Join us for this month’s ABM Skills Sharing Session with ABM member, Kate Davis, where we explore what is happening inside the mentor when a session gets complex, emotional or stuck.

You can be experienced, well-intentioned, and genuinely helpful, and still find yourself drifting into rescuing, over-advising or subtly steering the outcome.

Sometimes a mentee wants a quick answer, or they keep going round the same issue looking for certainty. In that moment, you can feel a pull to prove your value by fixing it fast. Occasionally a topic hits a nerve for you, and your listening can shift from open curiosity to problem-solving and the quality of the session changes.

This session introduces two practical models you can use in the moment: metathinking (noticing your own thinking as you mentor) and the ACT Hexaflex (building psychological flexibility so you can stay present and choose your response, even under pressure).

You will leave with a simple, repeatable way to stay clear-headed in live conversations, spot when you are being pulled off-centre and reset quickly. Expect practical cues you can use mid-session to sharpen your questioning, deepen listening and help your mentee move from circular thinking to committed next steps.

This session aligns with ABM Core Competencies 2.1 Awareness of Self, Mentee and Environments, 2.3 Curious Questioning Enabling Insight, and 2.4 Heightened Listening Enabling Learning.

Kate Davis is an ABM Member, ICF (ACC) executive coach, and founder of Meraki People, an organisational health consultancy helping the senior teams of scaling businesses navigate change.