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About Us

Certified Executive Coach and master storyteller

MELINDA J. BICKERSTAFF

I am an ICF Certified Executive Leadership Coach at the MCC level and a Master Storyteller. I have 25+ years of experience in helping global leaders at all levels become their very best selves. Our work together is often transformative as these leaders learn how to become the authors of their own professional and personal lives. 

Having served in key senior executive roles myself as a Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), as the Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), and Chief Learning Officer (CLO) for global Fortune 100 companies, I have a broad and deep understanding of the unique challenges and pressures facing leaders today in our ever-changing environment.

My work inside these large global organizations, combined with external client work in senior-level roles in Big Four Consulting — Accenture, KPMG, and Deloitte & Touche — gives me a unique view into the issues leaders face in a multitude of industries and environments. Some of these include the FBI, U.S. Department of State, Social Security Administration, NPR, Microsoft, Archer Daniels Midland, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Discovery Communications, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

And I love helping leaders become more effective communicators via the art and science of storytelling. This means communicating in a more human-centric way. My view is that story is an important strategic skill that all leaders need to have in their quiver of skills and talents. It is even more important now in our age of AI and techno-speak.

To that end, I developed two Story workshops that I’ve delivered (in person and via Zoom) to over 60,000 leaders around the world. The first is Story Basics, teaching the structure of a powerful story. The second is Storytelling and Data, demonstrating how to humanize data and encourage the artful use of analogies and anecdotes for greater impact. These workshops are highly interactive as leaders develop their own stories along the way. Research proves that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts, figures, or data.

My Executive Coaching and Storytelling talents have been built into a number of organizations’ flagship Leadership Development Programs. Additionally, I’ve designed and conducted numerous coaching skills workshops for individual leaders and their intact teams, Resilience sessions for dealing with difficult times, Gallup Strengths and Q-12 Workshops to enhance individual and team development, and Emotional Intelligence sessions to gain a deeper understanding of self and others.

I’m also committed to growing and supporting the next generation of ICF Leadership Coaches. I recently became ICF certified as an Advanced Coach-Mentor to provide mentoring services to those seeking certification at the ACC and PCC levels.

My innovative work in learning, leadership, knowledge management, and story has been recognized by the American Productivity and Quality Center and articles in Training MagazineCIO MagazineThe KMPro Journal, and in book chapters:

  • The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrativeby Steve Denning

  • Work Storiesby Madelyn Blair

  • Beyond E-Learningby Marc Rosenberg

  • Beyond the Dealby Hubert Saint-Onge and Jay Chatzkel

  • Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results by Lori Silverman

 

Foundations of Transformational
Leadership Support

Global Experience
Guiding leaders worldwide with proven executive insight.
Coaching with Heart
Empowering transformation through meaningful connection.
Strategic Storytelling
Helping professionals inspire with impactful narratives.
Global Experience
Guiding leaders worldwide with proven executive insight.
Coaching with Heart
Empowering transformation through meaningful connection.
Strategic Storytelling
Helping professionals inspire with impactful narratives.