Designing Your Life Certified Coaches
NORTH & SOUTH CAROLINA

Mary Charles Blakebrough
``Are you curious about what's next for you:
- Stuck in mid-career?
- In a transition?
- Planning for an encore-career?
How about collaborating in:
- Discovering where you are?
- Building forward through exercises, life design interviews, and experiences?
- Choosing the next step in the design of your life?
My career coaching practice turned upside down when I was introduced to ````Designing Your Life```` (DYL) in 2018 and the design-thinking process that moved past the traditional “carefully crafted cover letters and resumes,” which I had used career coaching in IBM 13+ years, early in my private practice.
--> Start DYL where you are, find out what energizes, engages, puts you into flow; get creative with super-charged brainstorming and mind mapping; find those doing the work that might suit you; connect into the hidden job network. Since you are looking at 5-7 careers (not jobs) in your life now, this can answer: ````What do you want to be when you grow up?```` NOTE: MS/OD American U, BA Middlebury; in Career #6.``

David Desplaces
I’m fortunate to have served in various roles from consultant, board member, to tenured faculty member. I have almost 20 years of experience as an educator, I’m a published academic author, I have extensive executive and entrepreneurial experience, an active community volunteer, but more importantly I consider myself a change agent. Coaching is an act of service. My personal coaching approach allows my clients to explore both the heart and the mind in their personal and work lives. I enjoy exploring the genius in each of them.

Leigh Shamblin
I help people in all stages of life gain clarity. In my role as Director of Leadership for the Poole College of Management I work with undergraduates, MBAs, faculty and staff to help create lives they love. I also provide pro-bono coaching to individuals in career transitions.

Cathy Mazan Murata
I am passionate about inspiring, connecting and developing others while democratizing access to coaching and leadership development. I am an experienced Leadership Development and Learning Strategist, Designer and Facilitator with extensive experience in multinational corporations, healthcare, consulting and academia. I currently lead emerging and executive leadership development at Corning Incorporated where my team is reimagining talent development to deepen connections and development opportunities to enable the next 170 years of life-changing innovations. I graduated from the Georgetown Executive Leadership coaching program and am a certified coach with the ICF. I hold a B.A. from Purdue University and an M.Ed. from Harvard.

Sarah Gould Wright
I have directly experienced the benefits of applying the Designing Your Life principles in my life. In July 2020 I attended the DYL Women’s Retreat. Initially, I struggled completing the Odyssey Plan homework as I was in the middle of a major life transition. During the retreat discussions with other women I then was able to articulate my third plan, the wilder alternative for your next five years. My third plan was to participate in a spiritual retreat as I had never devoted such a significant amount of time and money to my singular fulfillment. In November 2020 I participated in a residential month-long spiritual retreat. Without the DYL Women’s Retreat I would never have realized such a personal and professional transformation. Having worked for 25 years in the helping profession, earning a graduate degree in counseling and having ample vacation time did not lead me to living out the DYL principles. Thinking like a designer transforms lives.

Lisa Thomson
I love connecting people and specialize in helping individuals discover and realize their potential, regardless of their industries, life stage, or background. I enjoy helping individuals find their paths and, more importantly, partnering with them to turn their plans into tangible, realistic actions. I currently coach through my role at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and in private practice.

William (Bill) Faulkner
Dr. Bill Faulkner has spent over 20 years as a leadership educator and administrator leading his own teams of professional and graduate level staff along with hundreds of emerging influencers. Bill is also the founder and principal consultant for his own coaching and training firm called Out Loud Strategies Inc. where he is sought to create innovative and relevant courses, workshops, trainings, keynotes, and other organizational development experiences for adult learners and corporate audiences. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Student Andrews University and holds both a Masters and Doctorate in Education from the University of Georgia. Currently, he serves as the primary Career and Leadership Coach and Trainer for Executive MBA students at one of the USA’s Top 20 business schools.

Kristen McMullen
Kristen is a positive psychology coach who understands that every person has their own unique story and sometimes it helps to have someone in your corner to help navigate what is to come. During her career, Kristen has created programs that connect people with the resources they need to succeed at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, and Duke University. She currently serves as director of the Student Success Center at the College of Charleston School of Business and is pursuing her masters in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology at the University of East London.

Dave Monaco
A seasoned leader of large organizations, non-profit executive, board member, and certified Executive Coach (LinkedIn @ dave monaco), Dave Monaco has spent three decades helping the organizations he’s served become better versions of themselves. As both an independent school leader and non-profit board member, Dave has been drawn to emerging environments, serving as the founder of an educational non-profit (Wake Summerbridge, formerly part of what is now known as the Breakthrough Collaborative); the first Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs at a large independent school (Ravenscroft): Head of a recently expanded independent school (Parish Episcopal) for 13 years, during which time the school’s reputation for innovative programming grew and its financial and capital assets expanded; and board member and board chair for newly founded and/or expanding non-profits (KIPP DFW and United to Learn). The unifying theme in Dave’s career is his ability to bring energy, ideas, and foresight to the launch of new endeavors and the definition of new professional roles.

Emilie Smith
I believe leadership is an act of love; an expression of one’s values in tight accord with one’s beliefs. It’s the ongoing curiosity and reflection to say: what do I value and how am I or am I not living that out? It’s how you show up in the world regardless of your seat, role or corner. Leadership manifests your deepest desires for change in the world, harnessing your unique talents to create ripples or cultivate conditions for righteous change. I believe in the boundless potential of others, that we are built to grow and change and deepen. I am Emilie. I coach others to live and lead as their best selves, sharing their unique gifts, talents and purpose to make a profound impact in the world.

Marie French
Marie is currently teaching Art and Creativity classes in the public school system, locally through workshops, and coaching clients in the evening; Marie encourages people to think beyond their roles, labels, and current titles. Having worked with students, adults, and at risk children for over 20 years Marie employs a design thinking framework and creative activities to support people as they move forward in their careers, school, life and through transtions. Maire is passionate about helping people build connections, dig deep into their creativity and ignite their muses. Marie spends a portion of her time with her own art practice and using art to connect with volunteer groups, enhance the lives of those in hospice and elder care, and as a means to nurture and connect. Other areas of specialization include transitioning back to work, balancing family life & career, and transitioning after major life changes.