Rise Above: The Group Experience
A 7-Month Reclamation of Power, Voice & Self-Leadership
For women who are done being good.
And are ready to become unfuckwithable.
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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.
"I've learned more about myself in this short time than I have in my whole life. I am a completely different person because of it."
Alice Wilson, IT Business Analyst
This isn’t “Leadership Coaching"
This is a full-system deprogramming.
A radical reset of your voice, your power, your presence.
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Rise Above is a 7-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
"You will learn about the conditioning that has shaped your perspective and is quietly eroding your authority. You will learn how to free yourself from the systems and dynamics that benefit from your silence and free labour."
Sarah Milburn-Brown, Head of Claim Support and Control
How Rise Above Came to Be
Rise Above didn't start with a business plan.
It started with a word.
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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.
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Unfuckwithable.
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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.
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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
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A — Authenticity
B — Build Resistance
O — Own Your Power
V — Value Yourself
E — Evolve
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This is not a random collection of personal development topics.
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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.
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Rise Above is that framework, lived.
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Over seven months. With other women doing it alongside you.
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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.
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One more thing worth knowing.
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The name Rise Above is not an instruction to transcend your circumstances or be better than your pain.
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It is an acronym. A roadmap. A complete description of exactly what we do together.
R.I.S.E. A.B.O.V.E.
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Every session, every tool, every conversation - all of it maps onto this framework.
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Which means by the time you reach the end of seven months, you will not just have done a programme.
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You will have lived a complete deprogramming journey.
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From the woman who was taught to be good.
To the woman who decided to be real.
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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…
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.
The Rise Above Journey
We meet every two weeks from 9th September 2026 to 1st April 2027 (with a Christmas break and integration weeks every three modules).​
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We repeat each session twice - to accommodate different time zones - 09:00-11:00 and 18:00-20:00 (UK). You can come to whichever session works for you (or both, or keep switching).
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2026/27 Timetable Coming Soon.
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Each workshop guides you through a radical reset of how you see yourself, your voice, and your power.
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All workshops are recorded so you can watch live or catch up whenever it suits your life.
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.
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
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🌱 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.
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🔥 Rise Above — the 7-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
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No matter how you join, here's what's in your Rise Above experience:
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Foundations - 6 sessions (included)
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The 7 Keys - 7 sessions (included)
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12 x 2-hour Rise Above workshops - fortnightly, morning and evening options
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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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Private community space - 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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Support from Michelle Minnikin - Chartered Organisational Psychologist, author, and joyful feminist mischief-maker
Your Guide
Hi!
I’m Michelle Minnikin - psychologist, coach, author, and co-founder of The Deprogramming Company.
I created Rise Above to dismantle Good Girl Conditioning and help women step into Sovereign Self-Leadership.
My work blends the rigour of psychology with the liberation of joy, intuition, and rebellion - because leadership isn’t about fixing yourself, it’s about breaking free from the systems that hold you back.
With two decades of experience in leadership development, coaching, and organisational psychology, I’ll walk alongside you as you rise above.
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.
The Investment
This is not a course you'll forget in a month.
It's seven 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 IN EVERY PLACE
Rise Above is the full journey. Not a starting point.
That means when you join, you don't need to have done anything else first.
Everything is included:
🌱 Foundations (worth £297) Six sessions to understand the conditioning, remove the self-blame, and build the psychological safety to do the deeper work. This is where self-attack starts to dissolve.
🔑 The 7 Keys (worth £444) Seven sessions to practise doing things differently - in real life, at real pace, without turning growth into another performance.
🔥 Rise Above - the 7-month group container, twelve transformational workshops. Monthly group coaching. A private community of women doing this work alongside you. Lifetime access to future cohorts.
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Together, this is the complete R.I.S.E. A.B.O.V.E. journey - from recognising the conditioning to becoming unfuckwithable.
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You’ll also get free access to any future cohorts.
This isn’t a one-time transaction. It’s a long-term invitation into a growing community of women leading with authenticity and courage.
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Already done Foundations or The 7 Keys? You've already invested in this journey. Join Rise Above for £4,000 - get in touch, and we'll sort it. Email michelle@deprogramming.company
PAY IN FULL BONUS
Pay in Full Bonus (worth £1,100)
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60-min 1:1 Kick-Off Call with Michelle (worth £300)
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2 x CliftonStrengths Sessions with 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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Foundations - 6 sessions (included)
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The 7 Keys - 7 sessions (included)
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12 x 2-hour Rise Above workshops (morning + evening options)
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Monthly group coaching sessions
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Workbooks, reflection tools, integration prompts
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Private community space
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Lifetime access to future Rise Above cohorts​​​​
COMING WITH A FRIEND
Doing this work is powerful.
Doing it together is next-level.
If you’ve got colleagues or friends who are also ready to rise, why not do it as a pod?
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You’ll get:
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Shared support
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Better accountability
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And a crew to keep rising with, long after the programme ends
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Corporate cohorts are welcome too (we also have a version of this programme for corporates).
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​​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.​
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"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
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...
"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."
Pamela Avornyo, Head of Organisational Development
