Our Team
We think we're really lucky that we get to work together.
Between us, we have well over 100 years of experience in leadership and team coaching, leading companies, executive development and more. And we've made a lot of friends along the way. We've worked with INDUSTRY-LEADING EXPERTS - in technology, HR, finance, UX & design, sales, legal, operations, real estate, company culture - and we can put their brain power behind your company. Whatever your need may be, we can access our network of experts to solve the problems that keep perplexing you.
Michael Barton - Leadership Muse | Growth CEO/COO
Superpowers: Leadership Coaching, Team Coaching, Developing Boards, Strategy, Fund Raising, M&A, Strategic Partnerships
Michael has developed a unique mix of operating expertise and business realism, blended with compassionate coaching. He loves weaving his quant-jock left-brain experience together with a lifetime of right-brain psychology and philosophy studies. Ask him how the Hindu Tri-Murti informs growing your company, or read his blog My 5 Best Business Lessons from Burning Man.
Michael has 30 years of experience in finance, international expansion, operations, leadership development, marketing and Mergers & Acquisition. He has served as CEO, COO and Chief Strategy Officer of various early to mid-stage companies. He often takes an acting CEO/COO role and helps recruit the full-time leadership team. He has extensive experience in helping companies raise equity and helping executives grow into their highest potential. He is trained in coaching techniques including Co-Active Coaching, Organizational and Relational Systems Coaching (ORSC), and Adult Development Theory.
Favorite quote: "I'm not young enough to know everything" ~ Oscar Wilde
Walt Boyle - Customer Psychic | Culture Czar
Superpowers: Customer Research, Building Culture, Crafting Impactful Messaging
Where does a career that spans consumer research, politics, film, education, the military, media and the internet get you? For starters, deep insight and real-world perspective into human behaviour. Walt has a truly uncanny ability to talk to customers and get inside their heads - deep inside their heads – and understand how they think. He is the most curious person we know, in a good way.
Walt has 30+ years of experience in market research, TV and film production, customer focus groups, qualitative research and brand strategy. The golden thread running through Walt’s career is his sixth sense for communication. Whether it’s finding ways to tap into the hearts and minds of an audience, authoring a strategy that creates intense brand loyalty, or charting a path that builds community, Walt takes an inclusive, collaborative approach to helping companies soar.
Favorite drink: Mountain Dew (No judging!)
Read Walt's blog Brand + Culture: The Unstoppable Business Force
Rob Edenzon - Sales Team Wizard | Revenue Rocket Fuel
Superpowers: Sales Strategies, Building or Re-Building Sales Teams, Gaining Deep Customer Insight
Rob has built a reputation as the "consumate sales guy" because of his laser focus on revenue growth. His sales career spans more than 30 years. He has proven his ability to understand and grow revenue for his clients by double digits. Through a comprehensive analysis of how every functional area effects revenue production, Rob identifies both sales and operational opportunities to grow revenue
Rob has built a successful career forming and managing sales teams. His experience ranges from worldwide networks of independent sales representatives to directly managing over 300 employees. His expertise encompasses all the major areas involved in building successful sales organizations including sales strategy, sales planning, sales process, coaching, compensation and automation.
Rob has developed a philosophy for selling that is summed up in a few words: "The person that asks the most questions wins". Ask Rob a question about asking questions.
Becca Frank - UX Master | Design Diva
Superpowers: UX and UI Design, Graphic Design, Customer Experience, Product Management, Logo and Corporate ID, Mentoring up-and-coming Designers
Becca is the go-to authority on all things design and has the most discerning taste we've ever seen. It's not unusual to find clients asking Becca's advice on shoes or home paint colors in addition to logo design. Becca is also a master mentor. She has a long list of leading designers around the country who credit her as their advisor and coach.
Becca brings 20 years of experience in brand, user experience, interface design, brand marketing and the design of experiential programs. Her passion is working with start-ups on innovative technology, product, and social concepts. She has worked with companies across varied industries including Meta AR, BMW/DesignWorks, Adidas, Nokia, (RED), New Era, Siemens, Pepsi, Microsoft, Warner Bros, Paramount, Idealab, and The United Nations. She is a graduate of Art Center of Design in Pasadena, CA.
Favorite Quote: “A good design can feel like something you have always been waiting for without knowing." ~ Paul Huizinga
Leigh Marz - Consciousness Shifter | Silo Buster | Team Guru
Superpowers: Coaching Complex Systems, Leadership Development, Culture Change, Collaboration, Constructive Communication
When creativity has left the building, Leigh is likely to call for a 3-minute dance party! If you are thinking, “No way!” let’s be clear - your resistance is futile. Leigh can charm you into trying almost anything for the sake of expanding intelligence and creativity to its fullest.
Leigh has 20 years of experience working with a wide range of clients including The Energy Foundation, NGOs, industry (Google, IKEA, salesforce, Facebook), academia and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She is extraordinarily skilled at taking teams with challenges (we haven't met a team yet that isn't challenged), and creating a finely tuned joyful race car of a team. She loves getting behind a good cause - so be ready to make your case!
Favorite Quote: “Life is too short for bad toiletries.” ~ Annie Sprinkle
Read Leigh's blog Is Your Team Toxic? 4 Antidotes to Get Back on Track
Stuart McFaul - Marketmeister
Superpowers: Branding, Integrated Marketing Program Design and Management, Public Relations, Social Media, Corporate Communications, Executive Mentorship
Stuart has been an international marketing expert for 20+ years, advising audiences as far-ranging as top tech companies, Russian billionaires and the Chinese Communist Party.
Often acting as CMO or chief marketing counsel, he has guided B2B / B2C marketing efforts for over 150 companies all over the world, including Apple, Cisco, Getty Images, HP and Oracle/Siebel to startups. His efforts have earned clients billions of dollars and program ROI as high as 23,000%. He is a frequent lecturer at major universities, including Stanford and Wharton School of Business.
Favorite Quote: “Its fun to do the impossible.” ~ Walt Disney
Pear Urushima - Empathic Marketeer | Brand Beautifier | Messaging Wizard
Superpowers: Staunch defender of beauty and aesthetics in branding/marketing, get-to-the-point messaging, emotive storytelling, going-bigger idea catalyst
Pear has 25+ years of Silicon Valley high-tech marketing experience solving innumerable creative challenges during the dot com gold rush years and beyond. In her long stint at Apple, she supported the product marketing launches for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, ushering those ground-breaking technologies into businesses - small to enterprise - telling their success stories and driving market momentum. She was on the team that launched Apple’s enterprise partnerships with IBM, Cisco, SAP, Deloitte, Accenture, and Salesforce. She is known for the attention to detail and inventive flare she brings to both strategic and tactical execution.
Being a creative and culturist at heart, Pear has a passion for supporting non-profit organizations and small companies, especially those who further the arts and culture, social justice, and grateful living. In executive producer roles, she has produced compelling stories, interviews, and virtual experiences reflecting the heart and soul of her clients.
Favorite quote: “If you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” ~ Steve Jobs
Diversions: Playing taiko drums & ukulele, binging on design shows, making art
Susan Scallon - Force Multiplier / Status Quo Buster / Sales Maven
Superpowers: Organizational Insight, Leading Change, Creating Win-Win’s
Breaking down perceived insurmountable challenges to find a path forward, Susan has led diverse teams to achieve outstanding sales and technology adoption results. Susan’s approach to understand and convey a problem from multiple stakeholder perspectives allows her to accelerate resolution and improve teamwork across and organization. Her passion for understanding the “why” and “what do we want to change” has helped companies re-focus efforts and acheive results based on business goals.
Susan has over 18 years of sales leadership experience, supporting both Client and team transformation across many industries. She has led newly formed teams to address both scale and impact. With a philosophy of “asking vs. answering", Susan shines a light on what’s possible and brings individual strengths into a collaborative force.
Favorite Quotes: “It’s better to know how to learn than to know.”
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are
simple.”
~ Dr. Seuss