Manual of Me

My positionality

I’m Kate Williams, a facilitator, researcher and advisor focused on community-centred change. I am a cis-genered woman of Hungarian/Yugoslavian (Croatian) and Welsh/Scottish ancestry. I use she/her pronouns.

I was born and live on Tandanya, the traditional and unceded lands of Kaurna people, also known as Adelaide, South Australia.

I acknowledge the people of Kaurna Yerta and pay my respect to the Traditional Custodians of the lands, skies and waters across the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Countries now also recognised as Australia.

My work/life principles and values

At the heart of my work and life (work/life) is a deep-rooted belief in the power of community-centred approaches to create meaningful, long-term change. This worldview is built on several interconnected values and principles:

  • Depth and quality of relationships: I prioritise genuine connections; connection with self, partners, and the communities I work with. I believe that true transformation occurs through (re)connection and relationship.

  • Spaciousness and breathability: I am creating room for focused thinking, creativity and play. This extends to maintaining a life that's not overcrowded, allowing flexibility in my choices and contributions.

  • Embracing complexity and diversity: I celebrate the power of difference, recognising that diverse ways of knowing, being and doing strengthen our collective wisdom. 

  • Deep listening and dialogue: I care about how we gather. I believe in the value of  creating inclusive (and, paradoxically, purposefully exclusive) spaces for deep listening and dialogue. 

  • Curiosity and continuous learning: I approach my work/life with a sense of wonder, valuing curiosity, learning and awe. I am energised by new ideas, practices, and perspectives.

  • Systemic thinking and purposeful action:  I believe in thinking deeply about why we work together and what we could accomplish by doing things differently. I seek to understand how systems live within us and play out in our daily behaviours.

  • Balance and reflection: I value slow productivity and believe that rest is constructive. I believe impactful work takes time and requires periods of reflection and consolidation.

  • Just, fair and kind: These principles guide my interactions and the work I choose to undertake.

My approach is not about solving or saving, but about listening with curiosity, creating conditions for brave conversations, and bringing a sense of play and wonder to serious matters.

I’m drawn to creating shared spaces to engage in the messy, life-giving work of community-centred change. For me, it's often in the unknowing, unfolding spaces where the most interesting and transformative ideas thrive

Working preferences

My approach to work is intentional, focused and shaped by my experiences and neurodiversity:

  • Invitation-based engagement: I prefer to engage in projects by invitation rather than through pitching. This ensures there's an existing relationship or shared values that can serve as a foundation for meaningful work.

  • Long-term partnerships: I favour long-term engagements over short-term contracts. This allows me to develop an understanding of contextual-nuances; build trust and evolve our shared ways of working; and contribute in ways that leverage my skills and serve purpose most effectively.

  • Focused project load: I choose to work on a small number of significant projects at a time. This enables me to be more available to each work partner, dedicate time for deep, focused work, and maintain high-quality output.

  • Neurodiversity-informed work style: As someone with Autism and ADHD (AuDHD), I process information differently. I work best when I can focus deeply on a few projects at a time, allowing me to recognise patterns and bring fresh insights in productive ways.

  • Geographical focus: While I'm open to both remote and in-person work, including international settings, my primary focus is on work within Australia. This is driven by my personal commitment to addressing the legacy of settler-colonialism and contributing to a better future for all Australians.

Who I work with

I'm selective about my working partnerships, preferring to collaborate with a small number of clients who value deep, meaningful engagement and who are ready to challenge conventional thinking.

My ideal collaborators:

  • Consider purpose (the why), and value process (the how) as much as outcomes (the what)

  • Embrace self-reflection and are open to reconsidering their own practices and mental models

  • Recognise systemic connections and are eager to explore them

  • Seek inclusive decision-making that benefits the whole

  • Cultivate healthy work environments, balancing structure with adaptability

  • Bring emotional intelligence, approaching work with kindness and maintaining a sense of humour while addressing serious matters


Given my commitment to long-term engagement, I'm often booked several months in advance. I appreciate patience in scheduling and will be transparent about my availability for new work partnerships.

What I need to know from potential work partners

These are some of the things we might explore as we consider working together. This isn't a rigid checklist but rather a framework to help us have meaningful conversations about the purpose and scope of the work, potential limitations, and our overall fit.

Context and purpose

  • What's your story, and what brings you to this work?

  • What's the high-level purpose and desired change?

  • What's the relevant history and evolution of this work?

  • What's the broader organisational or systemic context?

  • What work has already been undertaken, and what has been learned?

  • What background documentation would help me understand your context?

Roles and relationships

  • What's your role, accountability, and sphere of influence?

  • Who are the key stakeholders and decision-makers?

  • What relationship dynamics and priorities are at play?

  • Who else needs to be involved and why?

  • What conversations are not happening that should be?

  • How will this work impact key relationships in the organisation?

Outcomes and success

  • What specific outcomes are you hoping to achieve?

  • What does meaningful success look like at different levels?

  • What metrics matter to different stakeholders?

  • How can we build capability and sustainability through this process?

  • What would make this investment worthwhile for you personally?

Readiness and risk

  • What is the authorising environment for this work?

  • What level of readiness exists across the system?

  • What support structures need to be in place?

  • What concerns, constraints, or sensitivities should we consider?

Our work together

  • What specific capabilities do you need from my role?

  • What gaps or challenges are you hoping I can help address?

  • What resources are available for this work?

  • What timeline factors should we plan around?

  • What's your preferred way of working and communicating?

  • How would you like to handle feedback and course corrections?

I typically suggest we have one or two initial conversations to explore these areas together. Based on our discussions and shared understanding of your needs, I'll then offer a detailed quote for our potential work together.

Availability and communication

Meetings: I have two meeting-free days each week, with limited availability for meetings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I require a minimum of 24 hours advance notice to schedule meetings. My availability (ACST) is:

  • Tuesday: 11am - 4:30pm

  • Wednesday: 9am - 2pm

  • Thursday: 11am - 4:30pm

Phone/Text: For brief messages, please text me. For urgent requests or more detailed conversations, a phone call is welcome. If you think our call might exceed 10 minutes, let's schedule it in advance.

Collaborative platforms: When working across teams and with multi-stakeholder initiatives, my preferred collaborative communication platform is Slack. I also use WhatsApp for group messaging in certain contexts. I monitor these platforms within working hours. 

Email: I encourage the use of email for most communications. I generally respond within 2-3 working days. I follow the principles of The Email Charter, which means:

  • I send and respond to emails when it suits me, and I encourage others to do the same

  • I don't expect immediate responses, and

  • I'm comfortable with brief, to-the-point messages

Professional Insurance

I maintain comprehensive insurance coverage, including public liability insurance of $10 million AUD and professional indemnity insurance of $20 million AUD. Both policies are valid until July 2025.

Rates and engagement

I believe in the value of social change work and price my services to reflect this. 

My hourly rate ranges from AU$110 to AU$250 (plus GST), depending on the nature of the work. I have a minimum engagement of AU$1,000 (plus GST and expenses), and I'm happy to provide customised cost estimates for specific projects.

Payments are accepted in AUD via BPAY, bank transfer, or credit card. As an ABN holder, I pay tax in Australia on all income received. I use HNRY for quoting, invoicing, expense tracking, and tax payments. HNRY also facilitates automatic income reallocation, which allows me to reinvest and resdistribute income.

Note on pricing

I am a self-funded PhD student and I work independently, which means I don't have a regular salary or leave allowances. My rates allow me to meet my financial commitments without needing to constantly seek new business, ensuring I can fully dedicate myself to our work.

Money philosophy and practices

I believe that our financial choices reflect our values, and am committed to profit for purpose, slow and sensible wealth building, and redistribution. My income is reinvested:

  • 20% in Verve Super

  • 8% in high-growth exchange-traded funds (ETHI and MVR) through Pearler

  • 2% in First Nations Futures, an organisation advancing First Nations-led economic justice in Australia, redistributing all funds to community-driven initiatives

Credit

Emma Blomkamp and Lina Patel's 'Manual of Me' offered a blueprint for this section, inspiring both its structure and approach.

This was written with reference to:

  • Conversations and discussion notes with trusted peers, including Bianca Anderson, May Miller-Dawkins, Emma Blomkamp and Lina Patel

  • Peter Block's Flawless Consulting, recommended by colleague Lisa Ryan

  • Transcripts capturing streams of thought recorded on SuperWhisper.

  • Analysis of discussion notes and transcripts by AI — Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet

A note about this website

I've built this website using Squarespace, sourced graphics from CanvaPro, and reviewed the colour palette using GitHub Accessible Color Palette Builder. Where noted, I've used AI tools—specifically Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet and SuperWhisper.