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Client stories

In their own words

The stories below are drawn from Michele's Google reviews and use each reviewer's own words. Names appear exactly as the reviewers wrote them.

Story 01

Chris Volpe: Sharper focus for an experienced division leader

Before

A demanding division role and no one to think it through with

After

Clearer focus, faster pivots, and a better boss to his own team

Chris leads a large division for a multinational company. When he started coaching, he did not need anyone to teach him the basics of leadership. He needed a thinking partner who could keep pace with a demanding role.

Chris worked with Michele for a little over nine months. The coaching gave him a place to step back from the day to day, test his assumptions, and decide where his attention would make the most difference.

Chris reports clearer focus and better pivots, and says the work made him better at leading, coaching, and managing his own team.

About executive coaching
“She has helped me focus and pivot making me a better leader, coach and boss.”
Chris VolpeGoogle review

Story 02

Matt Stephani: Meaningful development after 30 years in management

Before

Thirty years of management training that had stopped teaching him much

After

Real growth as a leader, with the accountability he asked for

After three decades in management, Matt had seen plenty of training and advice. He came to coaching with real goals and a willingness to work.

Over four months, Michele supported and tracked his goals, stayed focused on him as a client, and helped him hold the personal accountability he asked for.

Matt describes the experience as remarkable and reports real growth as a leader.

About executive coaching
“It's arguably the best management learning I've had in my 30-year career.”
Matt StephaniGoogle review

Story 03

Marianne: Leaving each conversation with a clear next step

Before

Wanting to grow, and looking for more than encouragement

After

A concrete next step at the end of every conversation

Marianne wanted to grow as a leader in her role and as a professional overall. She was looking for more than encouragement.

Over about a year, Michele consistently challenged her thinking and guided her to define clear, actionable next steps, rather than simply telling her what to do.

Marianne leaves every call with concrete action items, and reports feeling accomplished, motivated, and confident moving forward.

About executive coaching
“After every call, I leave with concrete action items that make me feel accomplished, motivated, and confident moving forward.”
MarianneGoogle review

Story 04

Gregory Gisla: A first coaching experience built on trust

Before

First time in coaching, with no idea what to expect

After

Satisfaction in his work massively increased, and growth as a person

Gregory came to coaching for the first time as an executive client. First experiences set the tone for everything that follows.

From the first session, Gregory found kindness, intelligence, intuition, and a non-judgmental approach, alongside a willingness to challenge him in every possible way.

Gregory reports that his satisfaction with his work massively increased, and that he grew in his leadership skills and as a person.

About executive coaching
“She was 100% for me and my success, and she earned my absolute trust and respect.”
Gregory GislaGoogle review

Story 05

Noa Cohen Hughes: Seeing her value at work

Before

Work that mattered, without seeing her own value in it

After

Much lighter going to work, and more appreciated

Noa was doing work that mattered, but she was not sure how much of it showed.

Coaching gave her a way to recognize her own contribution and to navigate difficult personalities with more skill and less friction.

Noa reports feeling much lighter going to work and more appreciated.

About executive coaching
“She helped me so much see the value I bring to work and how to navigate difficult personalities.”
Noa Cohen HughesGoogle review

Story 06

Terrie Huddleston: Change training grounded in real experience

Before

Leading change with the pieces not quite joined up

After

The pieces brought together, grounded in real experience

Terrie joined Michele’s change leadership courses as a leader working through change in her organization.

The ADKAR course and Becoming the Leader you want to be brought the pieces together, in sessions Michele kept engaged from start to finish.

Terrie highlights how much Michele’s practical experience with this work shows through in the training.

About facilitation
“Her real life experience with this work really shows through in the training.”
Terrie HuddlestonGoogle review

LinkedIn recommendations

Written by the people she worked with

Colleagues, clients and conference organizers, in their own words. Trimmed for length; read them in full on LinkedIn.

“Michele was an amazing volunteer coach at the UC Berkeley-hosted NOW Conference, the largest career and professional development conference for University of California staff. We simply could not offer over 30 group and over 800 one-to-one coaching sessions without amazing volunteers like her. On behalf of the planning committee, thank you for your dedication, time and talents.”
Colin Gerker-JunsayLinkedIn recommendationAD, People & Organization Development, UC Berkeley

January 2025 · Worked with Michele on the NOW Conference

“She has helped me develop into the leader I am today. Her determination and patience with me is the difference between her executive coaching and others. She is a dedicated and passionate coach with a unique ability to support you in discovering who you are as a leader and how to build on your skills. I recommend her to any leader at any time in your career.”
Tanzaneka BuckorLinkedIn recommendationMHI, BSN, RN, ACHE | healthcare management and nursing leadership

November 2023 · Client, then friend

“Michele is a tremendous colleague. She has a knack for providing an objective perspective and distilling messaging and objectives in a clear, concise manner. Her professional experience, which includes finance, process improvement, coaching and education, makes her a valuable member of any team or project. Michele is one of those people of whom you leave the table saying, I am so glad she was a part of this conversation.”
John DodsonLinkedIn recommendationMA, CPTD, collaborative learning leader

June 2021 · Worked with Michele on the same team

“Michele is a thought partner, coach and colleague whose passion for service is delivered with quality, excellence, dedication and integrity. She supported my team of 100+ members in change exercises using the Prosci ADKAR model. The sessions, over a series of years and alignments, never missed the mark for my team and always aligned to the goals and values of the organization.”
Sheila CookLinkedIn recommendationOwner Operator, Gasconade Hills Resort

June 2021 · Partnered with Michele for many years

“She is highly skilled in executive coaching. She has helped transform her team and her organization in the models of change management and continuous improvement. She quickly perceives human behavior and can coach leaders through the changes needed for their transformation. Her facilitation skills are superior.”
Brian VearaLinkedIn recommendationFaculty

November 2020 · Worked with Michele for over three years

“I worked with Michele as a new clinical manager. She was instrumental in helping me review and improve processes, applying Lean methodology to all aspects of the business. She also coached me as I navigated challenging employees and relationships, using concepts from crucial conversations, with success and positive outcomes. Michele continues to be an essential part of my growth as a nurse leader.”
Tanzaneka BuckorLinkedIn recommendationMHI, BSN, RN, ACHE | healthcare management and nursing leadership

June 2019 · Was Michele's client

“I first met Michele when I took a course on advanced A3 thinking, which she led. She is an outstanding teacher, and I could apply the content immediately to operational problems. Because of her outstanding skill as a coach, I asked her to work with our executive leadership team on building their coaching skills. She went above and beyond, even following us on our Gemba rounds to coach us in real time. She has a unique ability to use a question-based coaching style to encourage leaders to explore options and lines of thinking that they would not come to on their own.”
Trina WhiteLinkedIn recommendationDrPH, MBA, MSPT, FACHE, FACMPE

July 2017 · Worked with Michele as teacher, coach and colleague

The full review collection

5.0 averageVerified Google reviews
“Michele is absolutely wonderful! She helped me so much see the value I bring to work and how to navigate difficult personalities. I feel so much lighter going to work now and more appreciated. I can't recommend her highly enough!”
Noa Cohen Hughes
“Exceptional is the best word to describe my executive coaching experience with Michele. Working with her has been both enlightening and transformative, providing me with valuable insights into myself and my leadership approach. These insights will help me continue to grow as both a leader and a professional. Michele's expertise and guidance are valuable to leaders across all industries.”
Chris Gache
“I've worked with Michele as my coach for the past four months, and the experience has been remarkable. It's arguably the best management learning I've had in my 30-year career. Michele is fantastic at supporting and tracking goals, and she's very much focused on you, the client. She's very engaged in your personal journey, and she is supportive along the way. I found her to be exceptional in helping me maintain my personal accountability, and I've grown as a leader as a result. The time I've spent with her has been extremely valuable to me, and I believe her skills as a coach can help anyone with any leadership position at any company. I highly recommend her, and I am very happy with what I have learned so far working with her.”
Matt Stephani
“It has been a pleasure working with Michele over the past year. She has played a key role in helping me grow as a leader in my role and as a professional overall! I like her approach and strategies(she consistently challenges my thinking and guides me to define clear, actionable next steps rather than simply telling me what to do). After every call, I leave with concrete action items that make me feel accomplished, motivated, and confident moving forward. Regardless of industry, her expertise and experience are highly transferable and impactful. Each meeting is positive, productive, and energizing.. I look forward to continuing my development with Michele and building on this progress!”
Marianne
“I cannot imagine having a better 1st experience with executive coaching than what I had with Michele! From our first session, her most obvious qualities were her kindness, intelligence, intuition, and her non-judgmental approach. She was understanding yet sought to challenge me in every possible way. She was 100% for me and my success, and she earned my absolute trust and respect. My satisfaction with my work massively increased, and I grew an incredible amount in my leadership skills and as a person. I am so grateful for the time I had with Michele and cannot recommend her more highly to other leaders. Thank you, Michele!”
Gregory Gisla
“Michele is a great coach. She challenged me to think differently about my role as a leader and those that I work with. Her approach was kind and supportive while still pushing me around the stories I was telling about myself. She pushed me to remain curious in all of the work I do.”
Joshua Weidenbach
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Michele, and it has been an incredibly transformative experience. She has a unique ability to help you uncover your goals, identify obstacles, and create a clear path forward. Michele's insights and guidance not only helped me gain clarity at work but also boosted my confidence and motivation. I highly recommend her services for anyone ready to take their career to the next level.”
Eric Zatarain
“An amazing experience of growth and insight. New to coaching? Or experienced and want something new? This is the place to go. I felt welcomed and guided through how best to navigate situations. I was better able to tap into the type of leader I always wished to become.”
Cori Fratelli
“I have been working with Michele for a little over 9 months now. As a seasoned leader (I lead a large Division for a multi-national company) I find her insights and direction to be incredibly valuable. She has helped me focus and pivot making me a better leader, coach and boss.”
Chris Volpe
“Michele is the best! I cannot say enough wonderful things about her. I was provided with coaching sessions as part of a professional leadership program and working with Michele has exceeded my expectations; in fact, I asked my work to …”
Hanna SwaintekExcerpt, continued in the original review
“I was fortunate to connect with Michele through the CoachHub platform back in February. We had ~8 months of coaching and I left every session energized and excited to apply new ideas in my work and in my team. Michele expertly lead our …”
Gabby LencioniExcerpt, continued in the original review
“I had the pleasure of attending Michele Smith's coaching session on Inclusion Impact. She was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. All the session were interactive and informative, and I left feeling inspired and motivated. Michele has a …”
Prasanth JanardhananExcerpt, continued in the original review
“Michele is an exceptional coach who has truly transformed my life. Her guidance and support have helped me find my confidence and voice, allowing me to become the woman I want to be in my new marriage and career. Michele's coaching has …”
Mary AlbrechtExcerpt, continued in the original review
“I recently had the opportunity to engage in a three-month coaching program through a work leadership program, and it was an incredibly transformative experience. Having never had a coach before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Michelle …”
Katherine JohnsonExcerpt, continued in the original review
“Michele was an excellent coach who was able to help me discern where I could benefit from coaching and then flex her approach based on the evolution of my needs during the coaching period. Always friendly and encouraging, yet able to …”
Rod HExcerpt, continued in the original review
“Michelle was very professional and has a lot of real life experience. She is very good at understanding the true root cause(s)and offers great professional and carrier advice, because she has a wealth of experience.”
Travis Smith
“The ADKAR course and Becoming the Leader you want to be were excellent. It really brings everything together for leaders as they work through change within their organizations. Michelle is a fantastic trainer that keeps the group engaged. Her real life experience with this work really shows through in the training.”
Terrie Huddleston
“Have you ever met a person who just always knows the right thing to say, or always has a tool or story to help you? That's Michele. Michele is a fantastic coach. She provided for me in my first experience with career coaching and really helped me a lot. Cannot recommend highly enough!”
Alex Ritter
“Michele is an amazing coach! I needed a thought partner to solve a professional situation. Her thought provoking questions help me to see possible solutions and what I could influence and commit to. Talking with her was so easy and relaxing. …”
Roko MilesExcerpt, continued in the original review
“Michele has an innate gift in developing and pulling out your best leadership potential. She thoroughly listens and provides very specific feedback, giving an honest yet professional perspective that can change where you apply your energy, …”
Sheng McCauleyExcerpt, continued in the original review

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