Back Yourself & Rise

Career coaching for ADF Defence Partners who are already in work and ready to stop winging it and start owning it.

Three powerful career coaching sessions + resources to keep your career moving forward.

💛 Hosted by Jo Macdonald - Defence Partner Career Coach & Career Confidence Specialist.

Keep your career moving forward, wherever Defence sends you. Career Confidence got a re-boot.

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You're in the job. Now what?

When it comes to your career, landing the job is the jackpot. But once you get into the swing of things, it can be easy to lose focus on your career goals.

Walking into performance reviews, filling out achievements you can only just remember, and not thinking about how to make the most of your current employment as a Defence Partner.

But if you're honest... you're kind of winging it. Especially when it comes to the big stuff, annual reviews, individual development plans, salary conversations.

Surprise... these are two-way conversations. Prepped for, they can keep you in the driver's seat of where your career goes next.

You walk in underprepared. You leave wondering if you said the right things. And the cycle repeats.

It doesn't have to.

Permission to step in here…

What if you, as an ADF Defence Partner, you walked into every career conversation ready?

Not weirdly scripted or rehearsed. Just ready. With the career confidence to back yourself.

Clear on what you want. Clear on what you bring. And actually using the systems your workplace already has in place, annual reviews, IDPs, to work for you instead of just ticking boxes.

I know it's the crazy idea, but…

That's exactly what Back Yourself & Rise career coaching gives you.

This career coaching program is for you if...

You're an ADF Defence Partner who's employed but feels like your career is happening to you, not for you
Annual review time fills you with dread instead of excitement
Your individual development plan (IDP) is a form you fill in and forget
You want to grow your career — but you're not sure how to have that conversation at work
You've been going along with things instead of advocating for what you actually want
You feel you are being paid less, but don't know how to advocate for yourself
Military life has shaped your career path... and you're ready to start shaping it yourself
You want to use your ADF $1,500 PEAP Funding to drive your career, despite postings

Any of this hitting home... this Defence Partner career coaching program is for you.

YES! This is for me!

Here's how this career coaching program works

3 x private 1:1 career coaching sessions with Jo, focused, purposeful, and built around your career, your workplace, and your goals as a Defence Partner.

Between sessions, you get access to the Back Yourself & Rise resource hub that includes practical tools and templates to support every career conversation we have together.

Session 1

Back Yourself

We start with a career audit. Don't freak out, but we are putting you back in focus, where are you now, what do you actually want, and what's been getting in the way of your career confidence.

You'll walk away with clarity and a plan, including adding in upcoming postings.

So much more than just a career confidence pep talk.

Supported by: Career audit workbook, values + strengths worksheet, career clarity template.

Session 2

Own Your Career

Annual review prep and IDP planning that actually works for ADF Defence Partners.

I'll show you how to walk into your review ready, not reactive, and how to build an individual development plan with real goals that keep you and what you want front of mind all year.

Confidently own your career achievements.

Supported by: Annual review prep sheet, IDP planner, goal-setting template.

Session 3

Rise

Advocating for what you want isn’t "needy", it’s organised, proactive, and puts you in the driver’s seat of your own career.

Whether you're asking for professional development, stepping up into something new, preparing for a review, or having a salary conversation, you’ll learn how to speak up with clarity and confidence.

You’ll leave with a clear plan, practical tools, and the confidence to move your career forward, wherever Defence life takes you.

Supported by: Career Conversation Planner, PD Request Guide, LinkedIn + Resume Refresh Checklist, 90-Day Rise Plan.

Sometimes we all need a backup singer...

One of my clients, Lisa, had already done the hard part.

She’d worked with me before, used her PEAP funding, pivoted her career and landed a great role.

But then came the question so many Defence Partners face:

"What’s next?"

She didn’t need help finding a job.

She needed someone in her corner.

Someone to help her prepare for the conversations that mattered, remind her of her value, and support her as she stepped forward with confidence.

That’s where I came in.

I often say I’m your career backup singer.

I’m not here to take centre stage.

I’m here to stand behind you, help you find your career confidence, and make sure you never stop backing yourself.

Because getting the job is only the beginning.

Building a career you’re proud of, as a Defence Partner… that’s where the magic happens.

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Your investment.. or should I say… your PEAP investment $895

And if you're an ADF Defence Partner, this career coaching program is fully claimable through your $1,500 PEAP funding.

ADF Defence Partners are eligible for $1,500 PEAP (Partner Employment Assistance Program) funding every financial year through Defence Member Family Services (DMFS) for career coaching support. Back Yourself & Rise comes in well under that, meaning you still have PEAP funding left for something else.

Application: 2 minutes. Approval: 24–48 hours. Reimbursement: 3–5 days.

Three career coaching sessions that hand on heart put you back in the driver's seat of your career.

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About Jo Macdonald

Hey, I'm Jo, founder of Jo Macdonald Careers, a qualified Career Coach, and a former Defence Partner.

I've rebuilt my career through 15+ roles across multiple postings. I know what it's like to feel invisible at work, to dread annual review season, to nod along in career conversations instead of driving them, and to wish someone had just told me how to back myself.

I created Back Yourself & Rise career coaching for Defence Partners who are already showing up and deserve to be seen for it.

You've done the hard part. Let's build the career confidence to make it count.

Yes, I want this. Book a Free 15 Min Chat