ABOUT SIERRA
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My Story
I've spent 18 years in the trenches of nonprofit leadership, as a senior program manager at Beaufort Jasper Economic Opportunity Commission, I worked directly with people in crisis every single day. I know what it means to carry others' trauma, to make decisions with incomplete information, to watch systems fail the people you're trying to help.
That experience taught me something critical: the people doing the most important work often receive the least support. The lawyers fighting for children's safety, the leaders holding entire teams together, they give endlessly but rarely receive what they need to sustain themselves.
So I became a coach. Not to teach people how to be more productive or push harder, they already know how to do that. I became a coach to create safe containers where high-achievers can finally process what they carry, where professionals can rebuild resilience, where excellence doesn't require self-destruction.
My Approach
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Evidence-Based + Deeply Human
I blend rigorous assessment tools, Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i 2.0), Myers-Briggs (MBTI), Multiple Brain Intelligence with stress-informed coaching that honors your whole experience. You get both the structure of evidence-based methodology and the spaciousness to process what you're actually going through.
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Stress-Informed, Not Therapy
I understand secondary stress, compassion fatigue, and moral injury. My role is coaching, helping you build resilience, navigate professional challenges, and create sustainable practices. When therapeutic intervention is appropriate, I connect you with the resources.
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Safe Containers for Complex People
My philosophy: "It is not a flaw, it just is." The patterns you've developed make perfect sense given your work, your history, your responsibilities. We start with acceptance, understanding why things are the way they are before exploring what you want to change. This isn't about fixing what's broken; it's about supporting you in becoming who you're meant to be, even in demanding circumstances.
Why I'm Qualified to Do This Work
• Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, a credential held by only 3% of coaches globally, requiring rigorous training, documented experience, and demonstrated excellence
• 2,465+ documented coaching hours working with professionals navigating burnout, career transitions, leadership challenges, and personal transformation.
Certified Resilience Coach (CReC) credentialed through Driven Resilience, trained in the PR6 Framework — an evidence-based model addressing the six domains of professional resilience essential for sustaining high performance under pressure
• Genos Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i 2.0) certification to assess and develop the exact skills that predict professional success and resilience
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) certification to help you understand your natural strengths and how they show up under stress
• Stress-Informed Coaching training to recognize when stress crosses into crisis and how to support healing appropriately
• Three Brain Intelligence Techniques (mBIT) training; integrating head, heart, and gut wisdom for decision-making
• 18 years of nonprofit leadership experience working with crisis populations and systems-level challenges
Who I Serve
I work with people who don't fit in neat boxes. Attorneys processing secondary trauma. Nonprofit leaders exhausted from holding too much. Professionals in transition wondering if there's a sustainable way forward.
If you're reading this and thinking "she gets it," you're probably right for this work.