Member since April 2026
Michelle Gilbert is an ICF-certified executive coach and Chief Engine Officer of Purple Engine Coaching & Consulting who helps leaders navigate the conversations that shape careers and often get avoided.
With more than 30 years of leadership experience, including 24 years in Fortune 50 companies, she brings a practical, real-world approach to high-stakes communication. Michelle doesn’t just teach concepts; she equips audiences with clear strategies they can immediately apply to handle pressure, speak with impact, and lead with greater confidence.
Known for her engaging and highly actionable sessions, Michelle’s signature topic focuses on how strong leaders handle uncomfortable conversations—whether delivering tough feedback, addressing tension, or navigating competing priorities. She also speaks on building strategic relationships through managing up and transforming networking from something that feels forced into something authentic and effective.
Across every talk, she helps participants move from avoidance or second-guessing to clear, confident action, so they can communicate with clarity, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen trust, and show up more effectively in the moments that matter most.
I’m most energized by helping leaders navigate the conversations they’re often tempted to avoid—the ones that quietly hold teams and organizations back.
Throughout my career, the most gratifying part has been helping others grow theirs. After more than 30 years leading teams, including over two decades inside Fortune 50 companies, I’ve been in those moments—avoiding the conversation, second-guessing how to approach it, and learning the hard way what works.
That’s why I’m so passionate about helping leaders understand why these conversations feel so uncomfortable and how to move through them with clarity, confidence, intention, and impact. When leaders build this capability, everything changes: decisions move faster, trust deepens, and teams spend less time stuck and more time moving forward.
I’m not afraid to share my own moments when things didn’t go well, and one of my favorites is the time I got called out mid-sentence in a staff meeting. I was rambling, trying to make a point without actually being clear, when my boss cut me off and said, “Gilbert. Stop selling.”
It was humiliating, but he wasn’t wrong. That moment became a turning point in how I approach high-stakes conversations. It taught me that when we’re not prepared, we ramble. And when we ramble, we lose credibility.
It’s a story I use to help leaders see themselves in those moments and give them a simple, practical way to show up with more clarity and impact.
For most of my career, I led internal and external communications strategy for major national brands—translating big corporate narratives into meaningful stories, navigating crises, and advising senior leaders through high-stakes moments.
Then, after 34 years in corporate America, I was laid off for the first time due to restructuring. I had a choice: pursue another role or write my next chapter. I was already working toward my coaching certification, and every intuitive bone in my body told me it was time to finally take a chance on me. So I made the leap and left corporate, finished my training, and fast-tracked my plans to add “entrepreneur” to my resume.
As I got started, one thing became clear: the common thread in what clients were seeking help with was navigating uncomfortable, high-stakes moments. That focus felt deeply personal because, like many other leaders, I had also lived it. I know what it’s like to avoid the conversation, second-guess yourself, or hold back to keep the peace. And, I also know what changes when you handle those moments differently.
That’s the work I do today through Purple Engine Coaching & Consulting: helping leaders step into the conversations they’ve been avoiding and handle them with clarity, confidence, and impact.
The best presenters aren't confident because they've memorized every word—they're confident because they're prepared for everything that can't be scripted.
Whether you're presenting to executives, speaking at a conference, leading a team meeting, or representing your organization in the media, the moments that create the most anxiety are often the ones you can't predict: the tough questions, unexpected interruptions, technology hiccups, or conversations that take an unexpected turn.
This engaging, highly practical session helps professionals shift their preparation from simply delivering content to leading the conversation that follows. Participants will learn how to communicate with greater confidence, think on their feet without feeling caught off guard, and stay composed when the unexpected happens. Through practical strategies, real-world examples, and immediately applicable techniques, they'll leave better equipped to present with authenticity, credibility, and confidence—even when things don't go according to plan.
For many professionals, networking feels awkward, transactional, or downright uncomfortable—but it doesn’t have to.
This interactive session offers a refreshing approach that replaces pressure and performance with genuine connection. Participants will learn how to prepare for networking opportunities, begin meaningful conversations, and build lasting professional relationships in a way that feels authentic. Whether attending a conference, industry event, or internal gathering, they’ll leave with practical strategies they can use immediately.
Most difficult conversations aren’t difficult because we don’t know what to say. They’re difficult because we’re worried about how the other person will respond.
Whether delivering constructive feedback, addressing conflict, setting a boundary, or raising a concern, professionals often delay the conversations that matter most. This highly practical session introduces a clear four-step framework for preparing for high-stakes conversations with greater confidence, clarity, and intention. Through relatable stories, practical strategies, and immediately applicable tools, participants will learn how to stop avoiding uncomfortable conversations and start leading them more effectively.
Strong leaders don’t just manage their teams—they know how to build productive relationships with the people around them. Yet many professionals struggle to push back respectfully, ask for what they need, influence without authority, or navigate competing priorities across departments.
This practical, engaging session gives participants communication strategies for strengthening relationships with leaders, peers, clients, and key stakeholders. They’ll gain tools they can use immediately to build trust, increase their influence, and communicate with greater confidence—without sacrificing authenticity.
Audience Takeaways
I’m not afraid to share my own moments when things didn’t go well, and one of my favorites is the time I got called out mid-sentence in a staff meeting. I was rambling, trying to make a point without actually being clear, when my boss cut me off and said, “Gilbert. Stop selling.”
It was humiliating, but he wasn’t wrong. That moment became a turning point in how I approach high-stakes conversations. It taught me that when we’re not prepared, we ramble. And when we ramble, we lose credibility.
It’s a story I use to help leaders see themselves in those moments and give them a simple, practical way to show up with more clarity and impact.
For most of my career, I led internal and external communications strategy for major national brands—translating big corporate narratives into meaningful stories, navigating crises, and advising senior leaders through high-stakes moments.
Then, after 34 years in corporate America, I was laid off for the first time due to restructuring. I had a choice: pursue another role or write my next chapter. I was already working toward my coaching certification, and every intuitive bone in my body told me it was time to finally take a chance on me. So I made the leap and left corporate, finished my training, and fast-tracked my plans to add “entrepreneur” to my resume.
As I got started, one thing became clear: the common thread in what clients were seeking help with was navigating uncomfortable, high-stakes moments. That focus felt deeply personal because, like many other leaders, I had also lived it. I know what it’s like to avoid the conversation, second-guess yourself, or hold back to keep the peace. And, I also know what changes when you handle those moments differently.
That’s the work I do today through Purple Engine Coaching & Consulting: helping leaders step into the conversations they’ve been avoiding and handle them with clarity, confidence, and impact.
The best presenters aren't confident because they've memorized every word—they're confident because they're prepared for everything that can't be scripted.
Whether you're presenting to executives, speaking at a conference, leading a team meeting, or representing your organization in the media, the moments that create the most anxiety are often the ones you can't predict: the tough questions, unexpected interruptions, technology hiccups, or conversations that take an unexpected turn.
This engaging, highly practical session helps professionals shift their preparation from simply delivering content to leading the conversation that follows. Participants will learn how to communicate with greater confidence, think on their feet without feeling caught off guard, and stay composed when the unexpected happens. Through practical strategies, real-world examples, and immediately applicable techniques, they'll leave better equipped to present with authenticity, credibility, and confidence—even when things don't go according to plan.
For many professionals, networking feels awkward, transactional, or downright uncomfortable—but it doesn’t have to.
This interactive session offers a refreshing approach that replaces pressure and performance with genuine connection. Participants will learn how to prepare for networking opportunities, begin meaningful conversations, and build lasting professional relationships in a way that feels authentic. Whether attending a conference, industry event, or internal gathering, they’ll leave with practical strategies they can use immediately.
Most difficult conversations aren’t difficult because we don’t know what to say. They’re difficult because we’re worried about how the other person will respond.
Whether delivering constructive feedback, addressing conflict, setting a boundary, or raising a concern, professionals often delay the conversations that matter most. This highly practical session introduces a clear four-step framework for preparing for high-stakes conversations with greater confidence, clarity, and intention. Through relatable stories, practical strategies, and immediately applicable tools, participants will learn how to stop avoiding uncomfortable conversations and start leading them more effectively.
Strong leaders don’t just manage their teams—they know how to build productive relationships with the people around them. Yet many professionals struggle to push back respectfully, ask for what they need, influence without authority, or navigate competing priorities across departments.
This practical, engaging session gives participants communication strategies for strengthening relationships with leaders, peers, clients, and key stakeholders. They’ll gain tools they can use immediately to build trust, increase their influence, and communicate with greater confidence—without sacrificing authenticity.
Audience Takeaways