Coaches

Julie Colbrese

CPCC/MCC/BCC

Matthew Gould

CPCC, BA

Amy Koop

CPCC, PCC

Deborah Hagman-Shannon

PhD/CPCC

Cole Cruz

CBC / CPT / CFST

Jason Parker

CPCC, PCC

Julie Colbrese, CPCC/MCC/BCC

As a certified coach and experienced group facilitator, Julie combines co-active coaching skills with unique problem-solving tools honed through 20 years as Chief Creative Officer/Co-Owner of a marketing services agency. Since becoming a coach in 2007, she has worked with individuals and teams in marketing, technology, manufacturing, professional services and other industries, including executives inside some of the biggest and best-known brands in the world. She is a frequent speaker on topics including leadership, coaching and creativity.

Julie is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Certified Co-Active Leadership graduate from the Co-Active Training Institute, where she is a member of the faculty; a Board Certified Coach (BCC); and a Master Certified Coach (MCC) from the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is a certified administrator of The Leadership Circle 360 Assessment tool and was selected as one of five coaches by Google to deliver a comparable 360 assessment to director-level leaders globally. In addition, she is certified in coaching from The Arbinger Institute and in innovation & creativity from the School of the Art Institute. She is a member of ICF, the Chicago Coach Federation and The Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, A Harvard Medical School Affiliate. In 2018, Julie binge-watched seven seasons of Scandal and then earned an M.S. degree in Forensic Psychology.

Matthew Gould, CPCC, BA

As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and experienced group facilitator, Matthew is focused on developing leaders and teams to compete to win at their game. His methods include collaboration, coaching, and the shared responsibility we both have for strengthening your ability to compete.

Relevant business experience includes sales management, channel development, revenue growth, and start-ups. Experienced growing distribution and dealer channels from scratch and inspiring existing sales teams and organizations to higher levels of purpose centered engagement, performance, and net profit.

Additionally, Matthew is co-author of an Amazon Top 5 new release, Lead From Your Heart, in the business and leadership category (2020).

Amy Koop, CPCC, PCC

As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Amy calls on her 25 years’ experience in business, marketing and leadership to partner with mid-career executives to design their work and life for greater success and satisfaction. Her clients learn tools and strategies to better understand themselves and their existing mindsets to purposefully choose the perspectives they want to bring forward to optimize their future  Amy believes the way we think about things directly and significantly influences our results, and she helps her clients to leverage this mindset to meet and exceed their goals.  She believes by applying the design thinking tenets of radical collaboration and bias to action, combined with the Co-Active method of coaching, anything is possible.

Deborah Hagman-Shannon, PhD/CPCC

The theme for Deb’s life and work, perhaps like yours, may be “transitions.” She has lived in six different cities during her adult life, traveled extensively throughout the world, and held leadership positions in organizations ranging from universities to corporations and nonprofits. With this rich experience as a backdrop, Deb brings compassion, reason and a sense of humor to her coaching practice. Through personal and professional experiences, Deb has learned life is filled with the unexpected, and we all have the strength, creativity and resourcefulness to learn, adjust and grow. Sometimes it just takes a little help from friends, or even a coach.

Deb received coaching training and certification through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and earned a BA from St. Olaf College, a MA from the University of Nebraska, and a PhD from The Claremont University. She also holds certifications in the fields of group facilitation, total quality management and reengineering. Deb specializes in working with emerging leaders, as well as C-level executives in nonprofit and for-profit companies.

Cole Cruz, CBC / CPT / CFST

Building on a decade of experience in the health and wellness field, Cole has championed hundreds of clients toward reaching goals in all areas of work and life. This mind-body experience has allowed Cole to transition into business coaching working with entrepreneurs among other clients. Cole’s straight-forward, performance-based approach helps clients identify what it is they really want and what they need to keep focused, motivated and moving forward.

Cole holds a Certified Business Coach (CBC) distinction from the Universal Coaching Institute. Cole earned two Master of Science degrees in Psychology and Applied Exercise Science and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Illinois (UIUC) in Sports Management. Related Certifications include American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist and National Strength & Conditioning Association Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. A business owner and entrepreneur himself, Cole owns and operates Coalition Strength & Conditioning/West Town Crossfit in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.

Jason Parker, CPCC, PCC

As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), professional leadership coach, creative workshop facilitator, and improv comedy instructor and performer, Jason helps individuals, teams, and organizations unlock and harness their own creativity to create the change they want.

Jason has been teaching and performing improv comedy for more than 25 years and has experienced first-hand how improv practices not only work as a wonderful creative art form but also as a powerful set of skills that can enrich people’s work and life well beyond the stage. That’s why Jason brings his improv experience to bear by helping teams and organizations build trust, empower collaboration, and unleash creativity.  He also has over two decades experience as a Creative and Innovation Strategist and now helps organizations uncover their true purpose and tap into their values so they can tell and live their stories in meaningful and compelling ways.

Jason also holds a master’s degree in social psychology with a focus on cognitive biases and humor (some of his research is even referenced in the book Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon In Business and Life). Born and raised in Texas, Jason spent 15 years living and working in Chicago. Now, he calls Chattanooga, Tennessee home.