Get to know our In HER Element coaches.
In HER Element is a leadership program designed for women by women, the core of The Disruptive Element. With a combination of coaching, brain science, mindfulness, and community, In HER Element ignites the potential of women leaders in all aspects of life. Our coaches are what bring the program alive and give meaning to being in her element – striving to empower female leaders every day and motivated by the opportunity to make a change and foster growth in another life and their own.
Here is a chance to get to know these inspiring individuals and to learn more about their passion for helping others through coaching.
Tell us more about your path to becoming a coach.
Nancy: I had a long career in HR, and although I liked my job and loved my colleagues, I never loved the work. Then at my previous company, I was offered a role in People Development. Everything changed – I had finally loved my job! So right away, I started my coach training and have never looked back.
Kat: I planted the seed to become a coach while I was a mediator in 1999. In that role, I witnessed embedded patterns of conflict that prompted me to make a shift to coaching. Then, while working as an internal Leadership Coach for a Fortune 500 company with male leaders, I discovered a particular passion for creating an inclusive and productive space for women. Through this work, I found the difference it made in organizations, which convinced me that I was in the right place at the right time.
Carolyn: Several years ago, I worked with an executive coach who suggested pursuing some coach training. My initial reaction – "I've been coaching my whole career! Why would I need to do that?" It wasn't until I went through coach training that I realized I had never been a coach; I'd been a consultant, teacher, mentor, but not a coach.
What is the #1 reason you coach?
Nancy: It all comes down to this: I want people to live a happy life, whatever that means. So if I can help in some small way – to get someone unstuck or to see new possibilities – then I feel like I'm doing what I'm here to do.
Kat: I love to help people envision new strategies for fulfilling life and work. The business of growth and consciousness is hard work, yet the rewards are deep and lasting. I get excited to witness others take off and soar into the places where freedom and possibility lie. By nature, I am a creative collaborator. The hope, satisfaction, and joy I feel when cultivating the unique gifts of others is THE #1 reason I coach.
Carolyn: Just like coaching stretches my clients; it stretches me, too. It is that opportunity to see the world is filled with people like me who want more but need the courage to tackle it. I coach because it takes me out of my head and into a place where I feel I can make a difference.
What do you enjoy most about working with The Disruptive Element?
Nancy: The Disruptive Element's team is FUN, real, and genuinely cares about supporting women!
Kat: I find the most enjoyment in helping women leaders discover that space of empowerment that resides within them. Being a part of a community of excellent, compassionate, brilliant, and relentless coaches in a similar pursuit is invigorating.
Carolyn: Without a doubt, being surrounded by amazing women who share my values and purpose in life. It's working with others who don't accept the status quo and always look for more.
How has In HER Element impacted you on a personal level?
Nancy: Leading these cohorts and working with these women brings me enormous joy. To watch each group deepen their connections and grow together is nothing short of inspiring. They inspire me to keep doing the work I do - and that includes the work I do on myself! The content is so meaningful that I continue to learn more and more about myself with every group, session, and 1:1 conversation.
Kat: Personally, In HER Element has been profoundly hopeful. Helping women connect back to the core of who they are, where empowerment and freedom begin, is truly inspiring.
Carolyn: The women who participate in In HER Element are so inspirational to me. Every single woman brings her whole self to the room and offers a presence I've never felt in other leadership programs. I feel so humbled when I see the light bulbs go on with transformation through those nine months. It is a constant reminder that I, too, can choose how I show up in everything I do.
Why do you feel In HER Element is important?
Nancy: In HER Element offers real and meaningful personal growth. Many leadership development programs teach good skills, but In HER Element facilitates change from the inside out. It's not a cookie-cutter approach. Instead, it's individualized and connected deeply to each person's values. That kind of change is what makes a lasting difference.
Kat: In HER Element is a tool for women to drive their destiny - something fundamental to creating an inclusive work and life culture enhanced by empowered women leaders' input, capabilities, and impact.
Carolyn: In HER Element gives women a different way to see the world and creates a safe place to be themselves - myself included. As a mother of three teenage girls, I want to be a role model to them for what's possible. I want them to be confident and not just tolerate what others put into the space as true.
What, in your opinion, is the most significant effect In HER Element has on participants?
Nancy: There is a strong connection and support built organically into the cohorts. These leaders start to understand that they are not alone in their thoughts. They find it's a place to share their unique struggles — it's like having a personal support team built on mutual understanding and trust. I often hear, "I didn't know I needed this, but I did." I see people looking at themselves in a more positive light, with increased confidence and clarity, and it's a fantastic thing.
Kat: I have witnessed women step into their greater selves and make significant changes that positively impact their personal life and the organizations they work within. They step away from In HER Element empowered by their newly enhanced audacity, courage, self-awareness, and community. This program is powerful. I can't wait to have my own five daughters go through it.
Carolyn: The blend of cohort and coaching makes In HER Element magical. It's the opportunity to be a part of a community of incredible women you wouldn't have met otherwise. And at the same time, it's an opportunity to focus on yourself.
Learn more about In HER Element and what the program can do for you or your team: Women’s Leadership Development Cohort Program | In HER Element (thedisruptiveelement.com)