Coaching

"I hired Laurie as a personal coach to develop a vision and plan for how to re-energize my professional career as an art historian and philanthropist.  Laurie helped me define a clear commitment and vision and see the bigger picture of my purpose. I have experienced a huge change from last winter when I believed that my writing days were over, my professional network wasn’t strong enough and my experience wasn’t recent. I have to think that most of this comes from my work with Laurie beginning last summer and into the new year.

With Laurie as my coach I experienced major changes. From my coaching sessions I learned about making small-bite goals, committing to taking calming breaks and making sure I am doing things that I am passionate about regularly during intense work periods of writing or planning talks or tours. Laurie encouraged me to learn mindfulness meditation and guided me through custom sessions in our coaching. I am sure that meditating, which I don’t do as much as I would like but still, two or three times a week if possible, is hugely helpful.  Laurie taught me the power of the mind and body and how I can make changes in the way I respond to life with practice. Almost naturally now I stop and pay attention to how my body and heart are feeling when I start to panic or feel nervous, annoyed or low. My career has taken off. Two recent contemporary essays are done and were very happily received, the gallery tour went well, and that I am hard at work trying to pull another short-term request into an essay for the summer exhibition catalog in a museum in Berlin.  In addition, the curator at a significant museum wants me to do my own  exhibition in the fall of 2015.  It is really unbelievable.  And I am noticing that while I still get vaguely distraught and writer’s blockish when finishing these essays, I don’t torture myself the way I used to. At a recent museum advisory council meeting, I am usually quiet and let the well-known curators talk.  I was so relaxed and unafraid of asking questions which everyone else seemed quite grateful for and led to a rich discussion. I was able to tap into the leadership mode which was natural for me in other positions and Laurie helped me transfer into these newer roles. I have a portfolio of gratifying work now that includes curating, writing, speaking, tours and publishing."

"Laurie consistently exceeds my expectations. She is in my inner circle of advisors. I work with Laurie has my coach and also as a consultant with my leadership team. I have learned to question and let go of misconceptions and see a wider range of possibilities. She brings a deep expertise, practical tools and presence and awareness that supports me in re-balancing priorities in my complex role and changing business situations.  With our team, she can easily alter her delivery and communication style depending on the people that are in the room. Laurie adds real value to our thought process by bringing in relevant, recent research and case stories that show us alternatives and options. She has become our go-to leadership expert."

“I hired Laurie as a leadership coach to help guide me in a very critical time in my career. Using two assessments and through our sessions, Laurie helped me get a clear picture of how I show up- the first time I really had such a view.   I was able to see clearly what I was good at, what I tend to overuse and what I avoid, what was getting in my way, and what I needed to learn to get better as a leader. Our coaching sessions continue to create a confidential, impartial space in my packed calendar to strategize the what gets me closer to my goal. Not only does Laurie have business savvy and organizational know-how, she works with integrity and spiritual depth.”

"I retained Laurie Cameron / PurposeBlue as a leadership coach when I decided become the executive producer of a documentary film, something that was completely different than anything else I had ever done in my life.  Laurie worked with me to determine a strategy and plan to go from an idea to a fully funded, developed and produced documentary. She helped me formulate a plan to use cloud-based technology tools to organize and manage the entire project while traveling, and develop habits to stay on top of all of the pieces. We developed a stakeholder and communication plan to develop funding and sponsorship, and an execution plan to manage it all while traveling 40, 000 miles in three months interviewing and filming. The final piece was bringing the film to completion after negotiating the best way to distribute, license and broadcast the final event with multiple parties.

In less than a year, the film was completed on time and under budget, without any major drama — and working on it was a pleasure from start to finish.  The film will debut on CNN in a few weeks, and then be distributed to television networks globally. It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, this was only an idea on paper.

Laurie gave me the tools I needed to succeed, and her positive attitude gave me the confidence to try something new in an industry in which I never imagined I’d be working.  I can’t tell you how many women have told me it’s been inspiring for them to watch this film project go “from zero to sixty,” as one friend put it — and I send them all to Laurie.  I couldn’t have done it without her!"