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A field guide for people who work with people.
Coaches, HR, L&D, managers and leaders are increasingly being asked to work well, ethically and humanely at the edge of performance, pressure and declining mental health. How do they do this without burning out, becoming therapists, or carrying responsibility that isn’t theirs?
Supporting high-performing people under sustained pressure requires thinking, presence and judgement, especially when stress, lowered resilience and mental health concerns are involved. Few people are trained to work at these edges, where role boundaries are tested and sound judgement matters most.
Working at the Edges occupies a space most books avoid. It focuses on how we hold the work rather than what we do. It reminds us that natural physiological responses are just that: natural. And it celebrates our human ability to adapt and adjust to life with ease.
Anne Archer is an executive coach, coach supervisor, mentor and leadership practitioner who works at the intersection of performance, wellbeing and human connection. For more than two decades, she has helped leaders, coaches and organizations navigate the realities of working under pressure, particularly when stress, uncertainty, change and mental health challenges begin to affect performance, relationships and decision-making.
A former Vice President, consultant and senior manager, Anne has worked internationally throughout her career. Her experience includes leadership and consulting assignments in New York, Moscow and Astana, together with coaching, supervision and leadership development work across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, including Saudi Arabia and Singapore. This global perspective has given her a unique insight into the shared human challenges that sit beneath different cultures, industries and leadership environments.
Anne holds Master's degrees in both Leadership and Management Development and the Psychology of Wellbeing, combining deep academic understanding with extensive practical experience. She is also a Mental Health Advocate and trainer, suicide prevention facilitator and coach supervisor, with a particular interest in the space where coaching, performance and mental wellbeing intersect.
Much of Anne's work focuses on helping coaches and leaders remain effective when supporting people who are struggling at a threshold or edge. This can be a survival edge, a learning edge or a transformation edge. At each edge pressure impacts capacity, clarity and/or identity. She is passionate about equipping professionals to have conversations that are compassionate, psychologically informed and grounded in clear ethical boundaries, knowing both the power and limits of their role.
Drawing on a career spanning corporate leadership, international consulting, coaching, supervision and wellbeing practice, Anne brings a rare combination of commercial credibility, psychological insight and practical wisdom. Through Working at the Edges, she provides a framework for navigating the conversations no one trains us for, yet many of us find ourselves having every day.
Introduction
Part 1 Understanding the Edges
Where it all started
My Story
Conversations at the Edge
Working at the Edges
A survival edge
A learning edge
A transformation edge
Capacity
Clarity
Identity
A quick review
A continuum of thoughts and feelings
The Edge Map™
Working at the Edges Assessment Matrix
When we meet the Edges
Three types of Edge
What else is it helpful to be aware of?
Thriving at the Edges
Personal Foundations
Part 2 It starts with you
Why you matter more than your technique
Presence over performance
Capacity is the foundation
Your Stress Container
Tune up your early warning system
Know what you bring into the room
Control, Autonomy and the need to matter
Part 3 The Conversation
Threshold conversations – Conversations at the Edge
Our chemical soup
The E.D.G.E.S Framework
Evaluate
Define
Ground
Explore
Support
In summary so far
The Edge Map™
Working at the Edges Assessment Matrix
Pulling together the conversation