A Conversation with Katie O’Malley, Founder of (en)Courage Coaching + Consulting

Katie O’Malley is the founder of (en)Courage Coaching + Consulting with more than a decade of professional experience serving the nonprofit, corporate and education sectors. Across these workplaces, she noticed that her strengths and values consistently steered toward the support and development of others. In 2012, she earned a Master's Degree in Counseling and Board Certification in Coaching. She leverages a mix of evidence-based practices from the fields of counseling, management consulting and leadership education to equip her clients with customized strategies to meet their individual needs. Coaching recent grads, experienced professionals, and small business owners aspiring to lead their teams and organizations is her most fulfilling, life-giving work. She believes that earning the right to hear a client’s story, and creating a partnership that encourages the design of their most authentic and courageous life, is an incredible privilege. The average age at which a person is put in a leadership position is age 30, Katie says. Yet people are typically not trained in leadership skills until age 42. Katie helps to fill this 12 year gap by equipping people with the necessary skills, and helping organizations learn how to prevent attrition by training their employees with appropriate skills and providing needed support. "Self-awareness is one of the key attributes of a good leader," Katie maintains. She counsels listeners to pay attention to their strengths and privileges, and to have a commitment to learning about themselves.  Her company offers: Career Development + Advancement Perfect for Recent Grads & Career Changers Services cover issues from job application to compensation negotiation. Leadership Development + Education Perfect for New Managers & Small Business Owners From motivating team members to creating a vision, no leadership challenge is too big (or small) for coaching. Authentic Living + Life Coaching Perfect for Folks Struggling to Find Their Way Katie helps clients identify their motivations, values and interests as the foundation to build the life they desire. (en) Courage Coaching + Consulting offers several programs, including the Coaching Career Accelerator Program and the Small Business Coaching program, which you can read more about on her website. She also helps client with more personal, difficult issues. Trauma, she says is not the difficult thing that happens, but our reactions to the event/happening. Katie helps equip her clients to deal with workplace-induced trauma, like that which can stem from discrimination, harassment, bullying, microaggressions, gaslighting and more. Such trauma can affect our mental and physical health. "In the healing, we regain our personal strength and sense of power," Katie shares. To become her best version, Katie reminds herself that "consistency beats intensity every day of the week." She also strives to be one percent better every day of her life. She proves the adage that growth most frequently happens over time. Katie recently left her full-time position as the Senior Associate Director of Leadership Development at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is now working full time on what began as her passion project, (en)Courage Coaching + Consulting, and is now a nationwide endeavor. Learn more about (en)Courage + Coaching at encouragecoaching.org Follow Katie at: Instagram @encouragecoachingchicago Facebook @encouragecoachingchicago LinkedIn: Katie O’Malley