Hi, I'm Samantha Trew. Leadership Coach. Creator of The Sustainable Leadership Method. The wake-up call wrapped in warmth.
I’m on a mission to change the face of leadership — one woman at a time.
Because you weren’t meant to hold it all together.
You were meant to lead with clarity, calm, and conviction — without burning out to prove your worth.
Led multi-million dollar organisations
Created the Australian Renewables Academy
Coached women in real-world leadership
I didn’t build The Leadership Shift because I had all the answers.
I built it because I lived the problem.
I didn’t get here by ticking boxes
I didn’t climb some polished corporate ladder.
I built my career in the trenches — with a phone in one hand, a child on my hip, and a to-do list longer than most strategic plans.
Yes, I’ve coached powerhouse women.
Yes, I’ve led national programs like the Australian Renewables Academy.
But my real credentials? Chaos.
Chaos Credentials
I’ve raised four kids — three with ASD.
So if you think leading a team is tough, try managing three different neurodivergent profiles while cooking dinner and running a meeting. I know chaos. I could teach a masterclass in it.
For four years, my husband Shaun — my rock — worked overseas in Papua New Guinea. Meant to be month-on, month-off. Except it was mostly... off. I’d get a call from him in Cairns, “I’m coming home!” followed by another one hours later, “Actually, I’ve been sent to another site.”
One year? We saw him for 20 days.
I was working full time, solo parenting, and navigating life with a newborn who had chronic lung disease.
It was brutal. But it taught me something I’ll never forget:
Hard doesn't mean broken. And survival-mode leadership isn't sustainable. That's why I created The Sustainable Leadership Method.
“If you think leading a team is hard… try managing three different ASD profiles while microwaving dinner and running a strategy call.I know chaos — and I know what it takes to lead differently. ”
The Burnout Years
“I had a team. I had the vision.
But I didn’t have the boundaries.”
In 2015, I had my own business — 3 stores, a great team, and big dreams.
And I lost it all.
Why? Because I didn’t lead. I micromanaged. I over-functioned. I didn’t trust my team. I didn’t set boundaries. I burnt out. And the whole thing came crashing down.
I was ashamed.
So when TAFE offered me a role building partnerships, I nearly didn’t take it. I didn’t believe in myself. I felt like a failure in heels.
But that job? It became the first breadcrumb back to myself.
I kept climbing — into leadership roles, coaching, high-stakes strategy work — all while still over-committing, still proving, still wearing every hat like a badge of honour.
The Breaking Point
I took my first holiday in two years.
My phone rang non-stop.
When I got back, my boss called.
She’d hired someone to lead me.
Why?
Because while I was gone, my team finally stepped up.
And they told her I was brilliant… but I didn’t use them.
I’d done it again.
Built the thing. Carried the weight. Refused to let go.
I cried for days. I was devastated.
Then a mentor — one who changed my life — helped me see it clearly:
The reason I couldn't let go was because I was leading from survival, not strategy. I was stuck in patterns that kept me over-functioning instead of empowering my team.
I thought I wasn’t worthy of the room. No degree. Single mum. Too loud. Too messy.
So I clung to control… and lost what I built.
I left the job.
I walked away from the Academy I created.
And not one of the partners stood up for me.
That was the final straw.
“That breakdown became my breakthrough. I realized I wasn't just burnt out — I was caught in what I now call the Band-Aid Effect. I was holding everything together instead of actually leading.”
The Shift Begins
Today, I help women leaders Recognise their survival patterns, Rebuild their systems, and Rise into bold, boundaried leadership.
You don't need another leadership guru. You need someone who's been where you are — in the trenches, in the chaos, in the breakdown — and found a way through.
The Sustainable Leadership Method isn't theory. It's what saved my leadership, my business, and my sanity.
And it's time to stop being the Band-Aid.
Leadership shouldn’t cost you your clarity, your health, or your joy.
And the truth is?
You don’t need to do more.
You just need to lead differently.
Boundaries aren’t a luxury — they’re leadership
You’re not too much. You’ve just carried too much
You don’t need to fix yourself — you need to stop fixing everything else
You don’t need to do more. You need to lead differently.
Doing it all isn’t leadership — it’s survival
The method that finally worked — because it was built for women like us.
Recognise
Your pattern, your identity, your clarity
Rebuild
Team systems, delegation, boundaries
Rise
Brave conversations, bold moves, leadership anchors
This is your line in the sand.
You don’t have to keep carrying what was never yours.
It’s time to lead without losing yourself.
