Meet Agora | My Philosophy | My Training | Beyond My Profession
Agora is a collective for leaders that want to trust themselves more fully and confidently stand in their inner power.
Agora Leader Manifesto
My impact awakens when I trust my Inner Leader and know, unshakably, that I am enough.
In ancient Greece, the Agora was the place in the center of town where people went to do business and find community. It was a bustling place, full of activity where one couldn't help but be seen and known. In this one space, people could engage in meaningful relationship and get the resources they need to lead successful lives. Agora Coaching exists for similar reasons.
I know people live their best lives when they feel safe to be fully seen and known. I know the power in having a place to go to gain insight, resources and encouragement. Agora is more than a company; we are a collective supporting you to learn, heal and grow from the inside out because we know our external impact starts within.
About Me, Your 'Inner Leader' Coach
My Philosophy
Hello Agora Leader, I’m Valeyne (val-EEN)! I have a heart for the legacy-minded and soul-centered leaders among you.
Regardless of job 
title, your desire for meaningful contribution is a healing salve to an aching world that desperately needs what only you can uniquely offer. Yet, in both my personal and observed experience, I’ve seen just how common it is for leaders to get stuck in exhausting cycles that keep us small and questioning our ‘enoughness’, only to diminish our desired impact.
Some of the most pervasive cycles that come up in my own experiences, as well as in conversations with other Agora Leaders include, imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, perfectionism, overthinking/analysis paralysis, comparison, seeking external validation, hustling until burnout, downplaying, emotional avoidance/numbing out and the list goes on.
If you can relate, I know just how much you long for freedom from these conditioned cycles. And I also want you to know that you are not alone and this conditioning is not your fault.
In my experience awakening the fullness of our impact requires a vastly different approach than what is generally offered within organizations, through most corporate training programs or what is directly and indirectly taught to us by our upbringing, society or culture.
As leaders, I believe we are being called to be the change we want to see in the world by learning, healing and growing from the inside out, first. Freedom from our cycles and standing in our inner power is just on the other side of radical self-trust and love. It is only through this kind of freedom that you unlock a life of extraordinary impact for yourself and those you serve.
My greatest desire is to be a doorway towards your "inner work", so you can find the freedom to be your most authentic self every day.
The path to get there sounds simple, but it isn't always a straight line.
Most of us never learned to:
Discern and trust the voice of our Inner Leader
Live authentically and with presence in the power of now
Bravely and powerfully live in our truth
Establish boundaries clearly and kindly
Recognize, get curious about and unlearn our social conditioning
Emotionally regulate and feel all of our emotions without self-abandoning
Radically love, accept and trust ourselves
Now, more than ever, we have a unique responsibility and I want us to reclaim our agency to:
Have an unshakable knowing that we are always enough
Feel safe in the embrace of life so we can experience our limitless potential
Lead ourselves and our teams with integrity, values alignment and confidence, without sacrificing our well-being or personal life
Be agents of change for harmful systems of oppression, injustice and inequality
Inspire and encourage other rising leaders on a similar healing journey
My Training
First and foremost, I am both a student and a teacher of Inner Leadership. I cannot and will not claim to be an expert that “has it all figured out”. Instead, I walk alongside others from a place of daily lived experience and acknowledge that my message is my own medicine, too. My approach to Inner Leader work is informed by my own Intuition and experiential wisdom, amplified by extensive training in transformational coaching practices and leadership development programs.
I have worked in 6 industries, led teams of up to 40 people and supported leaders and senior executives to set the strategic direction for organizations of up to 35K people. I've provided leadership development training to over 50 organizations and walked alongside thousands of leaders in their personal and professional growth journey.
Formal Credentials
PCC Credential Holder & PCC Certified Assessor through the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Triple-Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through Awaken Coach Institute (2021), Gallup CliftonStrengths® Coach (2017) and International Coach Academy (2012).
Senior Faculty Member at Awaken Coach Institute
Psychology in Leadership Certification through eCornell University
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Training Practitioner through CPP
A sampling of some of the tools and resources that inform my approach include:
- The research of and thought leadership from Adam Grant, Brene Brown, Byron Katie, Gallup, Glennon Doyle, Henry Cloud, Kim Chestney, Kristin Neff, Patrick Lencioni, Richard Schwartz at Internal Family Systems, Tara Brach and Thomas Hübl.
- The spiritual teachings of prophets from various world religions along with Eckhart Tolle, Joseph Campbell, Ken Wilber, Megan Watterson and Richard Rohr.
- Assessments grounded in science and research; CliftonStrengths® (formerly known as StrengthsFinder), DiSC, Emotional Intelligence, Enneagram, Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), The 6 Working Types of Genius and PDI Profilor 360 Feedback.
- Positive Psychology Tools and Resources accessible for the purposes of coaching.
- The coaching, leadership and mentorship from some incredibly gifted teachers I've had along the way; Andrea Leda, Christi Byerly, my first inspiration to become a Coach (the late) Kelly VanReeth, Kristin Fritz and Leon VanderPol to name a select few.
- The exceptional modeling of leadership in the workplace as I've witnessed through countless other leaders that have served as great influencers, role models and teachers across different eras of my work life.
When I was 7, I was stung by over 100 hornets and lived to tell about it. Anaphylactic shock anyone? OUCHH!
I grew up in a rural community in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. I was raised a Pittsburgh Steeler's fan (a National Football League team for those that unfamiliar with American Football). Despite many attempts from some of my in-laws, I have consciously decided to retain this part of my 'cultural conditioning' and I fly my "terrible towel" proudly. 
I am a pilot's wife and first met my husband when working as a Customer Service Agent for US Airways Express. I used to marshal and deice his airplane and we exchanged email addresses. The rest is history!
I may have been a speaker at Ivy league universities, but I do not hold a formal university degree. The school of hard knocks, training mentioned earlier and the journey back home to my Inner Leader have been my ultimate teachers. I used to feel a lot of shame about lacking a degree which contributed to unhealthy cycles of comparison, hustling, people-pleasing, perfectionism and imposter syndrome. The journey to learn how to stand confidently in my inner power is what helps me to rest in my 'enoughness' and proudly own my experience!
I love animals - pretty much all animals, but more specifically, I love to pet my dog, walk my dog, play fetch with my dog and watch cute dog reels on instagram.
I collect sharks teeth - BIG TIME! On beach vacations we have competitions to see who can find the biggest, smallest, sharpest, dullest, etc. Extra bonus points for finding any part of a prehistoric "Megalodon" shark tooth.
I'm a Pisces. I love clear lake water, calm ocean water, warm salt baths, hot jacuzzis, refreshing pools on hot days, drinking more than half my body weight in water each day, deep sea fishing, boating, windsurfing, SUP'ing, snorkeling and floating on water. If you want to join me on vacation, we'll need to incorporate water (and maybe a castle).
From the time I was a little girl, I remember wanting to own a convertible. In 2015, at a time when my stress was at an all time high, I bought "Poni" (pictured). I didn't know it then, but it was just one other way I was trying to stuff my emotions. As you can guess, the dopamine hit was only temporary until I needed something else to feel better. Now that I've learned healthier ways to work with my emotions, I feel pretty fortunate to gallup around town in Poni more freely!
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Love Notes for Leaders
Sporadic, but meaningful notes on inner leadership, team development and personal & professional growth.
