A Global Network of Certified Adaptability Experts

My consultancy, Optimal Affect, helps leaders and teams to solve problems by understanding real needs, building alignment, and unlocking group intelligence to drive meaningful action. I'm here to create a ripple effect of good. Optimal Affect was born from the firm belief that when organizations thrive, individuals find fulfillment and purpose, leading to health and wellbeing that extends to our communities. By prioritizing workplace culture, employee engagement, and productivity, we unlock the immense potential within organizations, fostering a ripple effect of positive change.

Debora J McLaughlin is a highly experienced and dynamic leader who is dedicated to helping organizations build change-ready leaders and teams. With her extensive background in leadership and consulting, she has developed a keen understanding of the skills and qualities that are essential for success in today's rapidly changing business environment. She is an Amazon bestselling author of Changeability How to Navigate Change with Clarity, Confidence and Certainty, Invisible Brakes, and the upcoming Momentum Makers. As an Adaptability Consultant, Executive Coach, and Momentum Strategist, she has helped over 300 leaders in the past two years elevate their adaptability, agility, and execution speed—delivering measurable impact in today’s fast-changing business environment. With a career that bridges technology innovation and human dynamics, Debora brings a unique perspective to organizational transformation. She has worked with high-performance leaders across tech, banking, healthcare, and government, including organizations such as the Federal Reserve Bank, NetApp, Oracle, Dell, Kaiser Permanente, Homeland Security, the VA, and many others. Known for her sharp insight and inspiring energy, Debora empowers leaders and teams to uncover the Invisible Brakes™ that silently stall performance—then helps them remove those barriers to gain visibility, influence, and momentum. Her clients value her blend of strategic thinking, adaptability expertise, and results-oriented coaching. When she isn't supporting leaders to gain traction, a competitive edge or to leap frog their career, Debora lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their three golden retrievers, enjoying life at their peaceful lake house retreat.

Cathy is an energetic and authentic leadership coach with 25 years’ experience partnering with professionals to build leadership capabilities and rocket-ship team strength. She is an ICF Credentialed Professional Coach PCC, Certified EQ Coach, Human Capital Strategist, and holds an M.A. in Sociology with survey & measurement expertise. Cathy is a seasoned workshop facilitator and speaker, corporate culture advisor, team effectiveness coach, c-suite dynamics consultant and is certified in the EQ-i/EQ360, Lencioni’ Working Genius, & Hogan Assessments.

Steve is a lifelong educator, leadership coach, and former superintendent with more than 30 years of experience serving and supporting PK–12 public education systems across the country. He led three metropolitan school districts as Superintendent of Schools—Green Bay (WI), Iowa City (IA), and Wausau (WI)—each comprising urban, suburban, and rural communities, and each committed to advancing equity, access, and academic excellence for increasingly diverse student populations. Over the course of his superintendency, Steve guided communities through large-scale strategic initiatives including comprehensive facilities master plans, successful bond referenda totaling over $400 million, innovative STEM partnerships with higher education, 1:1 digital learning rollouts, and the expansion of multilingual, special education, and alternative learning environments. In Green Bay, he led the district through the COVID-19 pandemic, including a full remote launch, a return to in-person learning, and the development of a fully online elementary school. In higher education, Steve served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies at the University of Iowa, where he led principal and superintendent preparation programs, supervised clinical fieldwork, and taught across the M.A., Ed.S., and Ed.D. levels. He currently holds the title of Adjunct Lecturer (Emeritus) and continues to teach courses focused on educational politics. Since 2001, he has also taught at the University of Wisconsin–Superior, the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, and Marian University. Today, Steve serves as Managing Partner of sfm consulting group, where he works with school districts and education organizations nationwide. His consulting and coaching portfolio includes leadership development, organizational coaching, resilience-based systems design, strategic planning, and executive search. He serves as a Managing Partner for Cognia’s Leadership Circle, Master Coach and Facilitator for PeopleBench, Strategic Planning Consultant for InnovateK12 and Meteor Education, Strategic Engagement Partner with Hanover Research, TalkPath+Live, and Wayfinder, and Search Consultant for McPherson & Jacobson. Through AASA and MASA, he facilitates national superintendent development programs and provides executive coaching to early- and mid-career leaders. A frequent advisor and board member, Steve contributes to organizations including the Education Research and Development Institute, EdWeb, New Era Superintendents, Rocket PD, and SAM Labs. He holds multiple professional certifications, including ICF Associate Certified Coach, TCI Certified Team Performance Coach, and credentials in DISC, Driving Forces, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Acumen Capacity Index (ACI), DNA, Levels 1 of AQai, and Resilience at Work (R@W). His academic background includes degrees from the University of Michigan (B.A.), University of Wisconsin–Madison (M.S. and Ed.S.), and doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Steve is based in Iowa City and is married to Darci. Together, they have three adult children. When not working with educational leaders, Steve can often be found off the grid, hiking with a map in hand and a goal in mind.

Rob is an innovation consultant, leadership coach, investor, aspiring author and wannabe surfer, but mostly, a proud husband and father. Previously, he Co-founded Velocity11 in 1999, building robotics for drug discovery and cancer research, after acquisition in 2007 he was General Manager at Agilent Technologies, in 2010 became an Associate Founder and CEO of Singularity University (SU). He stepped down from his role as CEO in 2020 to focus on family and shifting to coaching and innovation work. Today he develops and facilitates programs at SRI’s Nomura-SRI-Innovation Center (NSIC), is a Venture Partner on AI Safety at Lionheart Ventures, and advises a variety of startups and technology businesses. His personal mission is to spread hope for an amazing future through inspiring stories, credible roadmaps, and collaborative networks.

Kelly Parke has been a creative and technical innovation consultant for more than 30 years. In his design consultancy, he has advised various groups and governments on creative strategies for some difficult challenges. Innovation projects have ranged from fan experience design in the NFL to strategy for the future of the Canadian healthcare system. He is a course director teaching multiple MBA innovation courses at the Schulich School of Business. At conferences, he has presented on the topics of technology and creativity to international audiences. He currently leads a design team that researches how to apply artificial intelligence in education.

Dr. Tina Persson is a visionary coach with a multifaceted background from both the university and the corporate world. She holds an ICF PCC certification as an Executive, Career & Team Coach, specializing in female leadership, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. These skills have played a crucial role in shaping her educational and coaching business. Additionally, Dr. Persson is a highly sought-after speaker, frequently facilitating workshops and seminars for senior leaders, c-level executives, and high-potential individuals to help them achieve their goals. She is also an expert in leadership and team coaching facilitation. Having spent nearly two decades in academia, Tina transitioned to the staffing industry, where she gained eight years of expertise as a Recruiter and Talent Sourcer. Leveraging her diverse experience, she empowers researchers to transition smoothly from academia to rewarding business-driven careers. As a successful businesswoman with an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, she proudly serves as the Founder of Passage2Pro AB and Aptahem AB, a biotech start-up featured in over 20 scientific publications. Furthermore, Dr. Persson is the inventor of 2 scientific patents and hosts the popular PhD Career Stories podcast. You can find this passionate professional working out at the CrossFit Gym when she isn't coaching.

We are in the business of creating learning journeys for our clients that have a measurable impact on how they work With nearly 20 years’ success improving the knowledge and skills of business people from some of the world’s top organisations and over 25 years of Sales and Sales Leadership experience in most global markets, we are licensed and accredited psychometric practitioners and all the senior partners hold an MSC in Executive Coaching and Mentoring from Cardiff University.

I am a people focused Transformation Leader and Agile Coach supporting businesses to change, and evolve to keep up with the ever changing high pace of industry. I work across starts up and global enterprise using Agile Methodologies and SAFe ways of working. My effectiveness is rooted in understanding the importance of the people involved and the culture we want to create. I am accomplished at leading and inspiring in technical and commercial environments, to create successful and self-reliant teams that achieve business outcomes on time and within budget.

Jay helps people foster adaptability and creativity at work, aiming to do so with minimal fuss and maximal joy. He's served teams at Shopify, Google, University of Calgary, The Co-operators, Nature Conservancy of Canada and hundreds more.

Passionate about technology for good and empowering individuals, I am a certified AQ Practitioner and ExO Coach with international experience as a senior business executive successfully working in the U.S., EMEA and APAC by building winning teams and deli

I help leaders and teams turn uncertainty into clear action. Using AQai assessments and tools, I uncover how people adapt—and what gets in their way. From leadership coaching to team workshops, I support organizations to build the mindsets, skills, and environments that boost resilience, performance, and engagement during change. The result? More confident decisions, faster adaptation, and a culture ready for what’s next.

Roberto (Bob) Ruiz is retired from the Federal Government. He supported the CDC as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the Human Capital Workforce. Mr. Ruiz also led several Public Health emergencies in the Carribean and several US locations. His previous assignment was Deputy Director for Management and Operations for the Center for Preparedness and Response at CDC. He is a certified International Coaching Federation (ICF) coach with over 800 hours of coaching experience. Finally, he is currently adjunct professor at the University of Georgia where he shares his extensive leadership knowledge with doctorate level public health professionals.

I specialize in equipping CFO, COO and Finance Director teams to deliver breakthrough change with far less uncertainty, anxiety, waste and stress. My clients benefit from my multi-sector (private, public, third) and multi-function (finance, tech, data, change) background.

I'm a strategic advisor and authentic leadership coach for data leaders and tech companies, specialized in closing the gap between business strategy and data execution. With over 20 years in data leadership, including my role as Director of Data at Scout24, I bring a proven track record of aligning data initiatives with real business outcomes and fostering adaptability in organizations. Professional Profile Analytics (PPA) is my latest tech-innovation for professionals seeking authentic growth on LinkedIn, providing data & AI tools to develop a unique voice and strategy. Additionally, I work directly with executives through Turtle Transformation, a leadership academy, to implement actionable data strategies, establish strong governance, and foster modern data leadership rooted in adaptability.

Brad is the owner of The Growth Coach of Central Ohio and serves as the Chief Operating Officer for The Growth Coach franchises. We strive to change our communities by improving business owners, executives, leaders, and salespeople. We use a variety of group and individual coaching programs rooted in our Strategic Mindset Process which helps people focus on the behaviors that create and sustain change and growth. We change organizations by stacking individual behavior changes which add up to progress, innovation, leadership development, and organizational success.