Michelle Friedman is a certified executive coach, organizational consultant, facilitator and speaker with an expertise in women’s career paths. She is the Founder of Advancing Women’s Careers, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to strengthening the pipeline of female leaders in demanding industries. Michelle helps professional women successfully navigate complex modern careers, and advises progressive employers in attracting, retaining and advancing their female talent. Her clients are located throughout the U.S., Canada Asia and Australia.
Coaching Style
Michelle’s clients describe her as someone who is warm, direct, insightful and results-oriented. Michelle believes the best coaching engagements provide a motivating and supportive structure to keep clients constantly learning and in productive forward action. Her approach to coaching is a combination of thought-partner, mentor, and accountability source. Michelle helps her clients self-assess current strengths, interests, opportunities and potential derailers. Together with the client, she helps guide the creation of both short and long-term goals and the development plan needed for the desired results. Since her clients are high-performing professionals in demanding roles, Michelle also addresses how their work can sustainably fit into the context of rich and full lives outside of the office.
Typical focus areas of coaching engagements include: Self-assessment & 360° Feedback, Leadership Development, Role Transition, Goal Setting and Execution, Effective Decision-making, Delegation & Staff Development, Team Dynamics & Effectiveness, Executive Presence, Relationship & Communication Skills, Time Management & Work/Life Integration.
Special Interests
Michelle’s work focuses on the various career stages women pass through on their way to leadership roles. In addition to women’s leadership development, Michelle has a particular focus on the retention and advancement of new parents returning from leave, and the re-integration of women back into the workforce after a career break. Michelle has consulted to, and coached cohorts within, the corporate ReEntry programs at JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley & Goldman Sachs.
Background
Before founding Advancing Women’s Careers, Michelle spent 12 years in the corporate banking and financial software industries in key relationship management and marketing roles. Her corporate experience allows her to relate to the challenges her clients face in fast-paced, demanding work environments. Her work has been covered in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and CNN/Money.
Clients
Michelle’s clients span diverse industries, and she has developed a particular expertise in financial services. Michelle has worked with clients employed by (partial list): Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, David Yurman, JP Morgan, Panasonic North America, IBM, Canadian Department of Justice, various Private Equity Firms, Canada’s National Center for the Arts, The Wharton School, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, GE Finance, Lloyds Banking Group, Katten Muchin, Allen & Overy and The Achievement Network.
Training and Qualifications
- Columbia University: Masters in Social-Organizational Psychology, emphasis on Change Leadership
- Coaches Training Institute: Certified Professional Co-Active Coach credential
- International Coach Federation: Professional Certified Coach credential
- Certified in Hogan Assessments, Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator®, and Strong Interest Inventory®