LIVING IN LIGHT

“Bolder Leadership masterfully unlocked FreeWheel’s leadership potential through proven teachings, experiences and self-reflection exercises focused on the “whole” leader not just the “professionally visible” leader. Over just a six month period, their coaching and thought partnership has transformed our leadership’s effectiveness and communication. Through proven techniques for open, honest communication and reflection, we effectively broke down personal and group barriers that uncovered personal “withholds” and “requests”. We are operating on a new, higher level of trust. This has been an inflection point in our entire leadership effectiveness.”

“Suzanne, my executive coach, was thrilled that she had gotten me onto the dance floor. After that successful first step, she prodded me to do other things for myself that I had neglected while trying to take care of everyone else. A major gift from Suzanne was her encouraging me to say ‘No’ to people if I needed to especially, ‘No, I can’t do that because I have a dance lesson.’ Suzanne knew that dance could be the vehicle that transported me to a more joyful existence.”
– excerpt featuring Suzanne in Becoming Ginger Rogers: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO 

“Bolder Leadership truly helped me change the way I think and feel about my own leadership. Suzanne’s analogy to coaching Olympic athletes is appropriate because in my case I came into coaching thinking that I was pretty happy with my leadership and frankly not at all sure I wanted to commit to making real change. Suzanne used just the right blend of tenacity, patience and edge to help me see how continuing to grow my leadership was really aligned with my overall purpose in life and certainly worth the effort involved.”

“Through my work with Suzanne, I moved from crisis to growth stage, personally and professionally.  I began coaching while in an acute personal situation that was causing great stress,  anxiety and a lack of focus.  Her disciplined and compassionate approach made all the difference.  Within a handful of sessions, I had new tools, actions and an outlook that shifted my well-being and had me focus on discovering what is most important to me.  Months later, I find that our conversations no longer focus on my personal situation but rather on the growth of my company, developing new business, raising the accountability of my team members and what’s next in my life that is healthy and inspiring.  I’m forever grateful to Suzanne for her insight, wisdom, guidance, and inspiration…she is truly a rock star…and now I am again too!”

“Coaching turned my career around within months. I’m more positive and influential within the company, happier with my work life and more effective at home. I was ever the difficult cynic and considered ‘troublesome’. In 2008, I realized my behavior was hurting me and others, and with trepidation asked for a coach. It was my good fortune that my boss and HR rep knew me well enough to choose a strong, highly intelligent woman to serve in this role. While I’m ever skeptical of ‘touchy-feely’ approaches, she won my trust right away. She quickly learned what worked for me and tailored her approach to enable my acceptance of new approaches. Within a few months, I was promoted to a global leadership role and continue to receive explicit praise on my ‘turnaround’ from my boss, his boss and a variety of senior leaders across functions.”

“A great business and thought partner, Suzanne helps me achieve my best no matter what obstacles or challenges get in my way. She asks thought-provoking questions and offers sound and creative advice to help me become a better leader and person. Unique to many coaches, Suzanne has a balanced combination of business savvy and life skill training. I would recommend Suzanne to anyone looking to achieve the most of their lives – whether they have or haven’t figured out what they want the future to hold for them!”

“I was a big time skeptic. My team convinced me that Suzanne and Bolder Leadership would change my life…. It was worth every minute.”

“Your coaching while I was an SVP at Prudential helped me in the following ways: I became more acutely aware of my strengths and opportunities to improve. I was held accountable for the behaviors and initiatives I claimed were an important part of my values and beliefs. I avoided making assumptions regarding my colleagues’ opinions of my work product and progress. I increased my level of tolerance for others. Frankly, Suzanne, your impact on my career and life has been very profound and it is difficult to capture the true spirit of that impact in words.”

“Suzanne has the amazing ability to find your loose thread. And then she gently pulls on it, causing your assumptions about who you are and how you work to unravel before your eyes. She helps you see the truth about yourself and your leadership potential. Then, she works with you to make it real, with practical ways for you to be, think and act in order to reach that potential. And she does all this with a quiet, conversational, probing style that challenges you without you ever realizing it. A fantastic coach.”

“I was very apprehensive about the impact Suzanne and Bolder Leadership would have on my career and not sure I was entirely willing to embrace in the process. But after my first discussion with Suzanne that included some thought provoking dialog, I came to the realization that this was something I could really benefit from. In five short months I experienced a profound change in my leadership style that resulted in a more cohesive work environment, properly positioned myself for professional growth and had a positive impact on those around me. Needless to say, Suzanne delivered results!”

“One year ago, I took over the worst (sales) territory in the country. With your coaching and partnership, I’m now running the No. 1 producing territory. I’ve made me and my team more money than ever and have been rewarded two additional states to supervise. I have such a better understanding of how what I do makes a difference in other’s lives as well as who I am in my role. I’m now able to create an opportunity where all of us win.”

“We started working with Suzanne and the Bolder team and the impact was immediately evident. Our executive team connected with them — both on a group level and in individual coaching — and I regularly receive feedback about the difference that these efforts have made. More importantly, I am seeing the impact across the team in better communication, more effective interactions, and a more collaborative organization. I now know that their contribution has been mission critical to the success of our leadership and teamwork. Suzanne and her team have become an important part of our culture.”

“Working with Suzanne from the crisis forward has been a material uptick for me in that I learned how my private life drove my professional life.  The connections between the two are often overlooked but she has helped me to understand the emotional/uncritical drivers of my behavior such that my ongoing self-assessment was more clear. This clarity produces productivity for anyone once you know what all those issues are and where they come from.”

“Coaching helped give me the gumption to start my firm and structure the company in a way that maximized my strengths, gave me the most possible freedom and increased my chances of success.  My core values guided me in structuring my product, the firm, hiring, and critical decisions. I also have a balance in my life that I thought was impossible.  I had working mother guilt, and have shed much of that guilt with far more time for my family and myself as well as for my clients and my firm.“

“As a seasoned leader, I’m a pretty smart guy who has a wealth of experience and knowledge that helps me succeed.  Unfortunately, I’m not as persistent as the voice in my head that reminds me of my shortcomings, my failures and my anxieties.  Fortunately, Suzanne is smarter than both of us.”

“Suzanne’s strength is having people own their own development. She asks the tough questions for clients to become accountable for the changes they need/want which in turn makes the change sustainable long after the leadership program has completed. When a program is complete, the client is well-equipped to continue their own success.”

“Bolder Leadership’s approach to leadership development and coaching has changed our entire leadership mindset in only a few months! We are lucky to have Bolder as our partner and consider them a key secret to our success!”

“As I moved into a challenging global leadership role, Suzanne provided tools and techniques to amplify my confidence and leadership skills that immediately translated into success.  Suzanne offered practical exercises, skills, and reading for each focus area.  This made coaching highly productive, enabling positive outcomes faster than I had expected.   Suzanne fostered a welcome, challenging, and goals-based approach making my experience enriching and entirely personal.”

“Our partnership has worked so well because of the trust we have built with one another.  This includes your ability to adapt and flex based on our needs, your interest in understanding the business/context and the people behind the leadership, and your proven ability to successfully coach a wide variety of different personalities.”

“Coaching turned my career around within months. I’m more positive and influential within the company, happier with my work life and more effective at home. I was ever the difficult cynic and considered ‘troublesome’. Suzanne quickly tailored her approach. Within a few months, I was promoted to a global leadership role and continue to receive explicit praise on my ‘turnaround’ from my boss, his boss and a variety of senior leaders across functions.”

“I’m more courageous and willing to stick my neck out for the good of the organization and I attribute it all to the coaching from Bolder Leadership!”