Grounded: A Practical Path for Calm and Confident Leadership

In Grounded, Katrina Bourke offers a life raft for leaders navigating uncertain and chaotic times. Drawing from her own journey of leadership burnout and what she calls her 'log cabin breakdown,' Bourke presents the Grounded Leadership Framework, a practical guide for staying aligned with your values and leading with authenticity, even when paddling furiously beneath a calm surface.

This deeply personal book invites leaders, particularly those in education, to build their own 'sacred ground', a solid foundation that anchors them through challenges and allows them to push the hair off their faces and be truly seen. With journal prompts, evidence-based research, and practical strategies, the Grounded Leadership Framework shows how embracing your full humanity – strengths, imperfections, and vulnerabilities – is not a leadership weakness but the key to creating human-centred environments where both you and those you serve can thrive.

Katrina Bourke has spent more than 25 years in education, learning what it really means to lead – and how to keep showing up when things feel overwhelming. A former deputy principal, she understands just how relentless school leadership can be, and how easy it is to lose your footing in the spin of everyday demands. Today, Katrina works with principals, deputies, and middle leaders across Australia.