Hi, I’m Whitney.
I’m a Certified Professional Coach and am on a mission to cultivate and nurture more genuine and generous leaders. Why?
My answer begins with a story…
The only words I uttered in 2008 during my first session with my (absolutely amazing) therapist were, “I just want to be authentic.” It was the most honest I had ever been in my entire life and, admittedly, it took me by surprise. Up until that moment, I had been subconsciously living my life to please everyone else or at least be liked by them, felt pressure to be “perfect,” and was desperately afraid to fail. It wasn’t a bad life by any means, and I was happy, at least as it appeared on the outside, but my life didn’t fully reflect who I truly was or who I knew I had the potential to be. In many ways it felt like I was living a life that somehow wasn’t my own.
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I just want to be authentic.
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Since that day, I have navigated my fair share of transitions and each one has helped me live more fully into the woman I’m proud to be becoming. In the last ten years alone I’ve gotten divorced, crafted a meaningful career in the challenging world of Big Law, found love and gotten remarried, bought a house, turned forty, had a baby, cared for my elderly in-laws (in the new house with the newborn and new husband), unexpectedly lost my job of twenty years, and started my own business while living through a global pandemic with a toddler at home. And that’s just a partial list!
Along the way, however, I have honored the promise I made to myself that day in my therapist’s office. I have been authentically me, and THAT is a big piece of what led me to becoming a coach. I now support other leaders who are facing a career change and want to navigate the transition in a way that feels true to who they are but also pushes them to face their fears and be more courageous, vulnerable, and/or resilient. I work with professionals who want to more intentionally consider what they value, what they really want, and how they want to get there. And I assist people who are encountering a leadership challenge and need a partner to help them design a solution and hold them accountable for their success.
Other Parts of My Story
I’m a North Carolina native and an only child who has called Atlanta home for over twenty years. The only thing I’ve ever known for sure is that I want to be a mom and I truly delight in spending time, anywhere, with my four-year-old son and my husband. I also love to travel, spend time with my amazing village of friends, snap pictures with my camera, curl up with a good book or a glass of wine, and I love a good kitchen dance party. My happy place is sitting on a beach listening to the ocean, I’m passionate about early childhood literacy, my superpower is nurturing relationships, and I’d like to come back in my next life as a golden retriever puppy. I regret not listening to my mom when she told me to keep up with my piano lessons as a kid. I don’t regret keeping every single journal I’ve written since the third grade. My goal is to leave this world a little better than I found it. What’s yours?
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I am so glad you stopped by and hope that I have the chance to hear more about your story.
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Warmly,
Appendix
LEADERSHIP
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Current Involvement: Leadership Buckhead (Board Chair), Hands on Atlanta Advisory Council (Chair)
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Leadership Programs: Leadership Georgia (’16), Leadership Buckhead (’15), LEAD Atlanta (’09)
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Previous Board Involvement: VOX ATL (Chair), Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (Chair) and Dekalb PATH Academy
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
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Atlanta Business Chronicle, 40 Under 40 (2014)
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Outstanding Atlanta (2013)
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Business to Business, Difference Maker (2011)
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Georgia Trend, 40 Under 40 (2010)
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
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– Brene Brown