A leadership accelerator for people who want to stand out—not burn out.
Power Shift
10 weeks of live masterclasses, self-guided modules, and coaching sessions. Next session starts in September.
Program cost: $749 self-paid | $849 company-paid
Become the leader only you can be.
You’ve tried people-pleasing, “proving your value,” and putting yourself last. If you’re ready for something else, Power Shift is ready for you.
In Power Shift, you’ll uncover who you really are as a leader. Not who you think other people want you to be. Not who industry “thought leaders” tell you to be. And definitely not the version of you that’s stuck in self-doubt, fear, and overwhelm.
Ask your boss
Get support covering the cost of Power Shift. Share this overview with your boss.
Instead, you’ll uncover the leader you can be when you let your strengths and values shine. The one who shows up with courage and self-trust. The one who sets clear priorities, makes hard decisions, and navigates change with confidence.
Over 10 weeks of masterclasses, self-guided modules, and group coaching, you’ll gain the tools you need to:
Reclaim your identity beyond work—while still setting ambitious career goals
Find your strengths and values—and start leading from them, not in spite of them
Set the priorities and boundaries you need to do your most important work
Calm your fears, reconnect with your body, and find your boldest voice
Identify your needs, hold hard conversations, and champion yourself
You’ll leave with clarity, confidence, and a whole lot more courage—in fact, our first iteration of this program was even called the Courageous Leadership Program. We transformed it into Power Shift for 2024 to add more material, more flexibility—and more focus on how to find a sense of agency and move forward, even in uncertain times.
That’s a power shift. And we can’t wait to be part of yours.
What you’ll get
5 live masterclasses
Join live every other week for a 75-minute masterclass. Recorded in case you miss a live session.
5 drop-in coaching sessions
Held every other week, with three timeslots to choose from. Join the session that works for you that week.
Weekly self-guided modules
Get a new set of video lessons from Sara and Jen every week, plus complementary readings and activities.
StrengthsFinder “Top 5” report
You’ll get the report as part of registration, plus a masterclass on how to use it led by a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach.
Custom digital workbook
Pairs with our live sessions and the online modules. Packed with powerful activities and self-reflections.
Private Slack channel
Share wins, ask questions, and get support from your peers. You can also direct message your facilitators anytime.
What to expect
We designed Power Shift to include more content, more space for intimate conversations, and more flexibility. Here’s how we’ve done it:
We kick things off with a masterclass.
Sara and Jen will help you get your bearings, connect with your peers, and start you thinking about your relationship to power.
Next, you’ll start getting weekly self-guided modules.
After the kickoff, you’ll get access to your first module—a mix of short videos, readings, and activities. These modules form the backbone of the curriculum, and you’ll spend about an hour on them each week.
We alternate between masterclasses and coaching sessions.
Each week includes an opportunity to meet live—either a masterclass or a drop-in coaching session. Both are 75 minutes long. Masterclasses are recorded, and coaching is offered at three timeslots.
The best plan is to join the masterclasses live, and attend a coaching session biweekly. But when life (or timezones!) get in the way, don’t stress—you’ll always be able to catch up at your own pace.
Who should join Power Shift? Will people like me be there? Great questions. Here’s who we’ve designed this program for:
People who want to do deep work.
Power Shift is all about reconnecting with yourself and your values, and unlocking parts of you that may have been tucked away. Join for a transformative experience, not for quick fixes or productivity hacks.
People in design, tech, and product-related fields.
We’re expecting most participants to work in and around design/UX (including content and research), or in a product or tech role. You might also meet career-changers and self-employed folks. No matter your role, if our topics resonate with you, we want to hear your voice in Power Shift.
People of all levels.
Power Shift is for anyone who wants to take more control of their work lives—and stop feeling powerless, stuck, or small. That means we welcome people at all levels: ICs, managers, leads, directors, you name it. Because almost anyone could use a hand reclaiming their power and increasing their self-trust.
For more detail, jump to the week-by-week schedule or read our FAQ.
Join the waitlist.
Our next cohort starts in September.
Sign up to get notified (and a discount code!) when registration opens.
Program pricing: $749 self-paid / $849 company-paid
Week-by-week schedule
Week 1
Live masterclass: Start your power shift
Kick off the program and meet your peers in this session with Sara and Jen.
Live (+recorded)
Self-study module: Your self, your work
Unpack your relationship to work. What’s working, and what’s not?
Online and async
Week 2
Coaching sessions: Own your value
What might be possible if you spent less time people-pleasing?
Choose from 3 timeslots
Self-study module: Your values and vision
Uncover the leader only you can be by exploring your values and vision.
Online and async
Week 3
Live masterclass: Claim your strengths
Tap into your top strengths with Certified Strengths Coach Rachel de Jong.
Live (+recorded)
Self-study module:
Create your platform
Find the goals, priorities, and perspective that drive you as a leader.
Online and async
Week 4
Coaching sessions: Take up space
What would it look like to speak up for your priorities and point of view?
Choose from 3 timeslots
Self-guided module: Stress, fear, and you
Learn how to ground yourself, face your fears, and calm the inner critic.
Online and async
Week 5
Live masterclass: Find your full voice
Bring a bolder presence with classical singer and coach Andrea Nwoke.
Live (+recorded)
Self-guided module: Reframe your worth
Learn to tap into your inner allies to gain new strength and perspective.
Online and async
Week 6
Coaching sessions: Get unstuck
How can you reframe challenging situations and limiting beliefs?
Choose from 3 timeslots
Self-guided module: Know your boundaries
Learn how to name and set boundaries—even when it feels impossible.
Online and async
Week 7
Live masterclass: Tune into your body
Reconnect with your body using somatic practices from coach Carlye Cunniff.
Live (+recorded)
Self-guided module: Speak up for yourself
Build confidence holding hard conversations about needs and boundaries.
Online and async
Week 8
Coaching sessions: Be heard
What stops you from advocating for yourself and your needs?
Choose from 3 timeslots
Self-guided module: Stretch yourself
Reflect on what’s changed for you—and choose how you’ll grow from here.
Online and async
Week 9
Coaching sessions: Keep the momentum
What’s next for you? How will you continue to shift power in your life?
Multiple session times available
Week 10
Live masterclass: Shift forward
Come together to celebrate your wins and champion your peers.
Live (+recorded)
What our clients say
More than 120 people completed our original version of this accelerator, The Courageous Leadership Program. Here’s what just a few of them had to say.
“I went in thinking that I was going to learn how to be a leader, but left knowing that I needed to trust the leader I already was. What I needed was to unlearn the harmful conditioning.”
— Niveen Sayeed, UX researcher
“As a direct result of my participation, I am a more confident and concise communicator at work, as an author, and even in my personal interactions. I can't say enough about how impactful this experience has been for me!”
— Natalie Dunbar, principal UX content designer
“This program helped me grow exponentially in my self-trust and gave me memorable and practical tools that I’ve been using since in subsequent challenging situations in work and non-work-life.”
— Zena Koo, UX researcher
“Sara and Jen are all-stars at guiding participants through specific, thoughtful coaching exercises that allowed us all to unlock our own problem-solving tools. I feel much more grounded in my values, needs, and unique identity.”
— Erin Wittkop-Coffey, UX content strategy manager
Meet your facilitators
Program leaders
Sara Wachter-Boettcher
Active Voice CEO
Sara founded Active Voice in 2020. Before that, she built her career in content design and UX, and is known for her work on ethics and responsibility in the tech industry. She’s now a certified coach who has helped hundreds of people find their voice, boost their confidence, and heal from toxic environments.
Jen Dionisio
Director of coaching programs
Before becoming a coach, Jen spent her career leading content teams—but her life as a manager was a rollercoaster until she learned how to support her team without losing herself. At Active Voice, she now focuses on helping people heal from burnout and people-pleasing and rethink their relationships to work.
Guest coaches
Rachel de Jong
CliftonStrengths coach and UX content designer
Rachel de Jong is a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach and a UX content designer currently at Instacart, where she was a founding member of the content design team. Since 2018, she has coached hundreds of people in tech and design through their StrengthsFinder results.
Rachel’s session: Claim your strengths
Andrea Nwoke
Leadership coach and professional classical singer
Andrea Nwoke is the founder of Full Voice Coaching & Consulting, which helps leaders increase their self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills. A classical singer who has worked with C-suite executives, she’s a pro at helping people find their voice and bring true presence to any room.
Andrea’s session: Find your full voice
Carlye Cunniff
Somatic coach and design leader
Carlye Cunniff is a somatic coach who uses her experience as a corporate design leader, professional dancer, and movement teacher to help other creatives combat burnout, chronic stress, and anxiety. She has worked as a professional Irish dancer (yes, like Riverdance), yoga and movement teacher, and head of design and research for Amazon's Global Talent Management Organization.
Carlye’s session: Tune into your body
FAQ
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We open registration 1-2 months before a cohort begins. Registration ends a few days before the start of the program. Join the waitlist and you’ll be the first to know when registration opens for the next cohort.
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If you register for Power Shift and cannot attend, we can transfer your attendance to a person of your choosing at no charge. Or we can refund your order, less a 10% processing fee, up to 24 hours before the program begins.
No refunds are available less than 24 hours before Power Shift begins.
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Yes! Many of our group program participants have had their companies cover all or part of the cost of registration.
Need help convincing your boss? We’ve created a one-page program description just for that.
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We absolutely do. You can read the whole thing here.
When you register for Power Shift, you’ll be asked to agree to this code. We take it seriously, so if there’s ever an issue, we want to know about it.
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Nope! Power Shift focuses on self-leadership—because we believe that’s the most crucial foundation for leading anyone else. And everyone benefits from self-leadership skills.
If you manage people (or want to), this program will make you more thoughtful and responsible with your team—because you’ll know how to communicate humanely, avoid knee-jerk reactions, and make intentional, clear decisions.
But if you don’t manage people and aren’t sure you ever want to, all those skills are still crucial. They’re what will help you avoid self-doubt spirals and chronic stress, set boundaries, and establish a definition of success that’s meaningful to you—not just to your company. And we think everyone needs that!
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You’ll get the most out of this program if you attend as much as possible live, but you are welcome to join even if you need to miss a session.
We’ll record the masterclasses, so you can watch them later. The coaching sessions aren’t recorded, but we have multiple timeslots, so you can join whenever it’s convenient that week.
Our experience is that the coaching sessions are really powerful for people—but they don’t include new material, so if you miss one, you won’t be behind. And of course, all the self-guided lessons can be done whenever you want.
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Each week includes about an hour of self-paced work, plus one 75-minute live session—either a masterclass or a coaching session.
If you get behind, it’s OK—you can catch up when you can, and you’ll keep access to all the materials after the program ends.
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We welcome people of all genders into Power Shift. As long as the topics resonate, you’ll be welcome here.
That said, our community at Active Voice is predominantly women, and we aim to center the experiences of women and other marginalized genders in our programs. This means that you can expect topics like gender bias to come up regularly.
However, if you’re looking for a program that’s for women only, Power Shift might not be right for you. We expect all participants to honor the gender identities and pronouns of other participants.
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Masterclasses are recorded in case you miss one, but coaching sessions are not. However, coaching sessions have multiple time options to accommodate a range of schedules.
You’ll get the most out of this program by attending live and participating in activities, so we recommend blocking your calendar in advance and protecting time for the live sessions. But if you miss a live session, don’t sweat it! You can always catch up.
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The Courageous Leadership Program, our original group program (from 2020-2023), was designed to help people step out of self-doubt and into a more confident, powerful version of themselves. That goal remains with Power Shift. But over the past three years, we’ve built new curricula on topics like people-pleasing and “proving value,” setting healthy boundaries, starting hard conversations, identifying your leadership style, and more. We’ve brought those new topics into Power Shift, and refreshed all the materials. We’ve also added in masterclasses with expert guests, so you can learn from more people than just Sara and Jen.
Finally, we’ve redesigned the format to make the program both more flexible and less expensive. We know that many professional development budgets have been cut, so we designed a format that would allow us to enroll a larger group at a lower price, without sacrificing the human connection we know matters. And we also know that calendar chaos is real, and wanted people to feel like they could miss a live session without losing out.
We hope these changes make what we do more accessible to more people—and just as transformative as ever.
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Yes, you’ll get a certificate of completion at the end of the accelerator. If your company requires other documentation for you to get reimbursement, let us know!
Created by Active Voice
Bold leaders. Better workplaces.
Since 2020, we’ve been helping people in design and tech understand who they are and how they lead—so they can speak up with confidence, build team resilience, and navigate challenges with ease.
We’re a tiny company with big ideas about how to change work—for good. And we can’t wait to get to know you. Learn more about us.