shahmeen sadiq, MCC

founder of anjali leadership, master certified coach

Shahmeen Sadiq, Master Certified Coach, has been leading the leadership development of executives and senior leaders since founding Anjali Leadership Inc. in 2005. She served as adjunct Leadership Faculty at the University of Notre Dame from 2013 to 2020, and was faculty at The Leadership Circle, where she certified and mentored about a thousand coaches over her tenure, from 2008-2019.

Shahmeen creates spaces where it is safe to Be Human, Together, and she shows her clients how to do so as well. In 2009 she was honored by the International Coach Federation with a Prism Award for one such project: large system healing and culture change within a fractured faith community. 

These days she and her team are focused on facilitating essential, intimate, and difficult explorations with committed, courageous and resilient senior leaders of purposeful organizations who will lead the world into and through the next chapter of human history. She also mentors seasoned leadership development coaches and consultants and HR professionals who support such leaders and organizations.

Shahmeen weaves a lifetime of diverse learning into potent transformational invitations for people who are interested in becoming whole, empowered contributors to the well-being of humanity.

Shahmeen is a published poet and a visual artist. You can find her book, Heart Matters: A Poetic Revolution of Truth, Healing, and Belonging on Amazon, Chapters/Indigo and Tertulia. She is mother to three amazing human beings. She loves spending time in nature and is enjoying exploring the trails in her new city of Waterloo, Ontario.

JENNY HAASE

Client Experience and Business Support Partner

Jenny Haase has spent much of her career in the field of Leadership and Organizational Development, primarily in the areas of Client and Employee Experience, Design of Transformational Events, and as Business Support Partner to the CEO and C-Suite. Jenny worked for Stephen M. R. Covey as he launched his book, The Speed of Trust, and she was an integral part of The Leadership Circle and Full Circle Group for over 15 years. She is delighted to be working with Shahmeen and the wonderful Team at Anjali Leadership!

Throughout her career, Jenny has found a passion and a special niche in helping to create exceptional client experiences and events, whether it be a senior leadership team retreat, a global leadership Summit, or simply an internal development initiative for a client. She knows that quality content is imperative; but so, too, are the unique “containers” and special touches that deepen and anchor the learning, help to build a sense of community, team, and commitment among participants, and make an event a stellar experience.

Deeply honored to be nominated by both colleagues and a client (The Ritz-Carlton) for the “Unsung Hero Award,” Jenny was selected by Successful Meetings Magazine for this national award which celebrates “Their Passion Made Your Event Possible.”

Jenny thrives in helping organizations develop and deliver an attitude and modality of phenomenal Customer Service and Client Experience. This includes developing a Culture of exceptional “internal” customer service as well. So often, an organization’s Customer/Client Experience reflects its “internal culture.” Having a Culture where employees thrive and are guided by a clear and meaningful Mission, Purpose and Values structure makes all the difference!

Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication and Business Administration from Utah State University. She is certified in the use of the Leadership Circle (360˚) Profile and the Collective Leadership (Culture) Assessment tools from The Leadership Circle.

Jenny makes her home in Utah, USA, and is the mother of three adult children. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and hiking in the beautiful (and local) Wasatch Mountains. Music, mindfulness and moments spent in nature replenish her mind and spirit. As a breast cancer survivor, she speaks to groups of all sizes about the importance of early detection, and of being your own health advocate. Jenny is the founder of “Kindness from the Heart.” She believes that even the smallest act of Kindness can unleash an energy that ripples in ways unimagined … touching countless lives and transcending generations. Her mission is to share a compelling vision for creating a Legacy of Kindness.

KAREN ABRAMS-GERBER

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

For over two decades, Dr. Karen Abrams-Gerber has worked as an organizational consultant, coach, and researcher for a broad range of companies, foundations and not-for-profit organizations. Karen is committed to helping leaders and organizations harness the full potential of collaboration.

Karen has expertise coaching leaders across organizational levels. She draws on her in-depth background in organizational dynamics, leadership development, conflict resolution, neuroscience, counseling and relationship building. She brings a nuanced understanding of how underlying power dynamics emerge, recognizing the impact of differing identities on organizational dynamics.

Karen takes a systems approach to leadership development and understands that a leader’s behavior is both a function of individual personality and the larger organizational context. Her strengths lie not only in her rigorous academic credentials and years of experience, but also in her ability to create spaces in which clients experience being truly seen and are therefore able to see themselves as well as one another more clearly. Karen brings a curious mind and an open heart to her work as she supports her clients to communicate effectively and productively across difference.

Karen has earned a doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership as well as a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford University. She lives with her husband and daughter in New York City.

JOANNA COTTON, CPcC, PCC

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Joanna Cotton is a certified leadership coach and team facilitator who specializes in helping senior and emerging leaders and teams maximize potential and improve performance. She has a passion for helping leaders and organizations thrive in an increasingly complex world. By creating a brave and courageous environment, she partners with her clients to develop goals that are in line with their unique values and strengths. She possesses a genuine and approachable conversation style that promotes both reflection and action – empowering her clients to confidently make lasting changes in their professional and personal lives.

Joanna has over 25 years of experience developing and leading successful and high performing teams in sales,  marketing, product innovation, and strategy. She has held successive executive positions at a number of leading  educational publishing companies, as well as the world’s largest privately held international educational travel  company.

Her core strengths and accomplishments as a leader include: creating cultures of inclusion and  innovation; inspiring teams to develop and execute best in class strategies; cultivating sustainable partnerships  with key stakeholders; and facilitating collaborative cross-functional teamwork in organizational and global  initiatives. 

As an executive leadership coach, Joanna has contributed to the success of senior and high potential leaders in  a range of industries including publishing, financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail, manufacturing, and  professional services. She draws on her extensive business and leadership experience to create a powerful  alliance with her clients, empowering them to deepen their insight, set clear goals, and execute on action plans.  As a consultant and facilitator, she works with organizations to develop their leadership culture, strategic  planning, team vision and mandate, and team effectiveness.  

Joanna is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and has  completed training in Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC). She is a Coach Educator with  Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). She is also certified to administer the following assessments: Leadership Circle  Profile 360 assessment, Leadership Culture Survey, Leadership Effectiveness Analysis (LEA) 360, and Birkman  Signature. She is also the co-founder of The Do Good Collective, a social impact initiative designed to engage  and activate women who are hungry to change the world.  

Professional Expertise and Services 

Individual Leadership Development: Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Influence and Leadership  Presence, Culture and Organizational Change, Career Management Team/Group Leadership Development:  Team Coaching, Team Effectiveness, Productive Conflict, and Strategic Planning and Visioning.  

DONNA FORDE, PCC

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Successful leaders see opportunity where others see challenge. For over two decades Donna has worked with senior executives to find possibilities in every situation. She has a proven track record of helping leaders achieve transformational change. Her work integrates somatic coaching, systems thinking, conscious leadership and developmental psychology; bringing the mind, body, heart and soul into coherent alignment. She brings a rich background in individual and team coaching plus extensive leadership and organizational development expertise to her work as a coach and mentor.

Donna is a certified executive, leadership and relationship systems coach.  She creates an environment with leaders where together they can deeply explore complex questions, engage in candid conversations and reveal core truths which leads to purposeful action.ela sums up her approach to coaching, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Donna’s multifaceted approach to coaching is a distillation of thousands of hours of experience with leaders and teams across the globe. Her coaching clients include a diverse roster of senior leaders from a wide range of industries.

This quote by Nelson Mandela sums up her approach to coaching, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

DAN HOLDEN

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Dan Holden has worked in executive and team development for over 30 years. He serves on the Executive Education faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where he was awarded the school’s Inspiring Educator of the Year Award. Dan has worked with the Center for Creative Leadership, and with Elsie Y. Cross Associates, Inc. on issues of diversity and culture change. He is a senior consultant with The Leadership Circle organization and is one of the original users of this technology. He is the author of Lost Between Lives–Finding Your Light When the World Goes Dark (2004). He has authored several articles, including Diversity Unraveled and The Forgotten Self—Executive Development in the 21st Century, which appear in Industrial Management. His most recent articles can all be downloaded from his website: This is the Leadership World: Do Not Be Afraid; A Ritual for Leaders; and MLK Remembered — A Call for Consciously Maladapted Leaders (2021).

Dan’s work has been integral in projects for: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, VF Corp., PEW Charitable Trust, Elsie Y. Cross Associates, DANA Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Shell Oil, Ford Motor Company, Boeing Aerospace, Bon Secours Health System, STRIDE Community Health System, Northeast Utilities Nuclear Power Division, Sodexo, Hemlock Semi Conductor, Exempla Health Systems, BioWorks Inc., Penske, AT&T Bell Labs, NASA, Price, Waterhouse, Cooper, Australia and the US Dept. of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service. Dan’s work opens leaders to the work of personal mastery and guides them to their essential impact as leaders. He works at the intersection where executive development, organizational transformation and the spiritual journey meet.

Dan leads leadership workshops and team retreats and has an executive coaching practice with leaders from many different sectors. His affiliations with The Leadership Circle and The Full Circle Group include helping train consultants and coaches in TLC instruments around the world. He co-founded The Refiner’s Playground, a personal/spiritual development community (http://refinersplayground.com). Dan’s work helps leaders find and skillfully navigate through essential conversations– beyond problem solving, posturing and blaming—such that their agenda moves forward in expansive, inclusive ways. The result: greater performance, spiritually alive focus with less effort and stress. Dan earned a BA in Psychology (summa cum laude) from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and a MS Ed. from Niagara University. An outdoor enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, sports car driver and an ex-military paratrooper, Dan brings the heart of a mystical poet and teacher to his depth work with leaders and their teams. Recently certified in Equine Assisted Coaching, he speaks, writes and coaches from the solid foundation of someone who has walked through the fire. He and his family live in Milwaukee.

JUAN MADINA, PCC

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Juan Madina is a Professional Certified Coach and Senior Leadership Consultant who specializes in supporting leaders to harness the full potential of their teams while improving business performance and achieving big results. His strengths lie in opening leaders to the work of a more grounded approach to business, teaching leadership teams how to honor those they work with to create successful, and effective long-lasting relationships within the corporate world.

Juan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A) degree with a focus on Organizational Development. Prior to becoming a leadership coach, he was an instrumental part of developing and creating large-scale sales, coaching, and process improvement programs at some of Canada’s most successful retail chains and manufacturers. This then led him to pursue a focus in leadership development. He is a certified coach through the Coaches Training Institute™ (CTI) and holds a Professional Certified Coach Accreditation (PCC) from the International Coaches Federation (ICF). Juan also holds a certification in the Leadership Circle Profile™ as well as the Leadership Circle Culture Survey™ and has completed many leadership development programs such as Dale Carnegie, Sales for Retail Leaders, and many others.

Juan’s extensive background gives him a unique perspective and understanding of what steps are instrumental in successfully influencing a workplace environment to be more effective, collaborative, supportive, and to maintain a culture of heart-centered leadership. Combining his 25 years of corporate experience with more than 4 years of Co-Active® Coaching, these two passions have become an integral part of his mission to skillfully guide clients to transform their leadership and mindset.

With his guidance, grounded approach, and firm belief that any obstacle, large or small can be overcome in every organization and within every team. Juan skillfully guides leaders to perform at their highest potential possible while maintaining brave and courageous environments for teams to thrive in.

CAROLYN TILDEN, PCC

Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Rooted in love, Carolyn cultivates deep relationships so she and others can courageously face their reality and be energized by the possibility of what wants to emerge.

Founder of CataQuest Consulting, Carolyn’s leadership development work is grounded by her first-hand experience leading large-scale corporate initiatives as well as her personal journey to overcome roadblocks of her own making. Her work is a catalyst for challenging the status quo by talking about what really matters to inspire reflection and conscious action.

At the heart of her work, Carolyn guides her clients through deep inner work building their conscious awareness, courage, and resiliency, for the sake of their making powerful external changes.

Prior to her current career in the professional development industry, Carolyn worked for twenty years in a diverse set of industries including advertising, consulting, consumer products and telecommunications, in both public and privately held companies. She served at the officer level at two $1 billion plus companies. She understands the challenges her business clients face based on her experience as a leader- including leading culture change- in many different settings.

Carolyn has coached executives in a wide range of industries such as publishing, insurance, advertising, consumer products, and financial services. Clients have included United, Draftfcb, Walgreens, Starcom and US Cellular.

Carolyn is an active learner. She is a professionally certified coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation. She did her coach training at Hudson Institute and is a graduate of Strozzi Institute’s embodied leadership program. She has studied with Center for Right Relationship and holds a Master of Management from Kellogg Graduate School of Business. She is also a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator.

Carolyn lives in Highland Park, IL with her husband. They enjoy exploring new places together as well as long walks and good books. Practicing tai chi at the Chicago Botanic Gardens is a highlight she looks forward to every week.