Transform where it matters most
Strategy & Coaching for the changes that move you forward
Hello, I’m Melissa.
I have been in strategy and leadership positions within corporations, non-profits, and community organizations for nearly 30 years. Repeatedly, I’ve seen plans stall, and not because the ideas were bad, but because the leaders need to be equipped and in alignment to lead change.
That’s why I started Melissa Taylor Coaching & Strategy. I offer an integration of strategy expertise and leadership coaching designed to support individuals and groups in deciding what to change, committing to it, and practicing it until it is ingrained in how they work and lead.
Coaching
I coach on short- and long-term problems: if you’re ready for change, but can’t quite see the next step, I help you clarify what’s next and start moving toward it. My coaching helps clients widen options, decide, and try on new behaviors until they become habitual. I am an accredited member of the International Coach Federation (Associate Certified Coach) and the Center for Executive Coaching.
What I’m Passionate About
Work
Creating strategy that inspires AND feels doable. Enabling individuals to understand how their behaviors and decisions create the systems in which they exist. Getting to know people at a deep level — their challenges, motivations, and growth edges — and assisting them in progressing.
Community
I care deeply about other humans and their stories. Over the years, I’ve served on the boards of Food Bank for the Heartland and The Big Garden. Currently I’m proud to serve with RISE, a program designed to break the generational cycle of incarceration, on its Executive and Policy Committees while also coaching the staff and board on strategy. Eric and I put our time and resources into work that breaks the cycle of poverty, because that’s where our hearts are.
Sustainability
I enthusiastically garden, recycle, and attempt to reduce waste (and keep plants alive longer). I recently found out I’m a “forest person” — best in the trees.
Life
Married to an ex-military pilot (current charter pilot), dog mom, unabashed Fleetwood Mac fanatic and book worm.
Strengths
I help leaders in distinguishing the behaviors, skills, and attitudes blocking progress or that should be amplified to have even greater impact. Strategy means nothing without follow-through, so I focus on the leadership and culture shifts that make lasting change.
Growth to me is clarity, confidence, and changes that evolve with you. And I get to support people in achieving it!
I believe growth should feel real, doable, and *gasp* even fun.
Ready to see how real change takes shape?
strategy meets people: where the work begins
This is where we get into it—building your 365-day plan or figuring out the changes your leaders need to make happen.
I design sessions around the problem you're trying to solve. Sometimes that's strategic planning where we map out your year. Sometimes it's working through change with your team, or sitting down one-on-one with individual leaders. We leave with something clear and usable, not just ideas.
What’s getting in your way as a leader?
Sometimes the hardest part of growth is seeing what’s holding you back and figuring out what to do next. You might be feeling stuck in a role that no longer fits, facing a challenge that’s shaken your confidence, or simply sensing it’s time to lead differently. Coaching creates space to reflect, build the skills you need, and move forward with clarity and intention.
Here’s what makes this coaching different:
You set the goals. I help you consider how to prioritize and achieve them.
You drive the agenda. We pivot toward your most pressing needs.
You define success. I take accountability in helping you get there.
This isn’t about me handing you a playbook. It’s about us working together so you can see what’s possible, make it your own, and carry it forward with confidence.
Lead Like You Mean It
1: 1 Coaching for leaders
Sometimes big plans fail not because of the ideas, but because the people behind them aren’t equipped to make them happen. I work with leadership teams to design strategies they can execute while building the skills to make change last.
How it works:
We begin with group workshops to shape and align your strategy.
From there, I provide 1:1 coaching with each responsible leader, helping them strengthen the skills they need to guide their teams through change.
The result:
A strategy that lives beyond the planning by taking root in your culture and showing up in everyday decisions.
From Paper to Practice
Strategy & leadership consulting
Have you ever left a retreat feeling inspired only to lose it all once your calendar fills back up?
Back-to-back meetings don’t create breakthroughs, just longer to-do lists. I design retreats that go beyond the feel-good moment. They give leaders and teams practical ways to pause, reflect, and return to work with lasting clarity, energy, and alignment.
Retreats can also include 1:1 coaching, creating opportunities for leaders to dive deeper into their own growth alongside the group experience.
Space to breathe. room to grow.
reatreats with coaching
(for individuals or groups)
Say It Like You Mean It
Speaking & Keynotes
I speak at conferences, leadership events, and workshops on strategy, change, and the leadership behaviors and skills that support our growth, engagement, and enjoyment at work. If you're looking for a speaker who connects with people and leaves them with something to act on, let’s talk.
The Heart of Strategy Is People Willing to Change
Every strategy, no matter how brilliant on paper, requires something deeper: leaders who are willing to change themselves in order to lead change in their organizations. Every new initiative, by design, asks people to grow.
When you work with me, you get more than a consultant. You get a partner who listens with curiosity, explores possibilities, and creates solutions that fit your timeframe and budget. Together, we learn our way around the challenge you’re facing. It’s all about YOU! I help you prioritize the changes you want to make and build the skills to apply in the real world, sometimes even learning a new skill myself to make sure it works for your context.
My focus is helping leaders define the change they wish to see in themselves or their team, choose where to focus, and integrate it until new ways of leading become second nature. For some, that’s 1:1 coaching. For others, it’s a program designed to elevate leadership capacity across the organization.
In every case, the goal is the same: aligning leaders with strategy so transformation is something people experience, not just plan.