Every CEO should have a coach. This was advice shared with me by my trusted friend and board member @Shaun Paul, and it led me to work with Lori Darley. Lori is one of the most humble yet deeply perceptive people I have worked with. She has this rare ability to understand you as a whole human being. Psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, and in the very real context of running a business. And she does that from a place of deep respect for who you are and what you can become. In our first session, I told her, “I need you to never accept any bullshit from me when I make excuses to myself or to you.” She didn’t. Not once. And that has probably been one of the most important parts of our work together. At the same time, she meets you with a level of respect and openness that is hard to describe. She sees you fully, but she also sees the patterns that run you. And she helps you move through them, without judgment, but with real accountability. That’s where the work becomes real. One moment that stayed with me is when she invited me to define a personal avatar. A version of myself that can stand up to fear and move through it. I still come back to that almost daily. It sounds simple, but it has changed how I show up in difficult moments. We’ve had conversations that go very deep. About purpose, fear, what it means to be in service of something larger than yourself. And at the same time, we’ve worked through very concrete leadership challenges. That combination is rare. Over the past two years, this has genuinely changed how I lead and how I make decisions. We’re still on the journey, and there is a long way to go. But if there is one person I would choose to have alongside me for that journey, it is Lori!

There are those who talk about conscious leadership, and those who live it. Lori Darley is unmistakably the latter. I had the privilege of being in a cohort Lori facilitated through the Stagen Leadership Academy's Integral Leadership Program, one of the most rigorous and transformative year-long leadership development experiences available to business owners and executives. The ILP demands a lot from participants. What most people don't expect is how much the quality of that experience depends on the person holding the container. Lori held it beautifully. What sets her apart is the way she brings her whole self into the room. She leads with warmth, disarming humor, and a contagious energy that makes people feel both seen and challenged simultaneously. There were lasting moments of genuine depth and vulnerability in our cohort, and Lori created the conditions for those moments to be felt and held. There were also moments of pure joy, laughter, and yes, more than a little dancing. She has a rare gift for knowing precisely what the room needs and delivering it without hesitation. Lori's Conscious Leadership orientation isn't a methodology she applies. It's who she is. It shows up in how she listens, how she redirects, and how she models the very growth she's inviting others to pursue. If you're looking for a facilitator, coach, or guide who can hold a high-performing group through genuine transformation and make the journey worth remembering, you have found one of the best in Lori Darley.

Lori has been an invaluable partner in my professional journey over the past five years. As I transitioned into my role as Chief People Officer, Lori provided me with the tools, insights, and support to navigate the complexities of leadership at an executive level. Lori has a unique ability to combine strategic thinking with practical, actionable advice. Her coaching style is both empathetic and results-oriented, creating an environment where I felt challenged yet supported. Through our work together, I have grown not only as a leader but also in my ability to align the needs of our people with the broader goals of the business. Lori helped me develop a stronger executive presence, allowing me to build trust and influence more effectively at the highest levels of our organization. Her coaching enhanced my ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and purpose, whether in executive discussions or in guiding my team through critical decisions. And Lori fostered my self-awareness and emotional intelligence, equipping me to better understand and navigate the needs of my team, peers, and the business as a whole. Thanks to Lori's support and guidance, I have been able to successfully lead our people function as our company has grown from 100 to over 700 employees. Her impact on my professional development has been transformative, and I wholeheartedly recommend Lori to any executive looking to elevate their leadership capabilities and drive meaningful impact within their organization.