I’m Julia Carden,
an executive coach, coaching supervisor and author of You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are.
I work with senior leaders navigating uncertainty, and the coaches who guide them. My approach draws on psychodynamic and relational thinking, more than 1,500 hours of coaching experience and my doctoral research into self-awareness within adult development.
Accreditations, Certifications & Partners
How I coach
Today, I research self-awareness, coach leaders, supervise coaches and teach the next generation of practitioners.
I hold accreditations with the ICF (Professional Certified Coach) and the EMCC (Master Practitioner), and I’m an EMCC-accredited coaching supervisor. I’m also a visiting tutor at Henley Business School, where I teach coaches and head the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision.
I still invest in my own supervision. It’s the same standard of ongoing development I ask of every client, and I wouldn’t ask for something I’m not prepared to do myself.
No matter how experienced you are, there is always more to understand about yourself, your impact and the choices available to you.
My leadership coaching will remind you that the moment you think you have arrived, you have not.
My background
My path started in the Royal Navy, where I served as an officer and learned early what it means to carry responsibility under pressure.
From there I moved into the Ministry of Defence, leading HR research across the entire naval service: designing assessment centres, shaping the policy that governed how the Royal Navy assessed its own people, and running the research that underpinned personnel strategy and policy.
That experience sparked a lasting interest in how people understand themselves, how they develop and what gets in the way.
When I moved into coaching, I became increasingly interested in self-awareness and the role it plays in how we lead, work with others and navigate uncertainty.
That interest eventually led to a PhD in self-awareness within adult development, awarded by the University of Reading in 2022. The research has since resulted in four peer-reviewed papers and my book, You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are [link], published in October 2025.
PhD
Self-awareness within adult development, University of Reading
2025
Book published
3
Professional accreditations: ICF PCC, EMCC Master Practitioner and ESIA-accredited supervisor
1,500+
Coaching hours
5
Peer-reviewed papers
Henley Business School
Visiting tutor and Head of the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision
