Lumminos Coaching

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Lumminos Coaching

Lumminos is a full-service coaching consultancy founded in 2007 by Julia Kerr Henkel.

Lumminos was founded in 2008 by Julia Kerr, an ICF accredited integral coach and change management consultant with 17 years experience with blue chip organizations in the sectors of financial services, manufacturing, FMCG, telecoms, media and pharmaceuticals. She is an active contributor to any project, conversation, key note address or debate relating to her area of inspiration: Transition

11/08/2026

Is it a YES… or just a nod?

As leaders, we make decisions every day. We say yes to projects, priorities, people, opportunities and expectations.

But is it a whole body YES?

A whole body yes often comes from alignment between three powerful sources of information:

• HEAD — Does it make logical sense?
• HEART — Am I genuinely connected to and committed to it?
• GUT — Does something deeper tell me, “This is right”?

When your head, heart and gut are aligned, there’s often a sense of clarity, energy and groundedness – an overall bodily sense of well-being as you make a choice.

But sometimes what sounds like a YES is actually:

- “I don’t really want to, but I can’t say no.”
- “I’ll do it… if I get around to it.”
- “I’m saying yes because I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
- “Sure… but this definitely isn’t a priority.”

That’s the ‘Corporate Nod’.

And the cost of the Corporate Nod can be significant:
less authenticity, weaker commitment, hidden resistance and agreements that were never really agreements in the first place.

Before your next important “yes,” pause long enough to check whether it is a reflexive nod or a fully aligned commitment. Ask:

• Does my head agree?
• Does my heart engage?
• Does my gut feel settled?

If you’re not getting a whole body yes, give yourself permission to choose “not now,” “not this,” or simply “no.”

Because leadership isn’t about saying yes to everything.

It’s about having the courage and self-awareness to say YES to the right things.

What would change if you stopped giving Corporate Nods and started giving Whole Body YESes?

If this speaks to you, I’d be glad to explore it further with you.

Julia Kerr Henkel

07/08/2026

Ahead of Women's Day this Sunday...

I came across this simple reflection by Carolyn Warner (1930-2018: American educator, leadership speaker, politician and author), reminding us that leadership isn't about perfection - it's about being a real person. I call it flaw-some – flawed but awesome!

In a world that often tells women to be more, do more, or prove more, perhaps the greatest strength is simply showing up as yourself: imperfect, capable, and genuine.

Here’s to celebrating flaw-some women like you who lead with courage, compassion, and authenticity.

Happy Women's Day!

Julia Kerr Henkel

06/08/2026

Political Savvy: Influence without manipulation.

Ladies, what if your next big career move isn’t blocked by skill — but by discomfort with influence? Where are you staying quiet because influence and politics feels uncomfortable?

Many talented women I’ve worked with start off believing great work should speak for itself. Sometimes it does. But often, it needs a little help getting heard.

Workplace politics can feel messy. Manipulative. Even fake.

But political savvy is not about playing games. It is more about:

• Reading the room
• Building trust
• Understanding relationships
• Knowing how decisions get made
• Influencing authentically

The best leaders don’t ignore power dynamics. They understand them. Then they use that understanding wisely.

You don’t need to become louder, harder, or less authentically yourself.

You do need to make sure your voice, ideas, and contribution are visible.

Drop a comment below — and follow this Women’s Month August series for more on leading with political savvy, confidence, and integrity.

Julia Kerr Henkel

04/08/2026

Women’s Month kicks off with one powerful conversation: the one you have with yourself.

Before we can lead others confidently, we’ve got to get to know ourselves first.

Throughout Women's Month, take time to invest in your greatest asset: your self-awareness.

Here are four simple ways to build more self-awareness:

1. Find Your Spark
Pay attention to what lights you up and gives your work and life meaning. Think about what you dreamed of as a kid, what you might do if you had a week off, or that thing you love that most people don’t know about. For me, it’s a mini dance break or attending (yet another) Nia intensive training.

2. Recognise Your Strengths
Notice the gifts that make you uniquely valuable, instead of only focusing on what you still want to improve. And because it’s not always easy to see our own strengths, ask someone close to you what talents they notice in you. Of if you want to complete your Gallup Strengths Finder profile – let me know and I can sort that out for you.

3. Understand Your Motivation
Ask yourself what keeps you going. What drives your decisions, fuels your resilience, and helps you move forward? For some people, it’s connection. For others, it’s security, influence, or the chance to lead.

4. Take Intentional Action
Once you know your strengths, your motivation, and what you care about, it becomes easier to turn your passion into a plan. Real growth happens one intentional step at a time.

This Women’s Month, let’s celebrate women’s achievements, and the courage it takes to grow, reflect, and lead as ourselves.

Because when a woman truly knows herself, she doesn’t just change her own life — she gives others permission to do the same.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself that’s helped you become a stronger leader?

Julia Kerr Henkel

31/07/2026

Yesterday was the UN International Friendship Day... but perhaps friendship deserves more than just one day on the calendar.

The day may have passed, but the reminder remains.

Friendship isn't measured by how often we speak or how many photos we share. It's found in the people who check in, cheer us on, tell us the truth with kindness, and stand beside and behind us through every season.

Life gets busy, and it's easy to assume the people we value already know how much they mean to us. But appreciation is never wasted.

Some friends I only see a few times a year, but the bond never fades.

So, even though International Friendship Day was yesterday, why not send the message, make the call, set up the Zoom for those in far flung places, arrange the coffee, or like that fab song from the Golden Girls TV show* goes simply say, "Thank you for being a friend" (*artist: Andrew Gold)

Julia Kerr Henkel

30/07/2026

Tomorrow’s leaders are already among us. The real question: are you developing them?

I’ve seen this play out too many times: leadership development only starts once someone gets the title. By then, it’s possible you’ve already wasted years of potential — and they step into the role playing catch-up or worse, modelling poor behaviour they’ve seen around them.

The next wave of leaders needs more than technical know-how. They need nonjudgemental and neutral spaces, faces and places to build:

• Self-awareness
• Critical thinking
• Ethical decision-making
• Communication skills
• Resilience
• Collaboration across generations

The smartest ways to make that happen? Individual coaching and strategic mentoring.

The most impressive organisations I work with create cultures where experienced leaders become responsible corporate citizens who share hard-earned wisdom, and bring fresh ideas, digital confidence, and a healthy challenge to group thinking of “the way we’ve always done it.”

Imagine if leadership development wasn’t treated like a VIP pass for the chosen few — but became part of every person’s journey.

Developing the next generation isn’t just an investment in a person.
It’s how we build stronger organisations, stronger communities, and a future that doesn’t crack under pressure.

At Lumminos Coaching, we believe leadership isn’t a title you wait around to earn one day - it’s a capability we should be growing early, deliberately, and often.

The future won’t be shaped by the leaders we scramble to prepare tomorrow. It will be shaped by the young leaders we choose to back today.

What role is your organisation playing in developing the next generation of leaders?

Julia Kerr Henkel

28/07/2026

What are your compulsions costing you?

In a highly anxious time in my life a few years ago, I found myself on my hands and knees cleaning out the inside of my dishwasher with an old electric toothbrush. All of a sudden I saw myself hunched over with burning thighs and caught myself. What on earth are you doing? I realised my self-preservation instinct had gone into full firefighter mode and this was my only way of feeling in control when everything else felt it was wobbling.

Not all compulsions are obvious.

Sometimes they're hidden behind behaviours that have become habits (which might even be rewarded where you work) such as:

• Reaching for your phone the moment there's silence.
• Checking emails every few minutes.
• Always planning the next thing before celebrating the thing you’ve just accomplished.
• Working longer hours instead of carving out time to think big picture and maybe even truly feel deeper.
• Packing your diary with back-to-back meetings so there’s little time to daydream, have a break and eat a snack – all necessary for healthy brain function.

A compulsion is often our way of avoiding discomfort. But what if, instead of reacting or numbing that discomfort, you slowwwwed it all down for 2 minutes and became intentional and curious about what is really going on?

The next time you catch yourself in the act or feel the urge to act automatically, take a 2 min break and ask yourself:

• What am I trying not to feel?
• What is this discomfort trying to teach me?
• What would happen if I simply stayed present for one more minute? Then, what is really necessary right now?

Change doesn't come from eliminating every uncomfortable feeling. It comes from developing the capacity to sit with it, learn from it, and respond intentionally rather than react automatically.

Awareness is the first step towards freedom; however you define this.

Challenge: Identify your top three daily compulsions. For the next 30 days, choose one and simply notice it before acting and ask the questions posted above. You may be surprised by what you discover.

If you recognise yourself in this and would like support in going deeper and redirecting your energy, you know where to find me.

Julia Kerr Henkel

27/07/2026

Learn Fast or Get Left Behind: Why Learning Agility Defines Modern Leadership

Change doesn’t wait for leaders to feel ready and to have 100% understanding or technical expertise.

In the past 18 years of working with leaders, I’ve noticed that those who stay relevant are not the ones clinging to what they know. They are the ones who learn fast, unlearn faster, and stay curious when the pressure is on.

Learning agility in action involves this:

• Innovating – No longer clutching at the status quo. Finding a better, new way around the obstacle.
• Performing – Staying steady and focused on your ‘why’ and diligently working on the ‘how’.
• Reflecting – Being disciplined enough to pause and note learnings from both the wins and the messy bits.
• Risking – Stepping into discomfort and the unknown when there is no rule book.
• Avoiding defensiveness – Taking feedback and owning your part.

Leadership isn’t about being the person with 20/20 vision. It’s about becoming the person who can adapt when yesterday’s answers stop working.

Where do you need to get sharper as a leader?

Drop your answer in the comments or DM me to connect.

Julia Kerr Henkel

24/07/2026

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” — Epictetus

The most impressive leaders I work with aren’t the loudest ‘know-it-alls’ in the room. They’re the ones asking sharper questions, challenging their own assumptions, and refusing to get comfortable.

Why? Because they know they don’t know. They know they don’t have optics on it all. They know markets shift. Trends flip regularly. Tech, especially AI, updates weekly and they know that their perspective is only one dimension of their current understanding.

To keep tracking what’s changing, they flex and bend; not flipping and flopping on their values, but willingly being ready to unlearn, relearn and to have their minds changed as new data comes in.

What belief, skill, or comfort zone are you challenging this month? Share it below.

Julia Kerr Henkel

21/07/2026

Let’s drop the idea that memory loss is just something we must accept as we get older.

I’m 52 now and menopause is a reality for me, as it is for many women. It’s a stage of life, not a sentence. While “brain fog” is common, current evidence suggests menopause itself is not linked to faster cognitive decline. Taking care of your physical, mental and social wellbeing is still one of the best ways to support brain health.

Research keeps showing that our brains can adapt at any age. Yes, ageing can bring some changes, but our brains can still build new connections through learning, movement, and meaningful activities.

The big takeaway? Your everyday habits matter more than brain-training apps.

Learning a new hobby can give your brain the challenge it needs, firing up new neural pathways. Try something that asks you to think, move, connect or learn in a different way, such as:

• joining a dance class or taking up a new movement hobby;
• taking part in a bridge group or other strategy-based game;
• joining a book club that exposes you to a diverse range of books;
• learning a language, musical instrument or creative skill that stretches your usual routines; or
• experimenting with one new AI app to practice your questioning or prompting skills.

Work through the early stages of discomfort and frustration of not getting it to build your concentration, competence and confidence through practice. Progress over perfection.

The aim isn’t to keep your brain busy—it’s to keep it growing.

What’s one thing you do to keep your mind sharp? Share it below—I’m always keen to hear new ideas.

Julia Kerr Henkel

Address

Villa Lucia, 61 Wilton Avenue
Johannesburg
2191

Website

http://www.lumminos.co.za/

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