A six-week program for humanitarians asking, What Now?
The funding dried up.
The contract ended.
Reality is setting in.
What now?
What Now? is a six-week program hybrid coaching program for humanitarians who are leaving the sector, staying in it differently, or just done pretending they know which one it is.
It is the only program of its kind that brings together an expert with over 20 years in education, identity and life transitions, with an executive coach with nearly 16 years of humanitarian and UN experience.
You don’t have to know what’s next to join.
We’ll start where you are and make space for what else might be possible.
Confidentiality is part of the program.
We’ll establish clear group agreements so you can speak honestly in a safe, respectful space.
No obligation to pay until the cohort is confirmed.
You’ll hear from us within 48 hours with the next steps.
We start with you.
Before the job hunt, the CV, or the next interview.
Whether you're already applying for jobs or haven't started looking, this work gives you space to think about what you actually want your next step to be so it is grounded in more than your impressive CV.
How the program works
A rhythm that gives change somewhere to land.
In 450 minutes, this course follows a deliberate sequence combining interactive group sessions focusing on the science of identity and transitions followed by private coaching, designed to turn reflection into a real, practical sense of direction.
Group sessions
Every other week, 90 minutes with peers who get it.
5pm CET (9am EST) - Talk through what you're experiencing, not just theory, with a small group that understands the context without you having to explain it.
One-to-one sessions
60 minutes, just you and your coach.
Untangle your own situation with someone who knows the sector and can help you hear what matters underneath the noise.
Alternating pace
Group, then private, then group again.
There is space to apply what you are discovering between group sessions instead of forcing immediate conclusions.
Built-in checkpoints
Each session builds on the last.
By the end, you will leave with greater clarity, personalized next steps, and peer support from the group and your facilitators.
Clarity about identity, transferable strengths, and the next honest step makes CV writing, job applications and interview prep more coherent.
A structured space for what comes next
Six weeks.
Three shared conversations.
Three individual sessions.
What Now? is the only coaching program that combines applied transition psychology, narrative approaches, guided peer reflection, and individual coaching for humanitarians who have spent years or even decades putting the mission, organization, or role before themselves.
This program exists to help you work through three questions that most transition advice skips straight past:
Who am I beyond my role?
Separate your sense of self from the role, title, and mission you served. Ground your identity in something other than the sector that doesn't always love you back.
What am I carrying forward?
Name the judgment, skills, and hard-won capabilities you can carry beyond this context. These are the parts of you that remain valuable, even when the context doesn't.
What comes next?
Turn reflection into a real, practical sense of direction. Not a five-year plan, but an honest next step.
For humanitarians who are: leaving, staying in it differently, or not sure which one they are yet.
The difference: two expert lenses. One commitment to help you move forward
Built specifically at the intersection of transition psychology and humanitarian work, What Now? combines decades of research on identity, adaptation and loss, with individualized coaching from a former UN officer.
Led by an expert in identity and life transitions and a former humanitarian officer turned executive coach.
One of them can tell you why it feels this way. The other has felt it, navigated it, and now coaches others in the same position.
Keith Gissubel, PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate, Applied Psychology · Researcher, teacher, facilitator
Keith is a researcher, speaker, and educator focused on identity, self-regulation, and adaptation during major life transitions. With over 20 years in teaching and performance, he brings a rigorous, research-grounded lens to what happens in the brain and the sense of self when a defining role ends.
Felicia Byrne, CPCC, ACC
Former UNHCR Officer · Executive coach
Felicia spent nearly 16 years inside humanitarian operations, leading multinational teams, coordinating emergency response and managing stakeholders under pressure. After weathering the disorientation of leaving the UN system, she now coaches humanitarian professionals navigating funding cuts, restructuring and career uncertainty as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC).
still have questions before you decide?
Founding cohort
A small group of people who understand exactly what it means when the work that shaped you is no longer there.
Individualized support to structure your path toward what comes next.
A transparent founding cohort
This is the first time we are running the program together, so there are no testimonials to borrow nor will we make them up.
We are building this program with care, curiosity and accountability. Your feedback will help shape what comes next.
Enrollment investment
$450*
Early-bird discount for enrollment before 1 October 2026
$600
Enrollment open until 9 October 2026 or until cohort is full
12 participants maximum · Minimum 5 to run
We'll confirm whether the cohort is going ahead and send you the payment details. Your place is confirmed once payment is received.