation that success means contentment leaves no room for the question you're carrying.

Quietly running out of runway

Every year you wait narrows your options. The move that would take six months from a position of strength takes three years from depletion.

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF COACH

You deserve more than reassurance.
You deserve a thinking partner.

I believe senior leaders deserve a confidential space to think clearly about what comes next. Not as a crisis, a wobble, or a wellness problem, but as a strategic transition that deserves the same level of care as any major organisational decision.

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HOW I CAN HELP YOU

Support to meet you where you’re at

Whether you need a focused conversation to untangle one decision, or a deeper engagement to design your next chapter with care, my work offers a confidential space to think clearly, honestly, and strategically.

Mary Vaz, career transition coach and HR leader, sitting at a desk with a computer monitor, having a call with her client, surrounded by office supplies and a potted plant.

THE SIGNATURE OFFER

The Strategic Transition Intensive

For senior leaders who are succeeding in their current role but quietly questioning whether this chapter is still theirs.

This is a high-touch 1:1 coaching engagement where we hold both parts of the transition together: the practical reality of timing, succession, optics, relationships, and leverage, alongside the deeper question of who you want to become in your next chapter.

LEARN ABOUT THE INTENSIVE
A smiling female senior executive with gray hair looking at a computer screen in an office setting.

ONE-OFF SESSION

Executive Sounding Board Session

For senior professionals, leaders, founders, and decision-makers who need a protected space to process a decision, tension, or situation.

This is a 45-minute, confidential one-off session for the conversation you keep postponing, the issue you cannot safely discuss internally, or the question that has been taking up too much space in your head.

AUD 199

LEARN ABOUT THE SESSION

WHAT IS POSSIBLE

A considered transition changes more than your next role

  • Clarify the chapter that genuinely fits

    Too much is at stake to ask the question out loud. Your colleagues, your board, your team — none of them can hold this with you.

  • Protect what you have built

    Your reputation, relationships, and leverage matter. Together, we consider how to move in a way that preserves goodwill and keeps your options open.

  • Move with ownership

    This work helps you reconnect with your own sense of direction, so the next step feels deliberately chosen by you, not simply shaped by expectation, timing, or external pressure.

START A CONVERSATION
Mary Vaz, career transition coach for senior leaders, smiling, standing by a window, holding a blue mug, next to a potted plant in her office in Melbourne, Australia.

WHY WORK WITH ME

Meet Mary Vaz, your thinking partner for strategic transition

Certified Coach | MBA, AGSM | AHRI-certified HR Professional | 30 years in senior HR leadership

I’m Mary Vaz, a certified coach and senior HR professional with over three decades of experience across Australia and Southeast Asia.

I have sat inside the rooms where leadership, succession, and transition decisions are shaped. I understand both the visible and invisible dynamics senior leaders navigate when they are considering what comes next.

My work brings together executive insight, coaching depth, and a calm, confidential space for leaders to explore the questions they cannot easily ask elsewhere.

I help clients move from external definitions of success towards a professional life designed from the inside out.

Learn more about me

CLIENT REFLECTIONS

The difference a thinking partner can make

  • Choosing Mary as my coach was a game-changer!

    “During the pandemic years, my usual strategies were not serving me. Mary met me where I was and acknowledged my experiences without judgment. She helped me clarify what was important to me. With clarity came peace. Her patience, empathy, and compassion opened my mind to new possibilities.

    Today, I enthusiastically run my HR consulting practice, attracting dream clients, and loving life.”

    Miranda McMahon
    Founder and Principal
    Strategic Canberra-based HR Consultants

  • Mary helped me realise I had so much to offer

    “Before coaching, I was fixated on what makes a career woman successful and put myself under pressure to become that identity. Mary created the space for me to be honest with myself about the identity I wanted to become, the network I value, and the type of work that brings me fulfilment.

    One year on, I have found my happy place in the world of work, securing work on my terms, with people who share my values and for an organisation I am proud of.”

    May
    Australia

  • Deep clarity, a sense of empowerment, and strength

    “I entered coaching with Mary not knowing what to expect. Her coaching allowed me to find answers within myself and map out a roadmap towards a more fulfilling future. Sessions with Mary give me faith that I will come out with deep clarity, a sense of empowerment, and strength.

    I feel more excited and confident about the future than I did three months ago.”

    A. M
    Manager in the Renewal Energy Sector

  • A calm presence that lets you safely explore the confronting and challenging.

    “Mary has a calm nature as she guides you through her coaching sessions, which allows you to safely explore topics that can be confronting and challenging to face. She works with you to develop actions that are achievable and targeted to your specific circumstances.

    My sessions have been insightful and enjoyable, leaving me feeling empowered and confident to further develop my leadership impact and influence.”

    Gina Campbell
    Higher Education Sector

A smartphone screen displaying an article titled "Burn Bright Not Out" with the subtitle "Don't Outsource Your Stability" by Mary Vaz, dated May 26, 2026. The article contains multiple paragraphs discussing workplace stability, workload, and systemic pressures.

BURN BRIGHT NOT OUT

Ideas for leaders designing success from the inside out

For senior leaders quietly questioning what comes next, my weekly newsletter, Burn Bright Not Out, offers thoughtful reflections on success, transition, identity, and designing a professional life from the inside out.

Mary Vaz, strategic transition coach for senior leaders, smiling while sitting on a beige couch in a living room, wearing a teal jacket and a black turtleneck.

START THE CONVERSATION

Don't wait for someone else
to make this decision for you.

If something in your current chapter no longer feels quite right, you do not have to wait until it becomes urgent. Share what you are carrying, and I will personally review your application to see whether this is the right space for you.

START A CONVERSATION