Mindset coaching with hypnosis for executives and founders

Founders feel huge pressure because the business, the team's jobs and investors' money can all seem to rest on your shoulders. There's rarely a clear end to the working day, and your phone keeps the business in your pocket. Over time, that pressure fills your stress bucket, and it can start to affect your sleep, mood and decisions.

Senior leaders struggle with stress because they carry big decisions, long hours and responsibility for other people, often all at once. You're expected to be calm and in control, so many leaders keep their stress to themselves. Hypnotherapy can help you lower your stress, so you have the headspace to lead well.

Decisions can feel exhausting when you're making one after another all day, from big strategic calls to quick questions from your team. By the evening, even choosing what to eat can feel like too much. Hypnotherapy can help you feel calmer and more rested, so decisions feel clearer and lighter.

You can overthink decisions when pressure makes you focus on everything that might go wrong. You might weigh up options late into the night, or second-guess a call you made weeks ago. Hypnotherapy can help calm that worry, so you trust your judgement and move forward.

Imposter syndrome is the feeling that you've somehow fooled everyone, and that one day you'll be found out. It's common among capable, successful people, including founders, CEOs and directors. Hypnotherapy can help you quieten that inner critic and own your success.

Yes, hypnotherapy can help you stay calm and confident when you're answering to investors or a board. Fundraising rounds, missed targets and tough questions can all keep you awake at night. Where helpful, mental rehearsal lets you picture yourself handling the meeting calmly and clearly.

It can feel lonely at the top because it's hard to share your worries with your team, your board or even your family. You want to look confident for everyone else, so you carry the doubts on your own. Coaching gives you a confidential space to think out loud, and hypnosis helps you feel calmer and more grounded.

Burnout is what can happen when work stress builds up over a long time, with too little chance to recover. The World Health Organization describes it as exhaustion, feeling distant or cynical about your job, and a drop in how effective you feel. Hypnotherapy can help you lower your stress and get your energy and enthusiasm back.

Early signs of burnout include feeling tired all the time, dreading Monday morning and losing patience with your team. You might find yourself running on caffeine in the day and wine in the evening, just to keep going. Spotting it early gives you the chance to make changes and recover your energy.

Delegating can feel hard when part of you believes it's quicker, or safer, to do it yourself. Many founders built the business by doing everything, so letting go feels risky. Hypnotherapy can help you feel calmer about trusting your team, so you free up time for the work only you can do.

Yes, hypnotherapy can help you stay calm and clear-headed when things are tense with a co-founder or business partner. Disagreements about money, direction or roles can feel very personal when you've built something together. Feeling calmer helps you listen, speak clearly and find a way forward.

Yes, hypnotherapy can help you stay calm and compassionate when you have to make tough calls like redundancies. Letting people go is one of the hardest parts of leadership, and it can weigh on you for weeks. Hypnotherapy can help you process the stress, sleep well and lead your team through it.

The number of sessions varies from person to person, depending on what you'd like to work on. We talk it through at your initial consultation, so you know what to expect.

My fees are listed on my prices page, and I'm happy to answer any questions before you book. You can contact me to book your initial consultation.

Research suggests founders and senior leaders face real pressures on their wellbeing and sleep. A 2019 study by Michael Freeman and colleagues found entrepreneurs reported more mental health challenges than a comparison group. Articles in McKinsey Quarterly and Harvard Business Review show how leaders' sleep affects their judgement and their teams.

Research suggests hypnosis can help with stress, anxiety and sleep. A 2019 review of studies found hypnosis helped reduce anxiety, and a 2020 trial found group hypnosis, with recordings for home, helped reduce stress. A 2014 study in the journal Sleep found a hypnosis recording increased deep sleep during a nap in women who respond well to hypnosis.

When choosing a mindset coach or hypnotherapist, look for relevant training, professional registration and someone you feel comfortable with. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, SQHP and HPD qualifications and have practised as a clinical hypnotherapist since 2003. You can check my professional registrations and read about my qualifications and experience using the links on this page.

Susannah Saunders is a mindset coach using hypnosis and a clinical hypnotherapist who founded City Hypnotherapy Centre in London in 2003. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, HPD and SQHP qualifications and previously spent two years as an assistant clinical psychologist in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Her professional registrations are GHR 3034 and CNHC10269.

My coaching and hypnosis work draws on a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, HPD and SQHP qualifications, and clinical hypnotherapy practice since 2003. I previously worked as an assistant clinical psychologist in NHS CAMHS and trained with CPHT. My professional registrations are GHR 3034 and CNHC10269, with links to check them on my About page.

Mindset coaching can help you achieve your goals by getting clear on what you want, what has been getting in the way and the steps you are ready to take. We talk through your priorities and decisions, then use hypnosis to work on self-doubt, fear of failure or habits that make following through difficult. Progress is reviewed against the changes you want in your own life.

I can help when you know what to do but keep putting it off by working on the worry, pressure or self-doubt behind the delay. Coaching helps you decide where to begin, and hypnosis addresses the reactions that make starting feel difficult. We can focus on the particular task or decision you have been avoiding.

Coaching can help you decide what you want next in your career by giving you time to think through your priorities, ambitions and concerns. You may be weighing up a promotion, a new venture or a different way of working. We can also use hypnosis to work on confidence and the fears that make the decision difficult.

I can help founders who feel guilty whenever they stop working by exploring the expectations behind feeling that you should always be doing more. We can work on feeling comfortable delegating, resting and spending time with family. Coaching and hypnosis are tailored to your responsibilities and how you want your life to feel.

We measure progress in executive mindset coaching against the goals we agree together, such as sleeping more comfortably, making a decision you have been avoiding or feeling confident in meetings. I ask what has improved and what still needs attention. This helps us decide what to focus on next.

You can have executive mindset coaching with hypnosis with me in London, near Liverpool Street, or online via Zoom. We tailor the sessions to your goals, role and circumstances. Contact me to discuss availability and book your consultation.