Leadership Coaches

Strategic leaders build high performing teams.

Develop your strategic leadership skills by exploring opportunities, practicing proven strategies, and defining a plan for tangible outcomes. A Talent Praxis leadership coach is a partner to help leaders consider new approaches to leadership challenges or opportunities and build high-performing teams.

We help leaders to:

  1. Set and achieve impactful goals

  2. Manage their team for high-performance

  3. Nurture strong relationships

  4. Work and lead intentionally 

  • Chelsea Seid, MBA, PCC

    Chelsea Seid is an ICF PCC coach focused on helping people turn ideas into actions. Chelsea has 15 years of management, leadership, and talent development experience. She also co-founded and ran a venture-backed scalable coaching startup for five years. In addition to coaching Chelsea trains in management and leadership tools, consults in behavioral competencies, and mentors startup founders and coaches.

  • Shonna Amos, MA, CPC, PCC

    Shonna is on a mission to help leaders Explore What's Possible™️ for their personal and professional lives. She has led leadership development, talent management, and coaching programs supporting leaders' ability to connect with their strengths and lead with authenticity. Shonna is a certified DiSC facilitator, a certified ICF PCC coach, and serves on the Board of Directors for the ICF Michigan Chapter leading their community outreach efforts.

  • Dawn DeFrancesco, PhD, PCC

    Dr. Dawn DeFrancesco is a PCC coach specializing in holistic leadership development to support individuals, groups, and teams to achieve peak performance in work and life. Dawn is also a certified team coach, Mentor Coach, Master Nutrition Consultant, and earned a PhD in Training and Performance Improvement. Dawn is also certified in the following assessments: Hogan® Assessment Tool, Workplace Big 5, FIRO-B, PerSight, Influence Style Indicator™, and CCL Benchmarks 360. You can learn more about Dawn at It's a New Dawn Coaching & Consulting.

  • Radha Mehrotra, MSc, PCC

    Radha Mehrotra is a PCC coach and a facilitator who brings in a unique integrated style in her work that helps leaders address challenges around stress, emotional well- being, resilience and leading teams effectively with a human centered approach. She combines evidence-based tools from Psychology & Neuroscience and works with groups, teams and individuals. She is also certified on DISC, MBTI® & the Hogan® Assessment Tool.

  • Jaclyn Cook, PCC

    Jaclyn Cook, PCC

    Jaclyn Cook is an ICF PCC coach who focuses on transformational coaching for leaders and managers. With 1,500+ coaching hours, she has seen clients gain confidence, reduce stress, and live out their unique purpose. She specializes in manager development, leadership, and productivity centered around defining and achieving specific goals. Jaclyn has coached 200+ managers and emerging leaders across 60+ companies from a variety of industries including technology, insurance, legal, and marketing.

  • Shayna Steinfeld Sevett, TCC, Early-Career Coach

    Shayna has spent her career working across the entire talent lifecycle, from early career to the C-Suite, focusing on crafting and nurturing impactful teams. She brings a background in education to her work in People & Talent, where she's spent the last decade focusing on shaping overall HR, Recruiting, and DEI strategy. As a coach, Shayna believes that the foundation of professional growth is built on a bedrock of genuine curiosity and self-discovery. Working with her will push the boundaries of what's possible while remaining grounded in the values that truly matter to you.

Detailed Bios

Chelsea Seid, MBA, PCC

About Chelsea:

I value having fun, exploring new things, accepting and loving community, getting outside, and focusing on what matters. In work I am focused on helping leaders, companies, entrepreneurs, and coaches turn ideas into practices to achieve their goals.

Why Coaching

I have the unique background of exclusively working for or on c-suite and leadership teams in a variety of industries, with services and products, both B2B and B2C. I have worked at 100+ year organizations in 5 different countries and also companies growing rapidly based in the US. I am very skilled at systems thinking and problem-solving and prefer working hands-on in a person-to-person collaborative environment. My strong drive and ambition to work with others to solve complex problems naturally drew me to the powerful partnership of coaching and my unique experience in c-suite across a variety of industries suited me well for leadership coaching. 

I find leadership coaching endlessly fulfilling and exciting because of the nuance and complexity of leadership. Specifically the unique challenges and opportunities when leading people who are multi-faceted with lives and needs while also driving towards the goals and KPIs of the business.

Working with Chelsea

My style as a coach is a unique balance. I am 60% directive and 40% partnering. I like to create an environment to ask thought-provoking open questions for my clients to dive deep into their goals and own self-awareness, but am also comfortable being more directive and hands-on if it serves the topic at hand.

My communication style is direct and challenging while also being fun, working to find the light in difficult situations to search for opportunities over problems. I often say people are weird and always changing. Leadership is a practice of awareness and experimentation to observe progress toward goals not a skill for mastery. 

Together we will explore to discover opportunities and develop tangible next steps and impactful changes so you can observe progress toward your goals.

Years of Leadership Coaching: Six years formally coaching leaders 1:1, 125+ leaders and executives

Demographics of past clients:

  • Industries: tech, startups, professional services, finance, architecture, consulting, toy manufacturing, car manufacturing

  • Companies: 

    • Majority: SMB 500-5,000 FTE, US Based 

    • Some: small 2-300FTE and some enterprise 

  • Department: 

    • Variety: Sales, Marketing, Finance, Production, Engineering, Design, Product Management, Customer Success, Client Management, Operations

  • Level: 

    • Majority: Director- SVP 

    • Some: Manager and C-suite

Certifications:

  • ICF PCC

  • ICF PCC Marker Assessor Training in progress

  • ICF ACC BARS Assessor Training in progress

  • Completed the PQ Coaching Grant Program

Affiliations:

  • ICF Member

  • ICF Georgia Chapter Member

Other relevant experience or ventures:

  • 15 years of experience managing and leading teams; leading business operations and strategy; and leading HR, talent development, and talent acquisition across a variety of industries

  • Founded 3 companies: a boutique coaching company, a coach training academy, and a venture-backed startup; also served on the leadership team of two other venture-backed startups

  • Five years of experience as a co-founder of a venture-backed startup building scalable coaching processes, platforms, and curriculum for managers and leaders

  • Six years of experience partnering with 30+ companies to create custom coaching programs 

  • Six years of experience mentoring and training other coaches

  • One year of experience formally mentoring coaches following ICF PCC competencies

  • One year experience as Adjunct Faculty and Mentor Coach, Health and Human Performance Professional Skills Course, Pacific College of Health and Science

Dawn DeFrancesco, PhD, PCC

About Dawn:

My values are to: 

  • Live autonomously

  • Act with accountability

  • Lead with kindness

  • Value friendships

  • Strive for happiness

Why Coaching

One of my favorite movies sums up my “why” of coaching. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is searching to find her way home. After much inner work, and of course, conquering the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda tells Dorothy, “You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power to go back to Kansas.” When asked why Glinda didn’t tell Dorothy from the beginning, she says, “Because she wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself.” Though not quite a coach, Glinda exemplifies the coaching principle that each person is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. I coach because I truly believe in each person’s ability to create their own definition of and path to success. My magic wand is my ability to provide you with the space and support you need to find the inner power you’ve always had. 

I choose to coach leaders because one leader’s impact can trickle down to an entire organization, a community, and ultimately the world we all live in. Through my knowledge of working and communication styles, my coaching philosophy is driven by the platinum rule: “Do unto others, wherever possible, as they would want to be done to them.”

Working with Dawn

My coaching approach is based on my personal values of autonomy, accountability, trust, and kindness. With this approach, you can expect that you will always have the choice to create your personalized path to success and determine the specific accountability measures needed to achieve your goals. I may challenge your ways of thinking and invite you to explore different perspectives with the intent of creating new insights and “AH-HA!” moments. This is all done within a judgment-free space where you can feel safe to explore new ideas and options; a space where failure doesn't exist and learning opportunities thrive. 

My communication style is direct but empathetic. When appropriate, I like to infuse a bit of humor into my conversations. Coaching is serious stuff, but the journey should be fun! 

Having a Ph.D. in Training and Performance Improvement, I approach situations from a holistic view and assume there’s never just one “right” answer. I have also worked in a variety of industries, from utilities to finance to tech to startups, and have a unique perspective and vast knowledge of what makes people and processes successful…or not. Through coaching, I am able to tap into these experiences to relate to my clients’ situations and be a thought partner in exploring alternative solutions. 

I’m trained in a multitude of assessments that allow me to truly understand my client’s style of working and communicating. I can help clients tap into their own strengths to achieve personal goals, recognize when they might have an overplayed strength that creates an obstacle to progress, and identify the strengths of others to create highly functioning teams.

Years of Leadership Coaching: Six

Demographics of past clients:

  • Industries: tech, startups, legal, professional services, healthcare, consulting, toy manufacturing

  • Locations:

    • US and global (English-speaking)

  • Level (in order of frequency): 

    • Director-SVP

    • First-time managers

    • C-suite

    • High-performing individual contributors

    • Interns

Certifications:

  • ICF PCC

  • Team Coaching (Solutions Academy)

  • PhD Training and Performance Improvement

  • Master Nutrition Consultant (AFPA)

  • Hogan

  • Workplace Big 5

  • FIRO-B

  • Persight

  • Influence Style Indicator

  • CCL Benchmarks 360

  • ICF PCC Marker Assessor Training

  • ICF ACC BARS Assessor Training

  • Completed the PQ Coaching Grant Program

Affiliations:

  • ICF member

  • ICF San Diego Chapter member

Other relevant experience or ventures:

  • CEO and Co-Founder of Trio Coaching Academy, a coach training program aligned to ICF standards and competencies

  • CEO and Founder of It’s a New Dawn Coaching

  • Coaching experience with a variety of organizations:

    • SAP

    • Center for Creative Leadership

    • Arootah

    • Omada Health

  • Mentor coach for ICF ACC/PCC level coaches

  • 20+ years of experience in developing and implementing learning and performance improvement solutions across many diverse environments, including the roles of:

    • Director Learning Strategy and Design

    • Manager Training and Operational Risk

    • Sr. Instructional Designer

Radha Mehrotra, MSc, PCC

  • Pronouns: She/Her

  • Location: Waxhaw, North Carolina

  • Preferred working hours: 9a-4pET

  • LinkedIn

  • Positive Synaptic Leadership – Founder/CEO

About Radha:

My mission is to empower leaders and their teams to flourish by integrating evidence-based tools and practices from various disciplines, fueled by my lifelong curiosity and commitment to human growth and potential.

Why Coaching

There’s something extraordinary about the human connection in a coaching session, often referred to in neuroscience as brain synchrony. I believe this connection is so powerful that it creates a space for profound transformations. This is one of the many aspects of coaching that fascinates me. It’s a practice that fosters higher self-awareness, autonomy, increased self-reflection, better performance, and confidence in clients through their dialogue with a coach. One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing my clients feel empowered and resourceful as they pursue their goals in life and at work.

Working with Radha

I bring a strong foundation of empathy, compassion, and trust to my work. Each session is tailored to meet the unique needs and preferences of my clients, and I have consistently received feedback on my calm demeanor and attentive listening skills. My coaching methodology is grounded in evidence-based practices, drawing from Positive Psychology, Coaching Psychology, and Neuroscience. With extensive experience in Learning & Development and Leadership across various industries, I possess a deep understanding of diverse Leadership Frameworks and Principles. My approach is centered on a Whole Being perspective, fostering a humanistic and supportive environment for leaders during our sessions.

Years of Leadership Coaching: 20

Demographics of past clients:

  •  Individual contributors

  •  Supervisor

  • Manager

  • Sr. Manager

  • Director

  • Sr. Director

  • VP

  • SVP

  • C-Suite

Education 

  • MSc. Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health – King’s College (London) 

  • MSc Applied Positive Psychology & Organizations & Leadership (University of East London) - Pursuing 

  • Applied Psychology (Honors) - Delhi University 

Certifications 

  • ICF Certified Coach (PCC) 

  • Applied Positive Psychology Coach (Institute of Positive Psychology) 

  • Neurodiversity in Coaching: Context & Skills for Effective Practice – (Animas Centre for Coaching)

  • Neuroscience Coach Certified – (Think Brain)

  • Team and Group Certified Coach (Essentials & Advanced) 

  • Diploma in Coaching Supervision 

  • PCC Marker Certified – ICF 

  • Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy Certified (The Embody Lab)

  • Certified Global Practitioner and Coach on the Hogan® Assessment Tool 

  • Certified Global MBTI® Step I & Step II Practitioner 

  • Certified Global Administrator on Thomas Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) by Thomas 

  • International (DISC) 

  • Certified NLP Master Practitioner- The Society of Neuro- Linguistic Programming® Dr. Richard 

  • Dale Carnegie Certified Trainer

Trainings 

  • Neuroscience of Change – Coaches Rising 

  • Power of Embodied Presence – Coaches Rising 

  • Neuroscience Academy

Other Relevant Experience or Ventures:

  • With over 24 years of extensive global experience in Leadership, Facilitation and Coaching, I have successfully led the Learning & Development function across various industries. I have managed teams and overseen the strategy, design, and delivery of people development interventions and training programs.

  • In addition to my corporate experience, I spent several years as a Learning & Development consultant, partnering with clients on Organization Development and Learning & Development initiatives. This work included Assessment Centers, Psychometric Assessments, Facilitation, Customized Workshops, and Coaching.

  • Founder and CEO of Positive Synaptic Leadership, a unique coaching and consulting company that blends Positive Psychology and Neuroscience. We specialize in providing insights into the psychology and biology of human behavior, equipping leaders with practical tools for transformative, long-lasting change, combined with effective leadership frameworks

  • Adjunct Faculty for Coaching for a University Led Coach Certification Program 

  • Coach Mentor for ACC/PCC Coaches 

  • Coach Supervisor 

Shonna Amos, MA, CPC, PCC

About Shonna:

I’m on a mission to help professionals in and outside of organizations Explore What’s Possible®️ for their personal and professional lives. 

Why Coaching

I love coaching- it lights me up- mainly because it’s all about the client.  I’m walking on the journey with the client and invested but I hold true to the fact that it’s their journey and they are leading the way. 

Working with Shonna

My style is grounded in active listening and empathy, with a strong focus on forward movement. Oftentimes clients say they feel comfortable quickly or feel they can open up and be honest with me. I don’t take that lightly and don’t take it for granted.  It’s important that clients feel the space is truly safe for them to show up authentically.

I support individuals and groups, within and outside of organizations, with professional and personal exploration and leadership development that goes beyond theory and mantras by putting strategic steps into action to achieve actionable change. I pride myself on putting my clients first, and creating a safe space to dive deep and explore.

Years of Leadership Coaching: 10+ (5 affiliated with ICF)

Demographics of past clients:

  • Locations: Global (organizations that have global presence and some that have US only or single-state presence)

  • Industries: Commercial and consumer automotive, manufacturing (apparel, candy, auto suppliers),  insurance, non-profit, professional services/consulting, university, food service, elementary education. 

  • Company size: 16 - 160,000 employees (in the latter, I serviced one US function/BU within that org)

  • Departments: HR, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, International Markets, Electrification, Customer Service, Category Management, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Legal, Manufacturing/Production, Demand Planning, R&D, (and others) 

  • Level: Most- Individual contributor, Supervisor, Manager, Sr. Manager, Director, Sr. Director, (a few VP, SVP, and C-Suite clients)

Certifications and Education:

  • CPC Certification

  • ICF PCC Credential

  • BA in Human Resource Management

  • MA in Training and Development

  • Neuroleadership Institute Brain-Based Coaching Certification

  • Certified DiSC vendor partner and practitioner  

  • CARES Certified DEIB practitioner

  • John Maxwell Leadership 

  • Korn Ferry and Center for Creative Leadership’s 360 products

  • Center for Leadership Studies Situational Leadership Model

Affiliations:

  • Board of Directors- ICF Michigan

  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Southfield Alumnae Chapter

Other relevant experience or ventures:

  • 18 years of HR experience

  • 14+ years of L&D/Talent Management experience 

Jaclyn Cook, PCC

Certifications and Education:

  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coach Federation

  • Western Seminary, Certificate in Transformational Coaching

  • California State University, Fresno, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration - Finance

  •  Prior industry experience in learning and development, finance, project management, and technology.

  • 10 years of people management experience

About Jaclyn

My passion is to help people flourish, I focus on transformational coaching across life and work. 

Why Coaching

I believe there is power in clarified goals, thoughtful exploration, and personal reflection as a method for growth. I meet my clients where they are and partner with them to grow into the leaders and people they hope to become. 

Working with Jaclyn

In coaching sessions, I partner with clients to define a focus and intention, celebrate wins, reflect on learnings, and take action to make progress toward their unique goals.

I’ll guide each session through powerful coaching questions that draw out new thoughts and insights to help clients discover a path forward. I’ll incorporate tools and frameworks that support the area of focus to partner toward application. Through the power of coaching clients have greater confidence and experience personal growth that aligns with their unique purpose. I do this by pausing to acknowledge progress, engaging learnings with curiosity, and inviting clients to take action. 

Years of Leadership Coaching: 7+

Demographics of past clients:

  • Completed 1,500+ coaching hours with over 200 managers and emerging leaders across 60+ companies from industries such as technology, insurance, legal, marketing, and consumer products.

Shayna Steinfeld Sevett, TCC

Certifications:

  • Trio Coaching Certificate

  • Completed all educational and mentor coaching hours required to apply for the ICF Level 1 credential and in the process of completing ACC coaching hours

  • Diversity and Inclusion Certificate, Cornell University

Other relevant experience or ventures:

  • Education: BA, University of California, Berkeley

  • 10 years in Talent Management, including startups, Pinterest, and Roblox 

  • Years of 1:1 leadership coaching: 7 years informally

  • Demographics of past clients: Early career (college & new grads), mid-level career (8-15 years experience), executive-level (Senior Director and Above) 

About Shayna:

 My mission is to empower all professionals, from early career to C-Suite, to build a life they love. My focus is on crafting and nurturing lifelong learners who find a way to say yes. 

Why Coaching

I believe that the foundation of professional growth is built on a bedrock of genuine curiosity and self-discovery. Our work together will push the boundaries of what's possible while remaining grounded in the values that truly matter to you.

Working with Shayna

Like many professionals, I tried on several hats before finding a career path that clicked. I’ve worked at summer camps, schools, coffee shops, and a warehouse in downtown LA before finding my path; I’m all too familiar with how confusing it can be to find your true north. As a coach, I help navigate, but my clients are always in the driver’s seat. And of course, like any good road trip, we’ll be sure to have some fun along the way. 

Working with me is as much about the journey as it is about the destination, but navigating a professional environment for the first time may feel disorienting. As a coach, I’ll help you feel inspired, through your own development, to build a career, and a life, you love. 

Years of Leadership Coaching: Six years formally coaching leaders 1:1, 125+ leaders and executives

Demographics of past clients:

  • Industries: tech, startups, professional services, finance, architecture, consulting, toy manufacturing, car manufacturing

  • Companies: 

    • Majority: SMB 500-5,000 FTE, US Based 

    • Some: small 2-300FTE and some enterprise 

  • Department: 

    • Variety: Sales, Marketing, Finance, Production, Engineering, Design, Product Management, Customer Success, Client Management, Operations

  • Level: 

    • Majority: Director- SVP 

    • Some: Manager and C-suite