Member since February 2021
Valerie Ashford Brown is the Principal and Founder of Leading Edge Coaching and Consulting, a boutique coaching firm that partners with individuals and organizations to transcend the layers of leadership identity. This champions leaders and organizations to become self-aware and to embrace their individual uniqueness which creates an inclusive organizational culture.
As the Success Women's Conference Top Influencer Awardee for 2020, Valerie is a connector of resources and a culture connector. She offers clear strategies that guide organizational leaders and employees to embrace change and recognize the strength in diversity. Her insight teaches audiences to manage the mental and emotional challenges surrounding change, uncover the underlying beliefs that make employees resistant to doing new things, and develop capabilities to champion employees as they become more adaptable and less fearful. She thoroughly enjoys working with women, championing them to lead through adversity. She has earned the reputation of sounding the alarm to get your shift together and uses her 5 step SHIFT framework for leadership development. Individuals walk away with a clear roadmap for improving their performance, productivity, and personal effectiveness.
Valerie is a Certified Professional Coach through iPEC, and is a Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), partnering with clients to capture how they currently perceive and approach work and life. Clients have the opportunity to reshape their attitudes and worldview and “transform who they are.” Valerie brings over 20 years of experience in guiding her clients in self-exploration which includes identifying core values and a personal mission statement, overcoming overwhelm and burnout, and developing a growth mindset. Whether it is serving as a featured panelist, or facilitating a customized workshop/webinar, Valerie blends inspiration, story-telling, credible data, and practical tools as well as resources to engage, educate, equip, and energize her audiences in advancing their goals and unlocking potential. Valerie is also the author of "Rise Up! 7 Principles to Release the Fear, Reignite Your Purpose, and Realize Your Dreams."
I am passionate about a lot of things. One is coaching, speaking, and leading workshops! I get a lot of joy when I see the results of my developmental work manifest in individuals and in organizations. I am a cheerleader and champion of women to become strong leaders without fear of being seen as too masculine, or mean, or too emotional, or too passive, or too [insert your own choice word here]. My nearly 15 years as a federal government consultant, education, and personal experience has afforded me the opportunity to partner with leaders and amplify impact. Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my husband and young adult daughters who are destined to change the world, my YorkiePoo grand-dog Duke, running, walking, biking, listening to podcast, playing the keyboard, and reading.
I was a stay-at-home mom for many years. During that time, I was dedicated to my family and made sure they were taken care of. In the midst of that, I placed myself on the sidelines, putting a lot of my dreams on hold. The time soon came for me to re-enter the workforce. I was afraid that I'd be too old, not know how to navigate Corporate America, nor integrate work and family. The fear of not being good enough was real. After landing a job as a consultant, I later discovered that my journey back into the 9 to 5, opened doors for my 5 to 9. I began coaching professional women who were unhappy in their careers on entrepreneurship and leadership. I adapted the message that you're not too old and it's not too late to be what you might have been.
Here I am. A mid-life wife, mom, and professional woman. Faith-focused, family-minded, goal-oriented, driven by success and proving that I can do it, and climbing the ladder. Then one day, it just didn’t matter anymore. The money, the title, the long, stressful days, the fast-tracked career; it just didn’t add up to what I really wanted my life to be any longer. I ignored these signs for a long- time, thinking things would change. But, they didn’t. I realized that nothing changes if nothing changes. I paused. Reflected. And thought about what I wanted. And then got busy again and forgot that I needed more out of life. Then I paused again. Reflected. This vicious cycle continued for longer than I care to admit. Call me crazy, but one day, it all came to a head, the truth shook me so hard I cried, and said “WAKE UP! This isn’t it!” Instead of getting busy and doing the same thing over again, expecting a different result, I thought some more. What really does matter? What do I want my next 40-something years of my life to be like? It was crystal clear that you mattered to me. Yes, you, the person who is reading this. My journey started as a personal development coach, championing women to achieve better work life integration based upon their core values which means something different for everyone. Then I became a speaker and workshop facilitator partnering with leaders to develop effective organizational cultures while improving their own personal growth, impact, and influence. I like to call it successfully leading oneself to effectively lead others.
Emotional intelligence is essential to navigate and enhance complex workplace dynamics. It is the most efficient, practical, and powerful tool for teams to recognize their blind spots and gain the awareness needed to shift their behavior to improve, align, and enhance team dynamics. This speech aims to bridge generational gaps through empathy, understand diverse values and work styles across generations, and focuses on fostering mutual respect and collaboration.
Work is such a huge part of our lives that it can seem easier to forgo the other important areas such as recreation, spirituality, and family, to name just a few. Work-life balance is a concept that's intriguing, and desirable but also completely unrealistic. If you don't design your life, someone else will design it for you. Discover the keys to cultivating life-work harmony.
Growth starts at the end of your comfort zone and to become someone you’ve never been, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done. Take your leadership skills to the next level and lead with authenticity.
I was a stay-at-home mom for many years. During that time, I was dedicated to my family and made sure they were taken care of. In the midst of that, I placed myself on the sidelines, putting a lot of my dreams on hold. The time soon came for me to re-enter the workforce. I was afraid that I'd be too old, not know how to navigate Corporate America, nor integrate work and family. The fear of not being good enough was real. After landing a job as a consultant, I later discovered that my journey back into the 9 to 5, opened doors for my 5 to 9. I began coaching professional women who were unhappy in their careers on entrepreneurship and leadership. I adapted the message that you're not too old and it's not too late to be what you might have been.
Here I am. A mid-life wife, mom, and professional woman. Faith-focused, family-minded, goal-oriented, driven by success and proving that I can do it, and climbing the ladder. Then one day, it just didn’t matter anymore. The money, the title, the long, stressful days, the fast-tracked career; it just didn’t add up to what I really wanted my life to be any longer. I ignored these signs for a long- time, thinking things would change. But, they didn’t. I realized that nothing changes if nothing changes. I paused. Reflected. And thought about what I wanted. And then got busy again and forgot that I needed more out of life. Then I paused again. Reflected. This vicious cycle continued for longer than I care to admit. Call me crazy, but one day, it all came to a head, the truth shook me so hard I cried, and said “WAKE UP! This isn’t it!” Instead of getting busy and doing the same thing over again, expecting a different result, I thought some more. What really does matter? What do I want my next 40-something years of my life to be like? It was crystal clear that you mattered to me. Yes, you, the person who is reading this. My journey started as a personal development coach, championing women to achieve better work life integration based upon their core values which means something different for everyone. Then I became a speaker and workshop facilitator partnering with leaders to develop effective organizational cultures while improving their own personal growth, impact, and influence. I like to call it successfully leading oneself to effectively lead others.
Emotional intelligence is essential to navigate and enhance complex workplace dynamics. It is the most efficient, practical, and powerful tool for teams to recognize their blind spots and gain the awareness needed to shift their behavior to improve, align, and enhance team dynamics. This speech aims to bridge generational gaps through empathy, understand diverse values and work styles across generations, and focuses on fostering mutual respect and collaboration.
Work is such a huge part of our lives that it can seem easier to forgo the other important areas such as recreation, spirituality, and family, to name just a few. Work-life balance is a concept that's intriguing, and desirable but also completely unrealistic. If you don't design your life, someone else will design it for you. Discover the keys to cultivating life-work harmony.
Growth starts at the end of your comfort zone and to become someone you’ve never been, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done. Take your leadership skills to the next level and lead with authenticity.