Building World-Class Leaders Through CORE Leadership Certification
Real world leadership, built under pressure.
CORE Leadership Model
About CORE Leadership Institute
CORE Leadership Institute exists to build leaders who can hold pressure without losing themselves.
Because performance without capacity is expensive. It costs culture, retention, execution, and decision quality. And it costs the leader’s health, relationships, and actual life.
We work with sole directors, founders, CEOs, and leadership teams to strengthen the inside out skills that decide everything under pressure: regulation, standards, communication, and accountability.
Our work blends neuroscience, behavioural psychology, behavioural insight, and practical frameworks that hold up in real life. We help leaders and teams move from:
- Reactivity to regulation
- Vague expectations to clear standards
- Avoidance to courageous conversations
- People pleasing to clean leadership
- Carrying everyone to accountable teams who step up
The result is not only a better business with more profit. It is a better leader. Clearer decisions. Cleaner boundaries. More capacity. More presence at home. More time, energy, and self-respect.
If you want calm authority, sustainable high performance, and a life that does not get sacrificed on the altar of success, you are in the right place.
Our Trainings
Silent Profit Leak Masterclass
Profit leaks don’t start with the numbers. They start when ownership is unclear.
In this practical 3-hour masterclass, you’ll learn how to create accountability without micromanagement, get lagging KPIs back on track, and confidently navigate what happens when performance expectations aren’t met.
Leave with proven frameworks, plug-and-play tools, and our Consequence Leaders Ladder so results are owned by the team, not carried by the leader.
Leadership Reset
Leadership gets heavier when everything depends on you.
In this practical 5-hour training, you’ll learn how to create more capacity, hold stronger boundaries, communicate with confidence, and make decisions without carrying the weight of everyone else’s expectations.
Leave with practical tools, leadership frameworks, and a clearer way of working that feels simpler, steadier, and more sustainable. More capacity. Better decisions. Less pressure.
Because leadership should create freedom, not consume it.
Our Programs
CORE Leadership Certification
Pressure-proof your leadership. Build the capacity, clarity, and skills to lead well under pressure. This CPD Certification is designed for Directors, senior managers, and emerging leaders ready to strengthen leadership, hold standards, and handle tough conversations with confidence.
CORE Leadership Ultimate
Ready for what’s next? This 12-month coaching program is for those who’ve completed the CORE Leadership Certification and are ready to go further. We blueprint and implement a Practice that is your design for
your version of success – lead with clarity, attract the right people, and create real impact without burning out.
Our CORE Values
Faith
Authenticity
Flexibility
Compaction
Fun
What our graduates have to say...
“…one of the most powerful personal development courses of my life – the CORE Leadership Program with Simonne Liley.
…I wanted to increase my capacity and resilience in challenging situations, and, without really knowing it at the time, be more happy in my work and life.
If you would like to learn how to overcome the many challenges you face using practical and proven strategies, learn more about yourself, and ultimately, be more happy, I cannot recommend this programme more strongly.”
“Insightful course that strengthened my leadership capability and confidence. Clear frameworks, great facilitation and immediate takeaways I could apply in my role. A valuable investment for any leader.”
“….I give 110% to everything and everyone which is exhausting.
Since completing I have found more time in my already busy life to prioritise things that are important, and I’ve learnt some valuable real-life tools to keep calm in the chaos.
I highly recommend Simonne and the program because the process skillfully highlights years of bad habits and patterns by explaining why they are no longer serving me and how to retrain my brain to fail fast and adjust.”
“I just wanted to say a huge thanks for all the support over the years. Simonne you are so down to earth and relatable and say what you think. Johno is built in that same mould too. You help make business fun, and the support & learnings from both of you and the team is awesome. As a sole practitioner I really enjoy the group sessions & bouncing off each other while also getting reassurance on some things, it also allows us to support & help each other.”
I highly recommend the course if you know you struggle with negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, procrastination and being present.Working with Simonne with her expert advise from lived experience makes it very relevant as well as learning some of the science behind our brain and mental fitness requirements (just like going to the gym!!).
Working with a group online, that I would never have met otherwise, all of us from different backgrounds and upbringings as also been a highlight and in only 8 short weeks we could physically sense how far we’ve all come. Let the sage rage!”
Lisa Lines
Director, Sidekick Queenstown
“…because I was struggling with finding my place in my new role as a director, as well as having much baggage carried along from a traumatic childhood and past relationship that I needed to come to terms with so I could move on. I would totally recommend this course for a number of reasons.
One Simonne is great at holding you accountable and making the whole thing seem like fun. Two, working with a group is amazing, the support and encouragement if you are willing to be vulnerable is awesome. Three, I have made so much progress, been much calmer and finding life as a whole much easier to deal with. If you are thinking of doing this – DO IT, it will be the most life changing experience ever!!”
Priscilla Amer
Director, Priscilla Amer CA
“Simonne is a wonderful person helping people in all area’s of their businesses. But for me and our Sidekick group this is particularly important as Accountants and Financial Advisors. I completed an 8 week Core Leadership and Mental Fitness course with Simonne which was beyond anything I was ever expecting. Truly life-changing.
Most recently Simonne presented a session for our Sidekick Directors on Getting Comfortable with Difficult Conversations. This was an amazing 4 hour session and everyone took so much away from it. So looking forward to working with Simonne into the future. She is so skilled at what she does!!”
Megan Cameron
Director, Sidekick Tasman
Lisa Lines
Director, Sidekick Queenstown
What our graduates have to say...
“…one of the most powerful personal development courses of my life – the CORE Leadership Program with Simonne Liley.
…I wanted to increase my capacity and resilience in challenging situations, and, without really knowing it at the time, be more happy in my work and life.
If you would like to learn how to overcome the many challenges you face using practical and proven strategies, learn more about yourself, and ultimately, be more happy, I cannot recommend this programme more strongly.”
Mark Jenkins
Director, The Gap
“Insightful course that strengthened my leadership capability and confidence. Clear frameworks, great facilitation and immediate takeaways I could apply in my role. A valuable investment for any leader.”
Craig Gardiner
CEO, SBA Group NZ
“….I give 110% to everything and everyone which is exhausting.
Since completing I have found more time in my already busy life to prioritise things that are important, and I’ve learnt some valuable real-life tools to keep calm in the chaos.
I highly recommend Simonne and the program because the process skillfully highlights years of bad habits and patterns by explaining why they are no longer serving me and how to retrain my brain to fail fast and adjust.”
Jancy Stott
Director, PKF Kerikeri
“…because I was struggling with finding my place in my new role as a director, as well as having much baggage carried along from a traumatic childhood and past relationship that I needed to come to terms with so I could move on. I would totally recommend this course for a number of reasons.
One Simonne is great at holding you accountable and making the whole thing seem like fun. Two, working with a group is amazing, the support and encouragement if you are willing to be vulnerable is awesome. Three, I have made so much progress, been much calmer and finding life as a whole much easier to deal with. If you are thinking of doing this – DO IT, it will be the most life changing experience ever!!”
Priscilla Amer
Director, Priscilla Amer CA
I highly recommend the course if you know you struggle with negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, procrastination and being present.Working with Simonne with her expert advise from lived experience makes it very relevant as well as learning some of the science behind our brain and mental fitness requirements (just like going to the gym!!).
Working with a group online, that I would never have met otherwise, all of us from different backgrounds and upbringings as also been a highlight and in only 8 short weeks we could physically sense how far we’ve all come. Let the sage rage!”
Tania-Rose Tamati
CEO, Ake Accounting
Lisa Lines
Director, Sidekick Queenstown
“…because I was struggling with finding my place in my new role as a director, as well as having much baggage carried along from a traumatic childhood and past relationship that I needed to come to terms with so I could move on. I would totally recommend this course for a number of reasons.
One Simonne is great at holding you accountable and making the whole thing seem like fun. Two, working with a group is amazing, the support and encouragement if you are willing to be vulnerable is awesome. Three, I have made so much progress, been much calmer and finding life as a whole much easier to deal with. If you are thinking of doing this – DO IT, it will be the most life changing experience ever!!”
Priscilla Amer
Director, Priscilla Amer CA
“Simonne is a wonderful person helping people in all area’s of their businesses. But for me and our Sidekick group this is particularly important as Accountants and Financial Advisors. I completed an 8 week Core Leadership and Mental Fitness course with Simonne which was beyond anything I was ever expecting. Truly life-changing.
Most recently Simonne presented a session for our Sidekick Directors on Getting Comfortable with Difficult Conversations. This was an amazing 4 hour session and everyone took so much away from it. So looking forward to working with Simonne into the future. She is so skilled at what she does!!”
Megan Cameron
Director, Sidekick Tasman
Lisa Lines
Director, Sidekick Queenstown
Our Clients
Our Clients
