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DDS Dobson-Smith _ Executive Coach and CEO

help leaders get up out of the weeds of their comfort zones and into places they didn't know they needed to go.

I bring my multi-sector global experience, decades of training in human potential, and enduring dedication to creating leaders who are worth following to every single thing I do.

I believe that, at its core, executive coaching and leadership growth is about delivering shifts in what you do and how you do it. And I believe that shift happens most sustainably and radically through a process of hard human kindness.

A trusted coach of mine once said to me, "Nothing great ever came from comfort zones." This really hit home. I understand coaching to be a process and commitment to letting go of unuseful behaviors and patterns and to becoming an exceptional leader. You should know that I will be as dedicated as you are [if not more] to your pursuit of becoming extraordinary.

These philosophies underpin my approach and give you an idea of what you’ll be getting yourself into when you decide to work with me.

I have notched up over 25 years of working in small, medium, and large corporations. I literally grew up in the hospitality industry [my parents owned a pub and restaurant in the UK] and I started my career as a college professor teaching hotel and business management.

I've since held a range of senior, executive, and C-Suite level roles across a host of sectors and companies including renowned retailer Marks & Spencer Plc, travel and tourism company Eurostar International, Crossrail Ltd - the company charged with building a new railway through the center of London, music giant Sony Music Entertainment, and Essence Global - part of the world's largest advertising company, WPP.

I’m a member of the Advisory Board of WE Global Studios, a full-stack Innovation Studio and digital DIY Platform that powers the success of women entrepreneurs around the world. I serve as the Board President at Pacific Center for Human Growth, the USA's second oldest LGBTQIA2S+ non-profit community mental health clinics, and I am adjunct faculty at California Institute of Integral Studies where I teach counseling psychology to graduate students. I also run a private psychotherapy practice, called Soulfull Therapy, in the state of Connecticut

My career has provided the opportunity for me to work across all continents and to develop the awareness, empathy, and skills to work successfully with people from all diverse walks of life in culturally humble ways.

I'm certified as an Executive Coach by both the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring, I'm credentialed with the International Coach Federation, and am a coach-supervisor through the Coaching Supervision Academy. I've been working in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming [NLP] since 2001 - I'm a double-certified INLPTA Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP, and a Neuro-Linguistic Psychotherapist under the NLPtCA. I'm also licensed to administer MBTI [Step I and Step II] and FIRO-B psychometric tools.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to train with many luminaries in the transpersonal field including Louise Hay, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Patricia Crane, Deepak Chopra, and Brant Cortright. In 2007 I became a Reiki Master and Teacher under the guidance of Christina Moore. I am currently completing an internship in The Narrative Enneagram.

I'm a native Brit and have lived in the US with my husband, David, and our two cats, Harper and Hemingway, since April 2014. When not working you can usually find me geeking out over some psychological concept or losing myself in repeats of The Voice, X-Factor, and American Idol on YouTube.
dds@soultrained.com
https://soultrained.com/