About Brooke
About Brooke
I was raised in Texas (wondering about that Tom Landry quote?) and left that great state to study at the University of Chicago for my doctorate. I’ve been happily rooted here ever since with my husband and three daughters. Voracious reader. Confirmed camper. Undiscovered folk-singer. Sporadic theatergoer. Aspiring hiker.
I care deeply about how we create meaning in our lives. For those of us in the West, that’s tightly tied to our vocation, which explains my passion for this work—
In addition to coaching, I teach at the Kellogg School of Management. I’m proud to have received the Faculty Impact Award multiple years, and in 2021, was thrilled to receive the top teaching award at Kellogg: the L. G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year.
In my teaching and coaching, I have a special interest in founder-led companies and private or closely held multi-generational family enterprises (double black diamond leadership challenges). I have had the great honor of speaking at education events for top notch organizations such as Starbucks, Google, Cisco, Kellogg’s Foods, Aon, Abbvie, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, The Federal Reserve Bank, US Olympic Committee, Forté Women Lead, and Navigant Consulting, among others. It’s all great fun. For more on my academic background and buttoned-up bio, come see me at LinkedIn.
That’s enough about me—I look forward to learning about you!
Philosophy
Being coached is an act of courage.
It is hard to take a step back, to ask others for candid feedback on your leadership, and to be willing to talk to someone about who you are and what you really want. As a coach and human being, I am committed to kindness and compassion first and always, but I do not tiptoe or dance around issues. I am direct. I work best with clients who are willing to hear what they may not want to hear and who are ready to carve a clearer path to their aspirations.
I have a profound respect for the extraordinary complexity of my clients’ lives. When you are powerful, you are also powerfully vulnerable. My role is to create a space that challenges you to have conversations you may rarely have and to make changes that may simultaneously excite you and make you a little nervous.
I believe in the basics: grounded presence, willingness to experiment, evidence-based practices, absolute discretion, and a little laughter along the way.
Coaching demands backbone and heart—from both of us—as you work to become the leader you’ve always known you could be.
