Sara Ellis Conant

About

Sara Ellis Conant

Sara’s training and education

  • MBA & BA, Stanford University
  • 6 years at Deloitte Consulting
  • Multi-month engagements with C-level through Directors across sectors including public (City of San Francisco, City of Santa Ana, Denver Public Schools, UC Berkeley), non-profit (Biomimicry Institute, Help A Mother Out, Net Impact, Opportunity Collaboration, RSF Social Finance, Tides Foundation, Young Women Social Entrepreneurs), and corporate (Amazon, Applied Materials, Autodesk, Capital One, Chevron, Clorox, Deloitte, Gap Inc., Google, Pfizer)

Coaching experience

  • 25 years as a leadership coach
  • Co-founder and CEO of a)plan coaching — an optimized, scalable, and tech-enabled virtual coaching service for change makers
  • Featured career coach for Stanford Business School alumnae
  • Trained as Advanced Life Coach by Dave Ellis (master coach, best-selling author, and her father)
  • Certified Social Fitness facilitator

The Team

A team of exceptional coaches

Walter Crawford

Walter Crawford

Executive & leadership coach — Washington, DC

Walter J. Crawford, ACC is an executive and leadership coach, and owner of Crawford Corner Coaching and Consulting, located in the Washington, DC metro area. As a former c-level executive within DC government, Walter brings to his coaching insights over twenty years of human resources and operations leadership in both the public and private sector. As a leadership coach based in Washington DC, Walter partners with leaders on all levels in local governments, non-profits, and mid to large size organizations to inspire a journey of learning and development using an open minded and goal-oriented approach.

Clients often cite Walter’s years of human resource and operational experience, knowledge and facilitation of leadership development training, experience in strategic management, organizational structure, process improvements, and his ability to lead with his heart while achieving results, as a key reason he is a trusted coach and advisor.

Over the course of his career, Walter has worked in multiple high-profile organizations within the District of Columbia government, in addition to Hilton Worldwide. Walter is certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a Certified Practitioner of the Leadership Circle Profile 360 assessment. He holds an M.B.A., is a nationally Certified Public Manager with a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma.

Training & education
  • International Coach Federation (ICF)
  • Leadership Circle Profile 360 Certified Practitioner
  • MS, Organizational Change Management
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Certified Public Manager (CPM)
  • Green Belt Lean Six Sigma
Amy Chiang

Amy Chiang

Consultant, executive coach & educator — Pacific Northwest

As a Consultant, Executive Coach, and Educator for the last seventeen years, Amy has worked with leaders and executives within Global Fortune 100 companies through shifts both small and large, resulting in lasting change that is in alignment with deeper core values and beliefs. She is also the founder of Forma Leadership Institute (formaleaders.com) focused on shifting the lifeworld, embodiment and presence for those who have experienced disenfranchisement or disempowerment by larger systems.

Amy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two cats, Munchie and Puppy.

Clients that have benefited from Amy’s support are across multiple industries, including Finance (Visa, MasterCard, Morgan Stanley), Technology (Google, VMware, Cisco Systems), Energy (Chevron, ConocoPhillips/Phillips66, Portland General Electric, PG&E), and Healthcare (Mt. Sinai Health System/Continuum Health Partners, Alameda Health System, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center).

Training & education
  • PhD, Human and Organizational Systems, Fielding Graduate University
  • MA, Human Development, Fielding Graduate University
  • MS, Organizational Change Management, New School University
  • BA, United States History, University of California, San Diego
Jill Johnson

Jill Johnson

Certified Co-Active Coach & facilitator — Palo Alto, CA

Jill is a certified Co-Active Coach and Facilitator. She assists people to make lasting improvements in the areas of strategic planning and leadership, self-development, stress management and mindfulness. Jill is also a facilitator at Shine On Collaborative, an organization committed to personal and professional growth.

Jill’s coaching specialty is the empowerment of individuals updating and reinventing their lives to produce big results while creating balance in their personal lives. She is passionate about individual leadership and development, neurodiversity and building strong, supportive communities. Prior to coaching, Jill held senior leadership roles in sales and account management. Jill lives in Palo Alto CA with her wonderful family, two lazy cats and one wild puppy.

Clients that have benefited from Jill’s support are Stanford faculty, tech entrepreneurs, small business owners and people in career and life transitions.

Training & education
  • International Coach Federation (ICF)
  • Leadership Circle Profile 360 Certified Practitioner
  • MS, Organizational Change Management
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Certified Public Manager (CPM)
  • Green Belt Lean Six Sigma
Giannina Hall

Giannina Hall

Certified Effectiveness & Life Coach — Minneapolis, MN

Giannina is a Certified Effectiveness and Life Coach. She has 20 years’ experience working at Wells Fargo in Management, Human Resources, Talent Development, Performance Management, Leadership Development and as a Senior Consultant.

She has worked with all levels of leadership from entry level managers to senior leader executives. Over the course of her career, Giannina has coached and consulted to the needs of the business in the areas of Leadership Development, Engagement and Culture, Change Management, Team Effectiveness, Manager Development, and Diversity and Inclusion. She has been an active Coach for Women’s Leadership programs, Diversity leadership programs, and Manager/Leadership development programs.

Through her various corporate roles and coaching, Giannina’s focus has been on building relationships and thrives on the development and growth of others. She specializes in Ontological Coaching, which facilitates profound learning and transformation in one’s “way of being”. This type of coaching embodies the powerful distinctions in language and being an observer, to help others achieve their goals in creating a new way of being. She supports others to address what’s missing for them in the different domains of their lives (relationships, work, family, career) and assists them to identify and achieve what they desire.

Giannina lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, two little girls, and large extended family.

Training & education
  • Masters Certificate of Organizational Leadership — St. Catherine’s University, MN
  • BS Finance/Entrepreneurial Studies/Management — Carlson School of Management/U of MN
  • Certified Effectiveness Coach — Say Yess! Coaching Academy, ICF accredited
  • Dare to Lead, Brene Brown trained
  • Team Effectiveness and Change Management Certification
Brianna Freiheit

Brianna Freiheit

Coach for nonprofit leaders & entrepreneurs — Southern California

As coach, Brianna enjoys working closely with her clients as their confidential thought partner to help them envision the life they want and be accountable in acting to achieve it. She often works with individuals who are aspiring to, or embarking on, transitioning into a new leadership role to overcome barriers and banish limiting beliefs.

Brianna specializes in empowering nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers to achieve sustainability — creating balance among the many areas of life to foster joy, creativity and comprehensive wellbeing. Brianna works with leaders seeking to move beyond a simplified dichotomy of work-life balance to achieve holistic life alignment, aiding clients in embracing all aspects of their life to be their best self. Brianna lives in Southern California with her husband.

Clients that have benefited from Brianna’s support include CEOs, but more often the second-in-command within an organization, fostering exploration and growth among those executives or managers who are often left without a sounding board. Brianna has worked with leaders of Temple Beth Am, Providence Saint John’s Health Center Child and Family Development Center, Las Fotos Project, Maternal Mental Health Now, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and Para los Ninos, among others.

Training & education
  • Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management’s Professional Coaching Certification Program accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
  • Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
  • MPA, University of Southern California
  • BS, University of Colorado at Boulder
Dr. Santalynda Marrero

Santalynda Marrero

Organizational consultant, executive coach & thought leader

A dynamic organizational consultant, executive coach, facilitator, trainer, and thought leader Dr. Santalynda Marrero draws on her expertise as a counseling psychologist and 30 years of experience in helping individuals, teams and organizations to propel their careers to the next level. Her belief in story as “data with a soul” that engages mutual regard and leverages talent led her to co-author the book: The Diversity Calling: Building Community One Story at a Time.

Santalynda enjoys coaching across cultures and generations, sharing defining moments that reveal our patterns as a way to move beyond self, or other imposed barriers, to foster successful beginnings and transitions. She has come to recognize that successful people, especially the underrepresented, find creative ways to open doors that might not otherwise be open for them. As a co-founder of LatinaVIDA she continues to support the advancement Latinx and other underrepresented talent through planned talent management efforts, mentoring, and coaching across career spectrum.

Prior to launching SM Consulting in 1998 in California, Santalynda held several internal positions, at Stanford Hospital and Medical Center, Avantek/Hewlett-Packard, Bell Laboratories, and Rutgers University where she received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She writes extensively with an emphasis on engagement and coaching for women on the blog Fire Breathing Women/Mujeres Que Respiran Fuego.™

Dr. Marrero’s clients range both nationally and internationally across sectors PepsiCo International, LinkedIn, Cities of Berkeley and Oakland, Kaiser, Amgen, to name a few. Her lively and inspirational presentation style makes her a highly sought conference keynoter and panelist. Her fluency in Spanish has led and her to consulting work on leadership and diversity/inclusion in Latin America (Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico) and Puerto Rico. She was an invited speaker to the International Women’s Conference at the University of Havana, Cuba in 2018.

Training & education
  • EdD, Rutgers University, Counseling Psychology
  • MA, Rutgers University, Counseling Psychology
  • BA, Douglass College, Spanish Literature and Education K-12
  • Faculty — (Former) Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication — Reed College
Jennifer Ouyang Altman

Jennifer Ouyang Altman

Leadership & communication coach — Stanford GSB facilitator

Jen applies her 10+ years of sales leadership experience and psychology background to help clients discover their unique style of leadership and create more choices as they face complexity and ambiguity. Her writing has been published in the Los Angeles Times and she facilitates courses on communication at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Her approach to communication follows the rules of radio: clarity, simplicity, and personality. You can’t speak and listen at the same time.

Jennifer works with clients across industries including finance, consulting, healthcare, venture capital, e-commerce, banking, tech, and education.

Training & education
  • MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business
  • BA in psychology from Amherst College
Peter Chandonnet

Peter Chandonnet

Leadership coach, facilitator & mindfulness instructor — Sonoma, CA

Pete brings over 20 years of experience as a leadership coach, facilitator, and mindfulness instructor. He assists individuals and organizations to be strategic, accountable, and successful in their work and in their lives. Prior to coaching Pete spent 12 years working in experiential education, leadership development, and land conservation serving organizations like: The San Francisco Conservation Corps, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Outward Bound, and The Boulder County Youth Corps. Pete has Advanced Falling Awake coaching training and extensive Mindfulness training with Spirit Rock. His MS is Forest Ecology from University of Michigan and his BA is from University of Richmond in Economics and Political Science. Peter and his husband Tim live in Sonoma with their two dogs.

Clients that have benefited from Pete’s support include Apple, Micron, AFAR Media, Arnold and Porter, Banana Republic, Bridge Span, GAP, Genstar, Google, Hamlin School, Haas Business School, Inkling, Jewish Community Federation, The John Buck Company Fisher Construction, Jewish Contemporary Museum, Private Medical Group, Kaiser, Roche, Linked In, Kimpton, Phylagen, Old Navy, Olive Grove, Nest, Reputation, Roche, SAP, Sales Force, Solzyme, Sutter Health, Troon Pacific, UCSF, Wiseman Group, Yardi Systems, and many others.

Training & education
  • MS, Michigan School of Natural Resources
  • BA, University of Richmond
  • Advanced Falling Awake coaching training
  • 500 hour Yoga Alliance certified training
  • Spirit Rock mindfulness training

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