Maria Connolly. I’m a Somatic psychotherapist and coach. I coach with the body in mind, which means understanding the way we have embodied ways of being, the way we move, walk, operate, and respond to others and events based on our earlier experiences. I also weave my Feldenkrais – “Awareness Through Movement” – training to support the mind-body connection, to move and perform more deliberately and resourcefully. I’m also an NLP master practitioner, integrating these skills and tools to help people achieve profound and lasting transformation.

We met in 2016 at a coach development event – Coaches Rising, Power of Embodied Transformation. After our transformational experience, we continued our connection with each other and became great personal and professional friends. We realized that in collaboration, we have a lot to offer.

We’re ready to bring our experience and wisdom forward and provide an opportunity for other women to explore their ways of being, their leader within, and “neways” of being present in the world. We have a collaborative goal of providing opportunities for growth based on the quality, excellence of presenters, and depth of emotional intelligence we learned from Coaches Rising.

Louise Santiago. I’m a leadership coach and the founder the Center for Learning Leaders, where leadership is intentional. I believe that leadership is innate in all people so I work to purposefully develop exceptional leaders. I’ve found many people simply need a little support to bring forward their internal leader. I love leading purpose-centered leadership events for both emerging and experienced leaders. I’m also a Reiki Master, integrating the belief that we have the tools to care for ourselves and others, we simply need to identify them and intentionally integrate them into our lives.

“Working with Maria has helped me integrate and appreciate all that I am…as a woman, mother, creative artist and human. Her insightful facilitation, all at once, challenges and guides me to look deeply and compassionately at the limiting beliefs that have blocked me from true success…and every week I have some deep epiphany that catapults me to yet another level of growth. Both my business and personal life have taken off in ways that still leave me in awe of where I was only 6 months ago! Instead of hiding behind wishful thinking and excuses, I am now fully participating in my own life and the proof is showing up in the exciting projects and collaborations that are happening in my career, as well as the overall feeling of confidence and happiness! Through her personal coaching and workshops, she has inspired me to step into a leadership role and I am finally a full participant in my own life.” ~ Debbie Thornton ~ Photographer

“I’m delighted and surprised at the impact of having regular sounding board and a safe environment in which to express both positives and challenges of my leadership. I was able to create boundaries around some staff members who see my role as being different from how it really is. I became the leader rather than the manager of the site”. ~ Anonymous client of Louise