Founder and Principal

Donna Karlin has been called a pot-stirrer, thought-shifter, "partner-in-crime" and reality-checker. She's an international speaker, lecturer, author and world-renowned leadership coach (better known as 'The Shadow Coach®'). She's a proud Canadian although you will see Donna coach on the run with her clients through the halls of corporate headquarters, government departments and agencies, and political offices in many parts of the world.

Donna works with global leaders to develop the competencies and practices that enable them to meet the challenges of the future. She brings a dynamic, strengths-focused perspective to executive leadership development. Donna is committed to increasing the effectiveness, endurance, and fulfillment of individual leaders and their organizations through work with senior executives, high-potential leaders, and teams.

In response to widely expressed interest to her highly successful and innovative approach to coaching, she established the School of Shadow Coaching®, a coach training program recognized and accredited by the International Coach Federation, designed to meet the current needs being expressed by the community of graduate, master-level coaches in support of integration and evolution of their graduate learning.

Donna is a SupporTED Coach, a member of the team that coaches the TED Fellows, and a communications and team dynamics advisor for INSPIRIT International Communications, Brussels, Belgium.

She is a member of the Advisory Council of The International Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy (IABMCP), Past President and current Dean of the International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations (ICCO), is a Founding Member of the Harvard Institute of Coaching Professional Association (ICPA), and a founding member of The International Association of Coaching.

Her work has been written up in Fast Company Magazine, The National Post (Financial Post), The Globe and Mail, The New York Times Business Section, The Boston Globe, Personal Success Magazine, as well as in numerous online articles including BusinessListening.com, The Training Report, and SelfGrowth.com. She has co-authored the best selling book ‘101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life’ with Zig Ziglar and Jim Rohn, and her book on Human-Based Leadership™, Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words - Conversations with Human-Based Leaders™ has just been released.

Donna's blog Perspectives™ is avidly read by subscribers from 145 countries and territories, she is an expert author for Evan Carmichael: Motivation and Strategies for Entrepreneurs and and an expert at FOCUS.

Donna is certified in Organizational Psychology with a focus in Executive Coaching by The Professional School of Psychology and has been certified by the International Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy as a Diplomate in Professional Coaching.

She has a proven track record in developing sustainable leadership.

Click here to read my interview with OpEdNews Editor, Joan Brunwasser