Michelle Maloy Dillon

Michelle Maloy Dillon (CPCC, PCC) is an experienced entrepreneur, trainer, and certified professional Co-Active coach who specializes in leadership development. As a coach, she is passionate about helping her clients be aware of their strengths and stretching themselves as leaders to be conscious of their impact. In addition to coaching, Michelle also designs and facilitates leadership programs that challenge the conventional definition of leadership. She helps leaders create a culture of collaborative decision making that is highly adaptable to change. This enables leaders to harness the creative problem-solving techniques that are unique to them.

Michelle combines her coaching and leadership work with over twenty years experience as a professional photographer and entrepreneur where she witnessed many examples of leaders who were unaware of their impact. She has stepped out from behind the camera to grow leaders who want to be conscious of their impact and create empowered and productive teams.

Executives frequently describe Michelle as someone who helps them recognize and celebrate their strengths, increasing their leadership effectiveness in a grounded and authentic way. She is gifted at tactfully and directly pointing out areas that can be considered differently, and holding people accountable for putting the changes they choose into practice. Michelle’s open curiosity and playfulness creates an environment of creativity when exploring big changes. Her work with executives results in measurable improvements in developing talent, strategic management, and team effectiveness.

Michelle has coached or trained senior leaders and teams at many nonprofit and private sector organizations including Boston Children’s Hospital, Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, Bucknell University, The University of Colorado, MIT Media Lab, Colorado State University, United Way of Carlsbad, Food Lab Detroit, Guadalupe Center, Girls Who Code, CASH Music, Amino Labs, UNICEF, Threshold Choir, U.S. Department of Labor, EPA, U.S. Forest Service, Southern California Edison, Summit Financial Group, and Alleyton Resource.

Michelle holds a PCC certification through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a CPCC certification through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). She is also a CTI faculty member, teaching coaching skills that shift the leadership paradigm to one of self-authorship, self-authority, and relationship. She is also a graduate of CTI’s rigorous Leadership program. Additionally, she is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile and DISC behavioral assessment and has extensive working knowledge of Myers Briggs, Emotional Intelligence and Strengths Based tools.

As a volunteer, Michelle provides coaching to United Nations humanitarian staff located around the world. She is also a leadership coach empowering young women leaders through The Coaching Fellowship and mentors undergraduate business majors at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business.

Here is how Michelle’s clients describe the impact of her coaching:

“Michelle’s coaching helped me sift through the noise and find clarity as I was stepping into a role where I would be leading a new team. I was able to uncover what is most important to me and discover my ‘north star’ to use as a compass in decision making. Coaching wasn’t always easy. I had to do the work, but Michelle held me accountable and helped me follow through on commitments I made. And because of this process, I met all of the goals that I had been thinking about for a long time, but hadn’t yet taken steps towards. She helped me advocate for myself, and it was helpful to have Michelle uncover what was best for me. Before coaching, I was feeling off balance in the way I was showing up. I now have a stronger foundation for myself moving forward.”

“Michelle’s ability to put things in perspective and her innate talent helped me to realize that different ways aren’t bad and change isn’t horrible. It’s just change. How I deal with it is the real challenge and only I can determine my attitude. Michelle is a very proactive listener and an upbeat coach.”

“The coaching sessions helped me to breathe, reflect, and pace myself while communicating with someone who had an external and objective perspective. Michelle provided the space for me to reflect on challenges and come up with relevant solutions based on my experience and contacts. As a result of coaching, I am better at delegating responsibilities as appropriate, being assertive when needed and having confidence in my skills as a leader. I am also now more assertive in communicating the organization’ vision and mission to external colleagues.”

“Michelle is energetic, compassionate and challenged me to go deeper, creating greater self-awareness. Her thought-provoking questions helped me reflect and become more conscious of the choices I was making. Her coaching gave me room to explore — I discovered that what I want to build now requires letting go of some beliefs and habits that had brought success in the past.”

Michelle  re-energizes by hiking in the mountains of Colorado where she lives with her husband, Gene and their playful dog. Her two kids have recently left the nest and she is excited to support them as they create their own lives in the world.