About Mark Tapnack
Who this is for
This work is for people who are outwardly capable but inwardly under strain. You may be: • Carrying leadership responsibility in uncertain or demanding systems and seeking leadership coaching. • Facing burnout, difficult decisions, or a loss of meaning at work, and in need of effective burnout support. • At a professional or personal crossroads where old certainties no longer hold. • Functioning well but sensing something needs to be thought about rather than pushed through. Many of my clients are senior professionals, including senior managers, partners, founders, and clinicians, who do not want therapy but desire depth and seriousness in their journey.
How I work
I offer confidential, reflective conversations that provide burnout support and help senior professionals navigate clear thinking under pressure.
This is:
• Not therapy
• Not performance coaching
• Not motivational or solution-driven
Instead, the work creates space to think carefully about:
• Decision-making without guarantees
• Burnout, limits, and responsibility
• Authority, guilt, and expectation
• Meaning, work, and survival in uncertain times
The pace is deliberate. There are no formulas. The aim is not optimisation, but clarity, steadiness, and more liveable ways of carrying responsibility, particularly in the realm of leadership coaching.
Ways of working with me
1:1 reflective coaching
Ongoing or time-limited work for individuals seeking a confidential space to reflect on work, leadership, and life under pressure. This approach includes leadership coaching tailored for personal growth and development.
Sessions typically last 60–75 minutes and are offered in structured blocks.
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Small group programmes
I run occasional small groups (6–8 participants) for professionals and leaders focused on thinking, meaning, and decision-making in uncertain conditions. These sessions can also provide burnout support, fostering a supportive environment for shared experiences.
Groups run for a fixed period and offer a contained, serious space for shared reflection.
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Organisational work
I occasionally collaborate with organisations through:
• Short leadership programmes
• Workshops on burnout, decision-making, and authority
• Confidential coaching for senior professionals, focusing on their unique challenges and growth.
This work is selective and relationship-based.
About
My background includes postgraduate training in psychoanalytic theory and several years of clinical work in liaison psychiatry within the NHS, where I collaborated closely with professionals facing acute psychological and organisational pressure. I now offer burnout support, leadership coaching, and senior professionals coaching independently to individuals, groups, and organisations. My approach is shaped by psychoanalytic and existential thinking, expressed in plain language and grounded in real working lives. I work discreetly, carefully, and without diagnostic labels. I am based in South Africa and provide services both locally and online.