Your Teammate
Covert CIA Operator | Author | Coach | Mom | Collegiate Athlete | Smalltown Girl
In my career at CIA, the agenda was set by national security. Now, the agenda is YOU...helping you be your best and truest self. In elite professions, it's easy to lose ourselves in our work and performance, forgetting who we are, as we and others focus on what we do. I am your teammate in your quest for progress. The more connected you are with yourself, the better you'll show up for yourself and others.
I spent almost a quarter of a century working for one of the most elite organizations in the world, learning to understand people and their motivations, and how to influence their behavior to achieve a certain outcome. My identity was challenged, literally and figuratively, and I came out on the other side still authentically me, having evolved into a better version and true to my roots.
Our Roots Matter
A Smalltown Girl Who Became Spy of the Year
Start with WHO YOU ARE. Whatever you want and more is yours for the taking. How do I know? I grew up in smalltown U.S.A., where people focus on how you're doing rather than what you do or how much you have. We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. This shaped my original world view and has remained central even as I developed a broader world view. I dreamed of something bigger and ended up a world traveling confidant.
Whether you're an athlete, or a coach, or an astrophysicist, I want to be your teammate. Sports taught me the power of teamwork. My teammates helped me learn to believe in myself and to pursue what I want with relentless determination. Work hard to earn and keep what you have and hold dear what matters most. You begin from a place of worthiness as a human being, no matter who you are or where you come from.
This foundation also motivated me to become a high school coach to give back to student-athletes the way others had given to me. While coaching high school athletes over the course of a 30 year period, the world has changed significantly. But, the impact of sports in teaching life and leadership lessons, and the need for coaches to carry the torch, is as great as ever. I'm also a mom of three, including two current collegiate athletes and a middle schooler.
Whatever it is you aspire to be the best at, remember who you are. You don't have to go it alone.
Official Background
Retired Senior CIA Covert Operations Officer &
Leadership Coach
In my high-stakes, mission-focused career, I mastered the skills of forming trust-based relationships with colleagues and people from all over the world. My natural empathy for others and astute approach to uncovering underlying issues and motivations led me to build on the skills of being a CIA case officer to become a certified professional coach. In addition to individual performance excellence, I had the privilege of leading several high-performing, cross-functional teams. I have coached senior leaders and executives within CIA, other U.S. Government agencies, the non-profit sector, the private sector, and high-performing athletes at various levels.
If we work together, you can count on me to hold our partnership in the highest confidence. Your privacy, as always, is my top priority.
**CIA case officers aren't actually called "spies". However, the term is often widely understood by the public to refer to our elite cadre within the Directorate of Operations.