I know what it takes to lead. I also know that’s only one part of us.
That's why I coach the whole person, creating the space to lead with intention, energy and soul.
Meet Our Founder
I'm Kate O’Keeffe, an executive coach and the founder of Alma Studio. Before moving into coaching, I spent nearly 20 years in digital media and marketing, working in senior client and leadership roles. Most recently, I was Managing Director of a media agency in London, leading teams across Europe and responsible for the agency's strategy and growth.
I loved the challenge and I loved leading the business and working with brilliant teams. But the part of leadership I found most rewarding was always the people. Supporting someone to grow, helping them see what they were genuinely capable of, watching leaders find their voice and step fully into it.
That's what eventually led me to coaching.
I believe in a lifetime of continuous learning, through formal education, courses and lived experience. I obtained my professional diploma in Business and Executive Coaching at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.
What shaped my perspective
I know what it's like to carry significant professional responsibility while also managing something equally significant outside of it and to keep showing up regardless.
Over the years I've navigated some of those moments myself. Fertility treatment alongside a demanding career, becoming a mum and the juggle of returning to work, caring for terminally ill family members while leading a business. Arriving at points where the version of success I'd been working toward no longer felt like the full picture.
Those experiences changed how I think about leadership, ambition, and what it means to perform at my best over the long term. They taught me that ambition and fulfilment outside of work don't have to be opposites but that finding a way to hold both requires more than hard work and good intentions. It requires space for self reflection and getting clear on what’s important when.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is pause….create some space, and ask yourself: what do I actually want and how do I get there?
That's what coaching gives you. A space to step out of the day-to-day and think clearly. To untangle the things that feel complicated. To understand what matters to you now and to make decisions with more clarity and confidence. To work out how you want to lead, but in a way that feels right for you.
The approach:
three threads,
one practice
Alma Studio’s approach combines real life experience with coaching frameworks, tools and knowledge. There is a consistent philosophy throughout our practice; three threads that run through everything.
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Most leaders are moving fast, executing, responding, delivering. What they rarely have is space to ask: what do I actually want here? What matters most? Am I choosing this or just continuing it? This thread is about slowing down enough to lead from values and making decisions that reflect who you are and where you want to move forward to.
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High performance sustained over time has a cost. This thread is about understanding what fuels you and what drains you, how to protect what matters, and how to perform at your best in a way that is sustainable.
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The most effective leaders are the ones most honest with themselves about what they're good at, what they find hard, what they're carrying, and what they actually want. This thread is about leading authentically from your real values, your strengths, and a clear sense of who you are when you're at your best.