What I Believe

I believe in your capacity to be an exceptional leader who participates in making the world a better place.

The adage that leaders are born, not made, is mostly myth. Leaders are made the same way anything great comes into being: Through awareness, elbow grease, courage and persistence.

In working with executives from over 35 countries across countless industries, I have also come to believe that everyone is creative. But here’s the irony: It takes just as much creative energy to hide from your potential as it does to blaze the trail that connects your authentic self to your work.

The greatest act of creativity is to know yourself well enough to be able to choose how you show up, every day, every moment. The greatest act of leadership is to confront yourself and others with this exquisite freedom to choose.

We are living at an amazing time of both possibility and challenge, with the knowledge that we are all connected. Everything we do affects everyone and everything. To be truly connected is to accept that there is no such thing as zero impact.

Positive impact begins with an intentional choice to care about the well-being of something bigger than yourself–be it your team, organization, community, or a specific mission in the world at large. It is the culmination of your creativity, choice and accountability.

It is my honor and delight to help you find your place in the world through the work you do. Your part matters. Big time. (And you know that, too, or you wouldn’t be here.)

The Backstory

My corporate background has given me an unconventional blend of communication, problem-solving and intercultural experience to bring to coaching, training and group facilitation.

I began my career in New York as a copywriter for Chiat/Day, and have created ad campaigns for IBM, Reebok, American Express, Dove skin care and various non-profits.

About a decade in, I realized that many of my peers felt stagnant and uninspired, despite being in a creative industry. The path for growth was hazy at best, and ironic at the very least: You climbed the ladder by being an expert soloist, yet the reward was being thrown a stable of people to manage, usually without being given any training or support.

It was through wrestling with the frustration of this very challenge that I discovered a passion for using my creativity to help others grow and succeed. Holding a spark of inspiration, the idealism of youth and a solid three-year plan, I pitched an idea to the president of advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather: I wanted to build a culture of learning by introducing various training and employee engagement initiatives across the 1,800-person New York organization. His response? “Make it happen.”

In the 20 years since, I’ve never looked back. My last corporate role was based in Hong Kong as the Regional Manager of training and people development for 5,000+ employees in Ogilvy’s Asia/Pacific network. Following Hong Kong, I ran my own consulting practice in Shanghai for four years, coaching Chinese and Western executives and entrepreneurs.

I hold a Bachelor of Journalism in advertising from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and have returned twice as an Associate Professor to teach graduating seniors and Master’s candidates. I have a Professional Certified Coach credential and am certified in numerous assessments and coaching tools.

Personal Certifications:

Unplugged

I enjoy hiking Colorado’s beautiful trails, doing yoga, and taking in fine and performing arts.

In the kitchen, I love making homemade ice cream and jams. I admit to a mild obsession with bats and all things Edward Gorey. And after years of living overseas, travel remains a passion. (I once took a year-long sabbatical that covered four continents and 63,000 miles!) I’m blessed to have a large, far-flung family: As an adult, I launched a successful adoption reunion search and found my birth parents and over a dozen family members, including a Chinese ballerina propagandist grandmother. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

Affiliations: