An open programme helping LGBTQ+ professionals progress with confidence and purpose

Breaking Barriers: An Open Training programme supporting LGBTQ+ professionals to grow with confidence and purpose.

Delivered Online - in partnership with Pride in Leadership.

Great empowering experience

I could not recommend this programme enough - the space we were given as a group to connect and challenge our own biases as well as have vulnerable and open conversations around where we want to get to and action we can take was incredible and so so valuable.

Inspirational and affirming.

Affirming, supportive space that left me feeling bolder.

It's different to other Leadership courses because it brings a queer lens to the issues we face as LGBTQ+ professionals in the workplace.

Would recommend to anyone!

Most LGBTQ+ professionals report facing some barriers to their career progression. Pride in Leadership’s national Barriers to LGBTQ+ Career Progression report, based on insights from over 1,000 people across the UK, found that 85% had experienced at least one major barrier – from lack of confidence to experiences of bias and exclusion. More than half said being LGBTQ+ had shaped their career choices, often prioritising comfort over ambition. Confidence, courage and authenticity emerged as the key factors influencing progression.

Breaking Barriers turns those findings into action. This open, online training programme gives LGBTQ+ professionals the space, skills and confidence to progress their careers with authenticity and purpose. Drawing directly on the data, it explores the challenges many LGBTQ+ people face at work and equips participants to navigate organisational systems, build confidence, strengthen networks and thrive.

Participants can attend individual sessions or complete the full programme to gain a Certificate of Achievement.

All participants are also encouraged to continue their journey through the Pride in Leadership Mentoring platform, a free national mentoring network that connects LGBTQ+ professionals and allies across sectors. You can join Pride in Leadership for free here.

Watch Briony’s video.

Who is it for?

This programme is for LGBTQ+ professionals at any stage of their career; whether you are self-employed, work in a large organisation, or are just planning your next step.

You don’t need to see yourself as a “leader” to benefit. The focus is on confidence, clarity and connection: helping you find your own version of progress and success.

Programme at a glance

  • Overcoming barriers to career progression
    Understanding how identity and experience shape ambition, courage and confidence.

  • How to strive for greatness and avoid mediocrity
    Raising your sights, embracing stretch and building leadership habits rooted in clarity and purpose.

  • Building healthy work connections
    Creating professional relationships and networks that support visibility, advocacy and opportunity.

  • Becoming a powerful LGBTQ+ person of influence
    Recognising your power, strengthening communication and learning how to influence authentically.

Participants will also be encouraged to continue their development through the PIL Mentoring Platform, with enhanced confidence and increased determination to succeed.

Timings

These are the timings of our current programme (which you can still join). We will run more dates in Autumn time.

  • Overcoming barriers to career progression | Tuesday 10 November | 9.30am – 12.30pm

  • How to strive for greatness and avoid mediocrity | Tuesday 17 November | 9.30am – 4pm

  • Building healthy work connections | Wednesday 25 November | 11am – 12.30pm

  • Becoming a powerful LGBTQ+ person of influence | Tuesday 1 December | 9.30am – 4pm

Format and schedule

  • 100% online

  • Cohort starts in November 2026

  • Limited to 20 participants per session

  • Attend individual sessions or complete all four taught elements for a

    Certification of Achievement

Join our cohort

Places are limited to 20 per session.

This is your invitation to invest in yourself, connect with others and take the next step in your career with confidence and pride. Email claire@onthelevelconsultancy.com to book your place.

Illustration of a diverse group of three people, with a woman breaking through a brick wall, symbolizing empowerment and progress, as a yellow arrow points upward behind them.
A man in a business shirt and tie, wearing glasses, sitting at a table engaged in conversation with a woman with long hair in a patterned top. They are in an office or meeting room with a whiteboard covered in colorful sticky notes behind them, and a window with a plant outside.

The five programme elements

  • Half day, online

    Career development is about more than skill. For many LGBTQ+ professionals, progression is shaped by confidence, visibility and lived experience.

    Drawing on Pride in Leadership’s report, this workshop looks more deeply at how our experiences as LGBTQ+ people influence ambition, courage and self-belief. It considers how identity shapes our instinct to challenge norms, our sense of deserving success and our willingness to be seen.

    The session also draws on ideas from Travis Alabanza, David Whyte and Alan Downs, encouraging reflection on the stories we carry about success and belonging, and how to write new ones.

    You will:

    • Identify how your personal history has shaped your confidence and ambition

    • Explore what it means to put your head above the parapet

    • Examine the balance between systemic barriers and personal agency

    • Build strategies to strengthen courage, visibility and self-trust

  • Full day, online

    Many LGBTQ+ professionals choose safety rather than stretch, often due to fears around bias, visibility or perception. This session invites you to raise your sights and redefine what great leadership looks like for you.

    You will explore how to lead with clarity, purpose and authenticity, and how to cultivate a culture of accountability that drives excellence in yourself and those around you.

    You will:

    1. Review and refine your leadership style

    2. Identify traits of mediocre leadership and how to avoid them

    3. Explore the benefits of authentic and purposeful leadership

    4. Learn how to build a culture of accountability and excellence

  • 90 minutes, online

    Relationships shape careers. Yet the Pride in Leadership report found that many LGBTQ+ professionals feel excluded from traditional networking spaces such as sports, pubs and informal “boys’ club” circles. At the same time, connections with other LGBTQ+ colleagues were often described as faster to build, more genuine and “a superpower”.

    This session helps you understand these dynamics and build a balanced professional network that supports your visibility, advocacy and progression.

    You will:

    • Reflect on your current network and spot gaps

    • Understand why some relationships feel easier than others

    • Learn strategies for building trust and advocacy

    • Create a practical networking action plan

  • Full day, online

    LGBTQ+ professionals in positions of influence can shape culture, challenge norms and create more inclusive environments. Yet many underestimate their influence, or find their voice less readily heard compared with heterosexual and cisgender peers.

    This masterclass helps you recognise and embrace your power, communicate with confidence and influence others effectively. You will explore your personal power sources, strengthen interpersonal impact and learn how to use your voice to drive positive change.

    You will:

    1. Recognise the opportunities and responsibilities that come with influence

    2. Understand your power sources and how to use them effectively

    3. Strengthen communication and interpersonal skills to build trust

    4. Build a network of support and advocacy

    5. Lead with confidence, authenticity and power

  • Ongoing

    The report identified mentoring as a critical missing piece for LGBTQ+ professionals. Many said that mentoring with other LGBTQ+ leaders would significantly improve confidence, career clarity and leadership readiness, yet few workplaces provide it.

    The Pride in Leadership Mentoring platform was created to fill that gap. It is a national online network connecting LGBTQ+ professionals and allies across sectors and career stages. Participants can use it to find mentors, offer support to others and build lasting professional relationships.

    While access to the platform is free to everyone, this programme gives participants the insight and confidence to make the most of it — helping them to enter mentoring conversations with clear goals, authenticity and self-awareness.

    You will:

    • Gain access to a free national LGBTQ+ mentoring network

    • Build confidence to seek and offer mentoring effectively

    • Continue developing skills, networks and leadership ambition

    • Stay connected with a community of peers long after the programme ends

Pricing

Further reductions for those in the charity sector and self-funders. Get in touch to find out more.

Join the cohort NOW

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Join the cohort NOW *

This is your invitation to invest in yourself, connect with others and take the next step in your career with confidence and pride.

Book your place now. Email claire@onthelevelconsultancy.com