Pascale Lebaillif: From City to Inner Strength

After two decades navigating the high-pressure world of global finance, Pascale Lebaillif discovered that her true passion wasn’t in numbers—it was in people. From mentoring teams to guiding women leaders through moments of doubt and transition, she realised her greatest impact came from helping others unlock their potential. Today, Pascale combines her corporate experience with the EMPACT™ coaching framework, empowering women to lead with confidence, clarity, and authenticity—proving that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of yourself.

“My real passion is helping people thrive. Supporting women to unlock their potential was the natural next step.”

You’ve spent over two decades in high-pressure leadership roles across global firms like Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan. What pivotal moment led you to transition from corporate finance to executive coaching?

It was not one dramatic moment. It was more like a shift I could feel over time during my years in finance. I was progressing, taking on bigger roles, from finance lawyer to Global Head, doing what I had always aimed for. But I realised that the moments that truly moved the needle were not the technical ones. They were the conversations.

Mentoring someone through self-doubt. Helping teams navigate tension. Building internal networks. And interestingly, more and more women started coming to me, asking for guidance, for support, for clarity. I could see the impact those conversations had on their confidence and careers, sometimes even their personal lives. And I noticed that lit-up moment in them lit something up in me too!

I realised my real strength and passion were on the people’s side: leadership, mindset, confidence, creating environments where people thrive.

I studied coaching initially out of curiosity, then quickly realised that’s what I wanted to do. So the move was not really a jump; it was the natural next step. I simply followed what energised me most: supporting talented women unlock their potential and lead with confidence.

As someone who “knows what it takes to rise—and what it costs,” what are some of the hidden costs of success that women in leadership often overlook?

When I say I know what it takes to rise and what it costs, I mean the parts we don’t talk about enough. One of the biggest hidden costs for women is staying stuck in the expert seat. We keep proving ourselves by doing rather than leading, because it feels safe and familiar. But it is exhausting, and it limits growth.

Another cost is boundaries. High-achieving women often become the person who says yes to everything. It works for a while, until it becomes over-functioning and slowly leads to burnout.

And middle management is a tough terrain. You are expected to lead, influence, and deliver, often without proper training or support. You end up figuring it out alone, and that pressure can be incredibly draining.

So the real cost is not just long hours, it is the emotional load: trying to excel without the support, the tools, or the space to lead in a way that is sustainable. That is exactly why I now help women navigate that transition with more clarity, confidence, and support.

Your EMPACT™ approach beautifully combines empathy and strategy. Could you share how this framework was born and how it transforms the way your clients lead?

The EMPACT™ approach was born from watching brilliant women push hard, achieve a lot, yet still feel like they had to choose between being effective and being themselves. In corporate environments I saw two extremes: empathy without strategy, which feels supportive but does not move careers forward, and hard-driving leadership models that force women into a mould that never truly fits.

EMPACT™ bridges that gap. It helps women build confidence, influence, visibility, and boundaries while staying anchored in their values and in what genuinely lights them up. They continue climbing the ladder, but on their terms, not by becoming someone else, but by leading as who they are.

It is empathy with strategy, heart with execution. And that balance allows women to rise sustainably, with impact, and with a leadership style that feels natural, powerful, and entirely their own.

Many women in senior roles struggle with burnout or imposter syndrome even after years of achievement. How do you help them find clarity and confidence without losing their edge?

If I could wave a magic wand and make imposter syndrome disappear, I would! It holds back so many brilliant women who already have the track record to prove they belong there.

But the way I help them is not by telling them to be confident. It is by guiding them through a real inner shift. We explore the inner critic rather than fight it, they reconnect with who they are as leaders and what truly matters to them, and then we pair that inner clarity with practical tools: strategic thinking, boundary setting, visibility habits, influence skills.

Through the EMPACT™ system, this process feels seamless, but it creates deep and lasting change. They stop operating from pressure and self-doubt and start leading from clarity and self-trust. They do not lose their edge, they refine it. They become more strategic, more centred, and more effective. And they enjoy the journey again! Because sustainable success happens when confidence becomes internal, not conditional.

You’ve delivered leadership programmes for organizations like BlackRock and ESSEC Business School. What themes or challenges consistently come up among women leaders at this level?

Across all these programmes and the senior women I work with, the themes are surprisingly consistent. These are women who are already impressive, already delivering at a high level. Yet the same challenges come up again and again.

The first is the shift from expert to leader. Many still feel they need to prove themselves through doing, rather than influencing and setting direction. That transition sounds simple on paper, but it is one of the hardest identity shifts to make.

The second is boundaries and capacity. Senior women are incredibly capable, which often means they carry too much. Saying no, protecting focus, delegating effectively – these are common growth areas, and without them burnout creeps in quickly.

And the third is visibility and self-advocacy. Even at this level, many women are still more comfortable delivering great work than being seen for it. They worry about looking self-promotional when in reality they are underselling their impact.

What they are craving at this stage is not more pressure to perform. It is space. Space to think, to lead instead of react, to step out of the daily noise and operate at a strategic level. When they get that space and the right structure around them, they elevate the way they lead, and they create ripple effects across their teams and organisations.

“Authenticity is the only sustainable way to lead. When women lead from their values, they feel grounded, confident, and energised.”

What’s one of the most profound transformations you’ve witnessed in a client after they embraced your coaching approach?

Honestly, I could light up a room talking about my clients! I have so many stories I could spend hours sharing them. It is impossible for me not to get excited when I see women step into what they deserve and are capable of.

One of them is a young woman who came from a family-run business. She is brilliant, ambitious, full of energy and curiosity. She wanted to transition into corporate life but was unsure how to position herself. After just three coaching sessions, she received two offers. And now, after only eight months in her role, she has been promoted with a forty per cent salary increase and a team to lead! Watching her rise with such momentum has been incredible.

And another client is a top-notch lawyer: razor sharp and someone who knows how to move things forward. She came to me during a period of big change in her organisation, feeling stuck and unsure of her next step. We focused on clarity and strategic positioning. Less than a year later, she is stepping into a Global Head role. That is not a step. That is a leap!

Both women were already exceptional. They simply needed space, clarity and the right support to unlock their full potential. Once they backed themselves and invested in their growth, everything accelerated. I love seeing brilliant women rise into careers that reflect who they truly are!

Leadership today requires balancing ambition with authenticity. How can women redefine success on their own terms without feeling guilty or inadequate?

Authenticity is not a “nice to have.” It is the only sustainable way to continue to lead a successful career. Because chasing a version of success that is not ours eventually costs too much: energy, joy, sometimes even health.

But redefining success does not mean swinging to the other extreme. Authenticity is not about oversharing or laying every emotion on the table. That is not leadership, that is seeking reassurance and approval.

Real authenticity is quieter. It is staying centered in who you are, through calm and storm. It is leading from your values, letting your ambition be fuelled by what lights you up, not by pressure or expectation.

When women lead from that place, anchored, intentional, and aligned with what genuinely drives them, they do not feel guilty or inadequate, because they are not looking for external validation. They feel grounded, confident, and able to pursue ambitious goals in a way that feels energising instead of draining.

As a former COO in renewable energy, how has your background in finance and sustainability shaped your perspective on leadership in today’s evolving corporate landscape?

My shift from JP Morgan to a small investment firm completely reshaped my view of leadership. At JP Morgan I learned rigour, influence and strategic execution at scale. But in a small structure you do not just contribute. You build. You take full ownership, because every decision has a visible impact. You cannot just “do your best”; you act like an owner.

That experience taught me that true leadership is not about title or hierarchy. It is about responsibility, initiative and creating meaningful results. And I genuinely believe that if more senior leaders in large organisations adopted that entrepreneurial mindset, we would see more innovation, accountability and purpose in corporate cultures.

That blend, corporate discipline with founder-level ownership, is the type of leadership I now help women step into. After all, they are the CEO of their own career!

You often speak about reclaiming clarity, confidence, and control. For women currently at a crossroads in their careers, what’s the first step toward doing that?

When a woman is at a crossroads, the first step is not action; it is space for clarity. And clarity starts with getting brutally honest with yourself. Not “What should I do next?” but “What do I truly want? What energises me? What am I no longer willing to tolerate?” These are not fluffy, reflective questions; they are vital. They are how you uncover the direction that is genuinely right for you, rather than the path you think you should take.

Most women rush straight into doing, polishing CVs, applying for roles, chasing options. But when you are unclear, you end up working hard in the wrong direction.

So the first step is to pause, create space and listen deeply instead of thinking harder. From there, confidence returns because you are anchored in what matters to you. And once we have that clarity, I give them the practical, strategic tools: positioning, visibility, influence, action plans, so they move forward with intention, not guesswork.

Outside of your professional life, you host a podcast with your daughter and take belly dancing lessons—both such vibrant expressions of joy. How do these creative outlets influence your coaching and leadership philosophy?

Our podcast is just the two of us. It’s a candid, open conversation between a mum and her pre-teen about everything to do with women and life: periods, hormones, menopause, school pressures, work, relationships, LGBTQIA+, diversity and inclusion. She challenges assumptions and is absolutely unafraid to question the status quo. She sees the world with sharp clarity and humour, and through her I see things from a completely different lens. She reminds me that curiosity and courage matter more than pretending to have all the answers.

Belly dancing is pure joy. No goals, no performance, no proving; just movement, music and energy. It brings me back into my body and reminds me that there is a world beyond achievement and structure.

Both experiences shape my coaching. They remind me that human connection is the fuel of everything. When women reconnect to joy, intuition and play, they stop feeling powerless, stop saying “it is what it is”, and start leading from energy, possibility and ownership.