At 22 years old, after years of living through drug abuse and incarceration, I turned to academics to keep my head above ground. I thought I could find a career in broadcasting to create programs that helped other people keep their head above ground. I followed my dream and completed a Master’s degree in Broadcasting. My first job – I was hired by the training department of a psychiatric hospital corporation to push television monitors and film projectors around the hospital corridors.
Just as I resigned to the thought that my dream was unreachable, my career path changed – within two months, the director of the department fired the only trainer and then decided to pursue her doctorate while working. She dumped the training responsibilities in my lap.
My first responsibility was to deliver the management training classes. I followed the instructional guidelines, but found the most impactful training experiences came through the open dialogues we had around the materials provided. These conversations were so inspiring to me, I embraced the teaching role and signed up to earn an Masters degree in Adult Learning and Instructional Design.
I went on to run training departments for two global tech companies. I continued to research, learn, and apply methods to improve my training hoping to create sustainable change. I made my classes more interactive. I created exercises and games to engage and use humor to learn. Participants said they loved my classes, but in hallway conversations, I learned that when new behavior felt awkward, they would go back to behaving like they had always done before even though they knew there were ways to be more effective.
On the last day of my last corporate job, someone sent me an article on this new profession called “coaching.” It was 1995. I signed up to observe a coaching demonstration. Instantly recognizing a new and more meaningful way to learn, I enrolled in a coaching school. I have been hooked ever since that article fell into my hands. I found the path to creating sustainable change that is far more effective than telling people what they must do!
I began researching how coaching impacts the brain, proving it is a powerful learning technology that prompts long-term behavioral change. I decided to get my doctorate to have access to the latest research, and have continued studying neuroscience and applying what I learn to my coaching approaches. I believe coaching is the best way to open minds, inspire hearts, and strengthen the courage to change and grow.
I dedicate my days to sharing what I learn with other coaches and leaders in the world, so we can expand conscious awareness and uplift human spirits together.
I now have taught coaches and coached leaders in 47 countries. My bestselling book, Coach the Person, Not the Problem, is published in 9 languages. I am recognized in the Coaches50 of top leadership coaches and Global Gurus has listed me as one of the top 10 Coaches in the world, and the #1 woman on the list for over 5 years, and the International Coaching Federation has included me in their Circle of Distinction for my contributions to the global coaching community.
My foundational and mastery Breakthrough Coaching programs on the Coaching.com platform provides advanced skills and community for coaches around the world. I was recently awarded the Coaching Impact Award for Emerging Organizations for working with my client AEON Vietnam to transform their culture and accelerate their success with coaching even through the pandemic, which was an amazing feat for a retail corporation!
I am grateful to have found coaching and earn the privilege with working with coaches around the planet and online.
Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Master Certified Coach and Neuroplastician, is passionate about coaching leaders to engage in powerful conversations that connect, influence, and activate change. She has coached leaders, delivered leadership and emotional intelligence programs, and spoken at conferences in 47 countries. She has also presented at many universities including Harvard Kennedy School and Cornell University on the unique challenges and needs of today’s leaders in the workplace.
Marcia is a pioneer in the coaching profession. She was the 5th global president of the International Coaching Federation, is recognized in the ICF Circle of Distinction and recently was awarded an ICF Impact Award for her work in creating a successful coaching culture with AEON Vietnam, a retail organization, elevating their customer satisfaction, brand awareness, productivity and profit during the pandemic and beyond. She also teaches Coaching Skills for Leaders in organizations and government agencies and consults with many global organizations on how to increase engagement and productivity by establishing coaching cultures.
Before launching her own business, she led training organizations for three healthcare and technology corporations for 16 years before starting her own coaching business. Her greatest success came from designing the culture change program for a multinational semiconductor corporation facing bankruptcy. Within three years, the company turned around and became the #1 revenue producing US IPO in 1993.
Excerpts from her 5 books including the international bestseller, Coach the Person, Not the Problem, interviews, and articles she has authored on leadership and coaching have appeared in many places including Harvard Communications Newsletter, Fast Company, Forbes.com, Psychology Today, and The Wall Street Journal and she has appeared in business magazines in Europe and Asia.
Education Professional School of Psychology Psy.D. Organizational Psychology, 2007.
Arizona State University M.Ed. Educational Psychology; Instructional Design 1986 B.S. Mass Communications, 1979
SanFrancisco State University M.A. Broadcast Communications/Interpersonal Communications, 1982
In 2026 Dr. Reynolds earned her Master npn Neuroplastician® credential.
Published Books
Breakthrough Coaching: Creating Lightbulb Moments in Your Coaching Conversations, 2024.
Coach the Person, Not the Problem: A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry, 2020 (translated in nine languages) and 2nd Ed. released March 2025.
Outsmart Your Brain: How to Manage Your Mind When Emotions Take the Wheel, 2017
The Discomfort Zone: How Leaders Turn Difficult Conversations into Breakthroughs, 2014.
Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, 2010 (Gold Medal: Axiom Business Books Awards)
Dr. Reynolds coaches clients to create transformational results that transcend conflicts and lead to creative resolutions. Some of the coaching objectives have focused on helping clients to:
Improve executive presence and communication effectiveness.
Increase self-confidence to take calculated risks and move forward faster.
Increase emotional intelligence to lead and connect with others effectively.
Find effective solutions for dealing with conflicts and difficult situations.
Lead through changes in the organization and uncertainty in the marketplace and world.
Mobilize regional and divisional leadership teams.
Managing stress and well-being in uncertain times.
Effectively transitioning into new leadership positions
Marcia Reynolds is by far the most effective and influential executive coach and corporate trainer I have ever encountered. It is not only Ms. Reynolds deep skills and understanding of executive development that I consider world class; Ms. Reynolds has a brilliant ability to comprehend, nurture, and feed back information to all types of leaders while they are experiencing significant change. Everyone is positively affected after a program or conversation with Ms. Reynolds.
Per Lindved Madsen, PhD
Head of Global Talent Management, DAMCO
PARTIAL CLIENT LIST
Duke Clinical Research Institute
The Hershey Company
Ernst & Young
Medtronic
Maersk
Sanofi
Cornell University
Smith College
MBA Women International
The Discovery Channel
Boise Paper
Dignity Health
Abila
Microchip Technology
Pointe Hilton Hotels
Printing Industries Association
Institute for Management Studies
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Center for Disease Control
American Express
US National Institutes of Health
Work with Marcia Reynolds
Discover how Dr. Marcia Reynolds’ innovative coaching strategies will help your company elevate leadership, foster a sense of community, and dramatically improve trust.
