Rise Above: The Group Experience
The 12-month programme for women who are done waiting for permission to be themselves.
The first cohort told us seven months wasn't enough.
They wanted more time in the work. More space to actually use it. More of each other.
So we rebuilt it. A full year. Because that's what the research (and the women) said was needed.
STARTS 9TH SEPTEMBER 2026 (Online)
You’ve followed the rules.
Ticked the boxes.
Smiled nicely. Said yes.
Worked twice as hard. Got half the credit.
And still feel like you’re waiting for permission to really live.
You’re not broken. You’re conditioned.
From the moment we could walk, we were trained to be good girls: agreeable, accommodating, pleasing, perfect.
But that script? It’s exhausting - and it’s not your truth.
You’re not here to play small, make everyone comfortable, or dim your brilliance.
You’re here to lead your life like you own it.
This is your invitation to Rise Above.
To remember who you are beneath the people-pleasing.
To rebuild your self-trust.
To reclaim your fire.
And this time, we've given you a whole year to do it.
Rise Above isn't 'just a programme' - it's an enlightening experience that offers women a more authentic way of bringing their whole, messy and unapologetic selves into the world without the need for editing to ensure the comfort of others."
Lynne Stobbart
This isn’t “Leadership Coaching"
This is a full-system deprogramming.
A radical reset of your voice, your power, your presence.
Rise Above is a 12-month group programme for women ready to break free from Good Girl conditioning and lead their lives with grounded, rebellious self-trust.
This isn’t “just another leadership course.”
It’s self-liberation disguised as personal development.
By the end of Rise Above, you'll:
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Speak up without shrinking, spiralling, or second-guessing
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Say no without guilt (and mean it)
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Set boundaries that actually hold
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Lead with confidence that's grounded, not performative
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Become so rooted in your self-worth, you're unfuckwithable
(The first cohort quit jobs that were quietly destroying them, started the healthiest relationships of their lives, and stopped waiting for permission to take up space. Just so you know what we mean by "unfuckwithable.")
"I realised how deeply ingrained patriarchy is in every aspect of life - and being with others reframed that for me. I no longer see myself as broken, but as an equal and integral part of an amazing group."
Lorna Watkinson
How Rise Above Came to Be
Rise Above didn't start with a business plan. It started with a word. I was watching a recording of a session on the story of Medusa that my brilliant book wing-woman, Ceryn Rowntree, was delivering, when one word exploded out of the screen at me. Unfuckwithable. I had been looking for the missing piece for the end of my book - what we were aiming for. What was the opposite of a 'Good Girl'? The thing that sat before all the Good Girl Deprogramming work. The foundation. The destination. The reason any of this matters. And there it was. Not "confident." Not "empowered." Not "resilient." Not any of the words we use to describe women who have finally stopped apologising for existing. Unfuckwithable. "When you are truly at peace and in touch with yourself, and nothing anyone says or does bothers you, and no negativity or drama can touch you." (From The Urban Dictionary, a totally valid dictionary). That is what we are working towards. Not a performance. Not a persona. Not a version of ourselves that is acceptable enough, polished enough, or good enough for the room. The real thing. The underneath thing. The woman who was always there before the conditioning got to her. From that word, a framework built itself. Nine stages. A complete map of the journey from Good Girl Conditioning to sovereign self-leadership. R.I.S.E. A.B.O.V.E. R — Recognise Good Girl Conditioning I — Involve Others S — Self-Compassion E — Empower Your Voice A — Authenticity B — Build Resistance O — Own Your Power V — Value Yourself E — Evolve This is not a random collection of personal development topics. It is a deliberate, sequenced journey, built on psychology, feminist theory, and the lived experience of working with hundreds of women, that takes you from recognising the conditioning all the way to evolving beyond it and helping others do the same. Rise Above is that framework, lived. Over twelve months. With other women doing it alongside you. Because the research is clear and my experience confirms it: this work is possible alone, but it is faster, deeper, and more lasting in community. The first cohort proved it. So we gave the next one more time to let it work. One more thing worth knowing. The name Rise Above is not an instruction to transcend your circumstances or be better than your pain. It is an acronym. A roadmap. A complete description of exactly what we do together. R.I.S.E. A.B.O.V.E. Every session, every tool, every conversation - all of it maps onto this framework. Which means by the time you reach the end of twelve months, you will not just have done a programme. You will have lived a complete deprogramming journey. From the woman who was taught to be good. To the woman who decided to be real. That is Rise Above.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Rise Above is for the woman who knows she’s meant for more.
More impact, more freedom, more truth, but keeps getting stuck in the script she was handed.
Meet the women already packing their bags for this journey…
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Is this you?
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You’ve been labelled “too emotional”, “too quiet”, “too much”
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You say yes when you mean no
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You’re tired of shrinking to fit rooms you were never meant to be small in
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You know you’re powerful, but something keeps getting in the way
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You ache for a community of women who get it
If you just nodded so hard your head nearly fell off…
You’re in the right place.
"Words cannot express how much being on the Good Girl Deprogramming journey has meant to me. Everyone should sign up for all that you have to offer. It is truly life-changing."
Yvette
"Michelle brings warmth and honesty to everything she does. She isn't afraid of naming the gendered roles we play and the ways these keep women down. She has a knack for bringing women together to laugh, challenge ourselves, celebrate each other and generally drop the crap and be more real. I love her work and the women around her."
Hanne
The Rise Above Journey
We meet monthly from 9th September 2026 to September 2027 (with Christmas, Spring, and Summer breaks and integration time built in throughout).
We repeat each session twice - to accommodate different time zones - 09:00-11:00 and 20:00-22:00 (UK). You can come to whichever session works for you (or both, or keep switching).
2026/27 Timetable available now.
Each workshop guides you through a radical reset of how you see yourself, your voice, and your power.
All workshops are recorded so you can watch live or catch up whenever it suits your life.
Between each session, you'll have dedicated Implementation Sessions - structured time to work through your workbooks, bed in the learning, and actually use what you're discovering. Not homework. Not optional extras. Built-in breathing space, because insight without practice is just very expensive journaling.
1. Goals That Actually Belong to You
We begin by scrapping the shoulds. You’ll clarify what you actually want, in work, life, leadership, and build a bold, aligned vision that’s yours alone.
2. Spotting the Good Girl Script
You can’t break free from what you can’t see. This session shines a light on the sneaky rules you’ve been taught to follow, and gives you permission to rewrite them.
3. Building a Support Squad
We’re not meant to do this alone. You’ll build a circle of allies who reflect your power, not your doubts, and learn how to ask for (and receive) support without guilt.
4. Emotional Resilience for Real Life
This isn’t about being “strong.” It’s about staying rooted when life, work, or people-pleasing pressure hits. You’ll build tools for navigating the mess and staying whole.
5. Saying What Needs to Be Said
From awkward conversations to high-stakes meetings, we’ll help you find your voice, speak your truth, and stop shrinking to protect other people’s comfort.
6. Dropping the Mask (And Keeping Your Power)
No more performing, perfecting, or pretending. This is about leading from who you really are, messy, brilliant, bold, not the version you think they want.
7. Handling Criticism Without Crumbling
We don’t sugar-coat it: being visible brings opinions. You’ll learn how to deal with pushback, judgment and “feedback” without losing your centre.
8. Claiming Your F*cking Throne
Own your space. Own your brilliance. This session is your permission slip to stop playing small and start showing up like the leader you already are.
9. Valuing Your Time, Voice, and Energy
Boundaries aren’t rude, they’re revolutionary. You’ll learn to honour your limits, protect your energy, and stop bleeding value just to keep the peace.
10. Uplifting Without Overgiving
You can lift others without losing yourself. We’ll explore how to lead with generosity, not martyrdom, and model what real, boundaried support looks like.
11. Future-You Isn’t Asking for Permission
We start building from the future you want, not the past you’re escaping. What’s next isn’t a mystery. It’s a decision. Let’s map it out.
12. You Did It. We Celebrate. We Rise.
We end with celebration, integration, and rising together. Because your evolution deserves to be witnessed. And your story’s just getting started.
"Being in the community of women and having regular sessions is creating a different story in my head, and a different 'normal'. It matters what and who you listen to every day. I like the witchy world we're creating - it feels more in sync with what I actually experience."
Alex
"I joined Rise Above to unpick where Good Girl Conditioning was holding me back, both personally and professionally. Alongside Michelle's thought-provoking insights and well-curated sessions, I gained acceptance into a community of whole-hearted, non-judgemental, powerful, ambitious women from all spheres who will change the world for the good of us all. This programme is about much more than skills - it's embracing the sense of power that comes from women supporting women without following the rules we've been taught our whole lives."
Claire Thomas
WHAT YOU GET
Rise Above is not a standalone programme. It's the full journey, everything you need, in the right order, held in community
THE THREE STAGES
🌱 Foundations (worth £297 — included)
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Six sessions to understand where the conditioning came from, why it made sense, and how to stop turning it against yourself.
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This is where the self-blame starts to dissolve. Where exhaustion gets named for what it is. Where you build enough psychological safety to do the deeper work.
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You don't need to have done anything before this. It's designed to be your starting point.
🔑 The 7 Keys (worth £444 — included)
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Seven recorded sessions to practise doing things differently - in real life, at real pace, without turning growth into another performance.
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Boundaries that don't collapse under pressure. A voice that speaks before the moment passes. Choices made from clarity rather than obligation.
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Not theory. Practice.
🔥 Rise Above — the 12-month group container
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Twelve transformational workshops. Monthly group coaching. A private community of women doing this work alongside you.
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This is where everything integrates. Where the understanding becomes embodied. Where you stop knowing what you want to change and start actually changing it, with other women who get it, in real time.
EVERY PLACE INCLUDES
No matter how you join, here's what's in your Rise Above experience:
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12 x 2-hour Rise Above workshops - morning and evening options, with Foundations and The 7 Keys woven throughout
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12 x Implementation Sessions - dedicated time to work through your workbooks and actually bed the learning in. Not homework. Built in.
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Monthly group coaching sessions with Michelle
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Workbooks, reflection tools, and integration prompts after every session
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The Good Girl Deprogramming Community app - your dedicated space to connect, share, and stay in the work between sessions. No fluff, no shame, just truth.
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Lifetime access to future Rise Above cohorts - come back any September, for free, for as long as we run it
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Eat the Frog co-working sessions, twice a week - Monday 08:30–10:30 and Friday 15:00–17:00 UK. Show up, state your one thing, and do it. In the company of other women doing theirs.
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Support from Michelle Minnikin - Chartered Organisational Psychologist, author, and joyful feminist mischief-maker
Sophie Meaney
"Being liberated by a compassionate community you can totally trust."
Lynne
"The sense of comfort, calm, acceptance and support I felt as soon as I logged into the session was 100% the opposite to the feelings I'd had in the director's meeting earlier that day."
Nancy
"The most impactful programme I've had the privilege of being part of in nearly 5 years."
THE EVIDENCE - WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGED
Rise Above is unusual in the personal development space. It measures its own impact.
Every participant completes the Good Girl Scorecard at the start, midpoint, and end of the programme. Here's what the data from Cohort 1 showed.
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27% average reduction in Good Girl Conditioning scores
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16 of 18 participants improved their measured score
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36pp biggest individual score reduction
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100% would recommend or do it again
The biggest shifts were in the areas most directly linked to burnout, boundary failure, and suppressed voice - Exhaustion & Overwhelm, Shoulds & Boundaries, and Self-doubt & Self-blame.
Not skills being practised. Patterns being dismantled.
And then there's what actually happened in their lives.
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She asked for the pay rise. She got £47,500 more. Per year.
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She quit the project of doom. She's fine. Better than fine.
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She set the boundary with her family - the one she'd rehearsed in her head a hundred times. She said it. They didn't like it. She didn't collapse. That's new.
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She made a public commitment to stand as a parliamentary candidate.
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She started the healthiest relationship of her life.
This is not anecdote. This is data - and these are real women, real lives, real change.
Download the full Rise Above 2026 brochure here - including the complete impact data, session schedule, and everything you need to make your decision.
YOUR GUIDE
I'm Michelle Minnikin - Chartered Organisational Psychologist, author, and recovering Good Girl.
I created Rise Above because I spent decades being very good at following the rules - and it cost me more than I'm prepared to admit on a sales page.
I've read the research. I've lived the conditioning. I've done the deprogramming work myself, messily and imperfectly, and I've spent twenty years helping women understand why they feel the way they feel - and what to do about it.
This isn't about fixing you.
You were never broken.
It's about understanding the system that trained you to believe you were, and deciding, finally, that you're done playing by its rules.
I'll walk alongside you for twelve months. Not as a guru. Not as someone who has it all figured out.
As someone who knows exactly what it costs to be good - and what it feels like to stop.
But what if...
“I’ve tried things like this before… and nothing really changed.”
That’s because they were trying to fix you.
We’re not.
We’re here to free you.
This isn’t a mindset tweak. It’s a liberation mission.
“I can’t take on one more thing.”
That’s exactly why you need this.
Burnout isn’t solved by another spreadsheet or podcast.
It’s solved by reclaiming your time, your voice, and your no.
“What if my work won’t support it?”
We’ve got you, keep reading. There’s a whole section on that.
Still not sure? Let Yvette tell you.
"The tools and deeply healing sisterhood you need to break free from always being the 'good girl' - and start showing up as the person you truly want to be, more often. If you're ready to do the work, the growth and transformation you can experience here are worth way more than you will pay."
Elizabeth Sturdy
"Expect brutal truths, anger, tears and what might feel like big, scary change. However, in exchange for all this you'll see with clearer vision who you need to be. You are worth the investment of your own time, focus and energy."
Pam Avornyo
The Investment
This is not a course you'll forget in a month.
It's twelve months of deep, radical, life-shifting transformation - the kind that changes how you lead, relate, and show up in the world.
And it comes with everything you need to do the work properly.
What's Included
Rise Above is the complete journey. Not a starting point.
When you join, you don't need to have done anything else first. Foundations, The 7 Keys, and all twelve Rise Above workshops are woven into one full year - sequenced deliberately, built on psychology, feminist theory, and the lived experience of working with hundreds of women.
🔥 Rise Above - the 12-month group container
Twelve transformational workshops. Twelve implementation sessions. Monthly group coaching. The Good Girl Deprogramming Community app. Lifetime access to future cohorts.
Together, this is the complete R.I.S.E. A.B.O.V.E. journey - from recognising the conditioning to becoming unfuckwithable.
Or spread the investment:
Go All In
Bundle Rise Above with 12 private 1:1 coaching sessions with Michelle.
One session a month. The programme and your own personal deprogramming journey, running in parallel for the full year.
Or spread the investment:
(For context: 12 x 1:1 coaching sessions with Michelle would normally cost £4,800. The programme alone is £4,000. Go All In gives you both for £6,444 - a saving of £2,356. That's not a pricing error. It's what happens when someone genuinely wants you in the room.)
This isn't a one-time transaction. It's a long-term invitation into a growing community of women leading with authenticity and courage.
If the fee is a genuine financial barrier, the Elizabeth Lembke Scholarship offers four fully funded places. See below for details.
PAY IN FULL BONUS
Pay in Full Bonus (worth £1,100)
Because we want to reward the women who back themselves completely.
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60-min 1:1 Kick-Off Call with Michelle (worth £300)
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2 x CliftonStrengths Sessions with my partner in business and life, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, James Eves - exploring not just your strengths, but how they may have been quietly reinforcing your Good Girl Conditioning (worth £800)
Go All In pay in full also includes a 90-min What's Next Strategy Session at the end of the programme (worth £500).
WHAT'S IN EVERY PLACE (summary)
No matter how you join:
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12 x 2-hour Rise Above workshops - morning and evening options, with Foundations and The 7 Keys woven throughout
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12 x Implementation Sessions - dedicated time to work through your workbooks and actually bed the learning in. Not homework. Built in.
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Monthly group coaching sessions with Michelle
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Workbooks, reflection tools, and integration prompts after every session
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The Good Girl Deprogramming Community app - your dedicated space to connect, share, and stay in the work between sessions
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Lifetime access to future Rise Above cohorts - come back any September, for free, for as long as we run it
COMING WITH A FRIEND
Doing this work is powerful.
Doing it together is next-level.
If you've got friends or colleagues who are ready to rise, bring them with you. Do the work in parallel. Hold each other accountable. Build a crew that keeps going long after the programme ends.
Get in touch to talk about group options.
Corporate cohorts are welcome too - we also have a version of this programme designed specifically for organisations. Find out more here.
WANT YOUR ORGANISATION TO PAY?
Good Girl Deprogramming is not fluff. It’s workplace-critical.
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Women who go through Rise Above:
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Speak up more powerfully in meetings
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Lead with confidence and resilience
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Are less likely to burn out or people-please their way into silence
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Bring more honesty, innovation, and courage to their teams
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This is real leadership development, rooted in truth, emotional intelligence and self-trust.
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Want a helpful template to ask your organisation to fund your place?
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We’ve got one ready, you'll find it here.
"I am not broken. It is not just me. It is not my fault. I need feel no shame. Now we are rising collectively. We are strong, kind, capable, powerful, beautiful women - just as we are."
Pamela Avornyo, Head of Organisational Development
THE ELIZABETH LEMBKE SCHOLARSHIP
Four fully funded places on Rise Above 2026. Total Value £16,000
This scholarship exists because of Elizabeth Lembke - an American organisational psychologist, a brilliant, generous force, and one of the best women I've ever known. She co-created the space where Good Girl Deprogramming was born. She passed away in 2025.
This is not a partial bursary or a discount. It is a full place. The same programme, the same community, the same experience as every other woman in the cohort - at no cost to the recipient.
It's for women for whom the Rise Above programme fee represents a genuine financial barrier. We're not asking you to prove or justify your circumstances at length. We're asking you to be honest with us about where you are, and to tell us why Rise Above matters to you right now. That is enough.
Applications close 1 July 2026.
Apply for a scholarship place - email michelle@deprogramming.company with the subject line Elizabeth Lembke Scholarship.
If you're in a position to fund a place for someone else, we'd love to hear from you too. Email michelle@deprogramming.company with the subject line Fund a Scholarship Place.
This is for you if...
You’re done with self-doubt, smallness, and shape-shifting to stay safe.
You’re ready to lead your life like you own it.
Rise Above is for you if…
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You’re exhausted from performing confidence instead of feeling it
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You want to stop pretending, posturing, and smiling through the discomfort and start leading from your truth.
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You’re ready to speak up, even if your voice shakes
You’ve stayed quiet for too long. Now? You want your voice back, and your spine, too.
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You know there’s more to you, and you’re ready to meet her
The version of you who sets boundaries without guilt. Who owns her space. Who leads without asking for permission.
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You crave a circle of women who get it
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Not competition. Not cliques. But honest, powerful community where being too much is finally just enough.
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You’re not afraid of doing the work, as long as it’s real
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You want tools, not fluff. Depth, not surface. Liberation, not lip service.
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You’re ready to rise, and help others do the same
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Because when one woman breaks free, she creates space for everyone around her to rise too.
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If your whole body just said YES?
You’re more than ready. Let’s go.
This is not for you if...
We won’t sugar-coat it, this work is deep, disruptive, and utterly worth it. But it’s not for everyone.
Rise Above is not for you if…
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You want someone to fix you
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(Spoiler alert: you’re not broken.)
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This isn’t a rescue mission, it’s a reclamation.
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You’re committed to staying “nice” no matter the cost
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If keeping the peace always wins over telling your truth, this might feel uncomfortable.
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(That’s where the magic starts.)
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You’re not ready to challenge yourself, your beliefs, or the system
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This programme will ask you to get honest. With yourself, your patterns, and the world around you.
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You think empowerment means just working harder with a smile on your face
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We’re not here to add more to your to-do list, we’re here to burn the list down and write a new one your way.
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You’re looking for surface-level tips instead of deep transformation
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This isn’t about quick hacks or “five steps to confidence.”
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It’s a full-system shift, from who you’ve been told to be… to who you actually are.
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If this made you sweat a little but still feel seen, you’re probably ready.
What People Are Saying...
Yvette
"It will be the best investment you have ever made in yourself."
Lorna Watkinson
"Best time to do it was last year. Next best time is now. Do it. Take the leap."
Rachel Way
"Essential, life-changing, meaningful."
Sophie Meaney
"You will absolutely not regret it."
"Words cannot express how much being on the Good Girl Deprogramming journey has meant to me. Can't wait for all that is to come. Everyone should sign up for all that you have to offer. It is truly life-changing ❤️"
Yvette Allan, Cohort 1
Ready to rise?
Spots are limited. Your power is not.
Let’s make you unfuckwithable. Together.
