Leadership & Executive Coaching
Offered virtually around the world through BerryDunn. Based in Maine, USA.
ICF-Credentialed Coach at the PCC level (Professional Certified Coach)
I am a Senior Consultant and Leadership & Executive Coach at the professional services firm BerryDunn, an ICF-credentialed Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and a Certified Organizational Development Coach (CODC). Over more than 13 years of coaching, I have worked with individuals at all levels across diverse industries, including financial services, nonprofit, healthcare, tech, government, social services, and the arts.
Previously, I served for 18 years as a psychology faculty member at Bates College and have been published in Harvard Business Review, the HBR Guide to Retaining Your Best People, Forbes, and The Georgetown Review, among other outlets. My work has been widely featured by media such as the BBC, Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, Dow Jones’ MarketWatch, and on numerous podcasts, including MetLife’s Putting Numbers to Work and Key Conversations for Leaders.
I hold a master’s degree in developmental psychology from Cornell University.
“I have worked with several coaches and Rebecca is by far the most helpful and impactful coach I have encountered. Rebecca is an incredibly encouraging and supportive coach who was able to motivate me while providing useful insights, honest and constructive feedback.”
AVAILABILITY:
as of spring 2026, i am accepting leadership & executive coaching clients within my practice at BerryDunn
I no longer accept career coaching clients, nor am i in private practice
About Leadership & Executive Coaching
I help executives and managers double down on what they do best in a manner that feels natural to them, leading them to be optimally effective, engaged, and inspiring. By focusing on specific work challenges the client brings to the session, collectively brainstorming the ways they could be handled, and then creating actionable next steps that can be put into practice immediately, clients’ confidence, impact, and satisfaction at work increase.
In sessions we work together to strategize possible solutions to your challenges and then thought partner around iterations on approach as you attempt and troubleshoot implementation. Progress is best made by bringing real world, current work situations into sessions and then generalizing the solutions to a variety of future situations.
During engagements using ICF coaching principles we meet multiple times a month to discuss and implement best practices of communication, management, and leadership.
Situations I have coached include:
Recently-promoted or first-time managers who are struggling to work effectively in their new role. This often shows up as low productivity, lack of engagement and/or complaints from their team members.
Managers who are ineffectively developing their direct reports. This often shows up as high team turnover rates, dissatisfaction with management in annual surveys and/or low performance amongst team members.
Managers who have high potential to move into an upper-level leadership role, but who need guidance and support to get there. This may manifest as a lack of executive presence, confidence and/or internal networking know-how. Managers from underrepresented groups or nontraditional educational backgrounds are particularly likely to experience these challenges.
Leaders who have great vision but could use support with execution. This may include improving their identification and focus on important issues, clarity of communication, and/or knowledge of and confidence in their leadership style.
Examples of past leadership and executive coaching clients include:
Senior Vice President of Marketing for a top five financial services firm. Coached the client on confidence and leadership presence while also building work-life balance strategies to create a sustainable approach to their career.
Founder of a biotech startup. Coached from the first hire through the rapid growth period, supporting the client from hands-on engineering work to fully embodying the role of CTO.
Vice President of Capital Markets in one of the largest investment banks in the world. Coached from a more junior role through the lengthy promotion process, including while the client considered external options, resulting in retention of a long-time employee and enhanced satisfaction at work for the client.
“I highly recommend Rebecca for anyone feeling stuck and in need of someone to talk to / help structure their approach to their next step.”
key notes:
I do not have an industry focus. The optimal methodology of coaching uses non-directive inquiry, eliciting from clients their own industry-specific knowledge and building a specific awareness of knowledge gaps. We then create customized plans to build upon and enhance what is and is not known.
I am an expert on the “how” of leadership and management. You are the expert on yourself, your work context, and the people and opportunities that are around you that can help you. I help you unlock your own expertise and empower you to act on that knowledge, and to actively fill gaps in that knowledge.
During coaching you must put in the work - and it is a good deal of work. The work is not intended to be on TOP of your existing workload, but rather to be new ways of doing old tasks and interactions. My goal in coaching is to help you learn and utilize an efficient and effective skillset and mindset that you can rely on repeatedly in the future.
Coaching is markedly different than therapy, both in its structure and in its goals. I am trained in psychology but NOT in clinical psychology, nor do I hold a license in therapy or counseling. Many of my clients are in therapy at the same time that they undergo coaching, and the combination is highly effective for making meaningful changes.
“Rebecca’s proactive approach and commitment to her clients’ success are truly commendable. She goes above and beyond to ensure that everyone she works with is well-equipped to achieve their goals.”
My coaching was featured in Business Insider:
Read an unbiased overview of what it was like to be coached by me, albeit many years ago, according to a Business Insider reporter
“Career coaching left me feeling empowered to go for what I want professionally. It helps to have a cheerleader. Over the course of coaching, I learned that, for the most part, no one knew how much “extra” work I was putting in — except Fraser-Thill, who congratulated me at the beginning of every phone call for making inroads on the action work and wrote things like, “You are on fire!” in her follow-up emails. She couldn’t see me, but I grinned every time.”
How I Work with Clients:
55-minute virtual coaching sessions over video or audio
Each session centers on clarifying questions, brainstorming, strategizing, prioritizing, accountability, and emotional and logistical support
Action Items to work on between sessions
Throughout the call, we discuss the steps you can take between sessions, quantifying and concretizing your most effective next action
The Action Items are not intended to be add-ons to your existing workload but rather different ways of doing your existing work
At the start of the next session, we check in on how the Action Work went and troubleshoot the process as needed
Suggestions of resources as needed, including worksheets, self-assessments, books, and templates, carefully chosen for your particular situation and approach to the world
“Rebecca has done nothing short of changing the course of my career. I cannot recommend her highly enough!”
There are so many coaches out there. How am I unique?
I’m ICF-credentialed, the “gold standard” for coaching certification, at the elevated PCC level. Anyone can call themselves a coach, but only coaches who have been through extensive training, been thoroughly evaluated through recordings and mentorship, done hundreds of hours of coaching, and have passed exams can become ICF-credentialed.
I constantly draw on my research-grounded background in psychology. I taught in higher ed for two decades and hold a master's in Developmental Psychology from Cornell. Science is my foundation.
I use human-centered design to guide my process of coaching, taking a methodical and directed approach to the process of moving from where you are to where you want to be. My approach is grounded and intentional.
I have published about management and leadership topics in Harvard Business Review, and had two of my articles chosen for inclusion in an HBR Guide book.
My work has been covered in a variety of outlets, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, Dow Jones’ MarketWatch, and others.
I have had clients around the world - in nearly every inhabited time zone!
“Working with Rebecca was an absolute joy! Her approach to coaching is very impactful and helped me understand the necessary steps I needed to take to grow and move forward.”
Testimonials are available on my LinkedIn Profile
AVAILABILITY:
as of spring 2026, i am accepting leadership & executive coaching clients within my practice at BerryDunn
I no longer accept career coaching clients, nor am i in private practice
“I cannot recommend Rebecca enough for anyone who’s struggling with their professional trajectory. You will not regret it! I only wish I had thought to work with her sooner.”