Leadership Development & Team Effectiveness for People-Centred Organisations.
About Beyond the Dress
At Beyond the Dress (BTD), we believe that most leadership challenges are not technical problems — they are human ones. They show up in how leaders manage themselves, lead others, and respond under pressure — and they shape team performance, culture, and results.
Founded by Lori Milner, Beyond the Dress is a leadership development consultancy that partners with organisations to build emotionally intelligent leaders, resilient people managers, and high-performing leadership teams. Our work supports both individual goals and organisational outcomes, creating sustainable change that holds in day-to-day behaviour — not a short-lived boost that fades once the session ends.
How We Work with Leaders and Teams
Our work spans the leadership system — from individuals to leadership teams.
Senior leaders and executives are supported to strengthen leadership presence, emotional intelligence, decision-making clarity, and the capacity to lead leaders in complex environments.
Emerging leaders and people managers are equipped with the confidence, people skills, and accountability tools required to lead teams well — including performance conversations, boundaries, and managing pressure.
Teams and leadership groups are supported to build trust, communication, collaboration, and shared accountability — helping teams have the conversations they avoid and create practical ways of working together.
What We Develop (and Why It Matters)
Across all engagements, the focus is on developing the capabilities that directly shape performance and culture. These include self-leadership, resilience and navigating change, time and productivity, habits and behaviour change, interpersonal effectiveness, and leadership presence — because these are the capabilities that determine how leaders show up, how teams function, and how organisations perform.
Known for tailored, engaging, and highly practical keynotes, workshops, coaching, and facilitated team interventions, Lori brings tools and frameworks that translate insight into action — with measurable impact on clarity, confidence, accountability, and collaboration.
BTD’s approach fosters a culture of ownership and responsibility, helping individuals and teams build the habits, mindsets, and ways of working that support long-term performance and sustainable growth.
Lori co-authored the book, Own Your Space: The Toolkit for the Working Woman, which provides practical tools and insights on how to take your career to your next level.
Lori is married with 2 children and lives in Johannesburg. She is also a TEDx speaker and delivered ‘How to Create Micro Wins’ in December 2018.
Want to talk about how Lori can help you to help your people?
“Done is better than perfect.”
