For visionary leaders, principals, and owners focused on architecting enduring legacies, LeaderMakers provides confidential, peer-to-peer strategic counsel. We partner exclusively with a select clientele, offering unparalleled bespoke advisory at the crucial intersection of high-level strategy, succession planning, and long-term impact. Our commitment is to help you craft and implement strategies that ensure your influence thrives and your vision transcends generations. This practice is deeply grounded in my core philosophy, one that rejects the inherent compromise of 'work-life balance.' Instead, I champion the deliberate integration of professional ambition and personal conviction – creating a congruent life where purpose and drive fuel each other. Mastering this synergy, living authentically by your own unwavering design, isn't just an art; it's the ultimate expression of autonomy and strategic living. Holding this standard for myself provides the foundation for how I advise. I understand the unique pressures and aspirations involved in building significant, lasting value. Through LeaderMakers, I guide accomplished individuals not merely in optimizing business tactics, but in architecting a holistic legacy and life – one defined by authentic purpose and executed with uncompromising resolve, ensuring meaningful impact and continuity entirely on your own terms.

In today’s fast-changing world, adaptability isn’t just a skill—it’s a leadership imperative. As an executive transition coach and leadership consultant, my mission is to empower senior leaders to strengthen their Adaptability Quotient (AQ)—enabling them to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose in the face of complexity. My global career has taken me across sectors and cultures, shaping a nuanced understanding of how context and change impact leadership. This journey has grounded my practice in mindful, human-centered strategies that help executives unlock their potential, inspire their teams, and create sustainable business impact. From my base in Châtain, France, I partner with leaders around the world—offering personalized, forward-focused coaching that builds not just capacity, but adaptability for what lies ahead.

| Adaptability Strategist | Leadership Architect | Change Champion Michelle Kaplan is a trusted guide for leaders and organizations who are serious about thriving in a fast-changing world. Armed with a top-tier Adaptability Quotient (AQ) profile, Michelle blends high grit (AQ Grit 83), visionary mindset (AQ Mindset 98), strategic resilience (AQ Resilience 79), and dynamic hopefulness (AQ Hope) into every engagement she leads. With a powerful combination of business strategy and human-centered design, Michelle specializes in unlocking potential through adaptability science, leadership development, and transformational change management. Her big-picture thinking (AQ Thinking Style: Big Picture), driven motivation (AQ Motivation: Play to Win), and emotionally intelligent leadership allow her to create environments where people are not just supported, but truly empowered to grow. Michelle is uniquely gifted at balancing strategic clarity with authentic human connection. Clients love her ability to move seamlessly between tactical execution and inspiring vision. Michelle meets complexity with confidence and brings out the best in those around her. In a world where resilience, optimism, and flexibility are essential, Michelle stands out as a force of nature. She doesn’t just teach adaptability—she lives it. Every project she touches benefits from her unwavering belief that challenges are simply stepping stones to greater innovation, collaboration, and success. If you're ready to transform uncertainty into opportunity and unlock your organization's next chapter of growth, contact Michelle

Nikhil Maini is a global thought leader in organizational agility, leadership transformation, and strategic execution. With over 28 years of experience across 23 industries and a client base exceeding 500 organizations worldwide, Nikhil brings a rare blend of strategic insight, behavioral expertise, and systems thinking. As CEO of OKR International (UAE), Synergogy (UAE) and Seven People Systems (India), he has helped companies from startups to Fortune 500 giants embed agile practices, drive leadership effectiveness, and unlock sustainable growth. His pioneering work in OKRs and transformation consulting is backed by certifications in Adaptability (AQai Level 1), Neuroscience, DISC, and Organizational Development, making him a trusted advisor for navigating complexity in today’s BANI world. Through his AQai expertise, Nikhil empowers leaders and teams to thrive amid uncertainty by building adaptability intelligence across mindset, character, and environment. His approach integrates psychometric diagnostics, agile performance systems, and cultural alignment to foster resilient, high-performing organizations. With a proven ability to align vision, culture, and execution across global contexts, Nikhil champions the use of AQ as a catalyst for leadership evolution and strategic agility. Whether facilitating change initiatives or coaching senior executives, he combines evidence-based tools with deep human insight, helping organizations not just adapt but lead.

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.

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.

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.

Hi, I’m Lucy Quick and I am an experienced people-orientated agile coach and business consultant with a focus on transformation and guiding teams through change. Through my experience and expertise, I have become a trusted advisor. I started my agile journey in a startup software development company, growing the business with multiple on and offshore teams. I soon realised that my success was rooted in understanding the importance of the people involved and the culture they want to create. I am skilled at understanding complex customer and business needs. From pre-sale interpretation to project planning, target-driven requirements through to delivery, as well as business transformations and new initiatives, I have supported it all. The skills learned have helped many different businesses and organisations, including at Vodafone and Jaguar Land Rover. As an independent consultant, I now take my years of experience with global enterprises, to ensure the growth and development of your business, through bringing out the best in your people.

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