Testimonials

Credentials

I’ve poured myself into bettering individuals, leaders, coaches and organizations for over 20 years. Here is some of what I am most proud of:

Professional Certified Coach, The International Coach Federation
BA, Economics, University of Michigan
Coach, The Barack Obama Foundation Fellows Program
100 executive leaders coached
200 individuals guided in the next phase of their career
350 coaches trained and mentored
3 courses developed and delivered to hundreds of people: Creating Meaningful Work, Human Dynamics of Change, Activating Resilience
9 years - Senior faculty member, Coaching for Transformation

What do others have to say?

Leadership Coaching

"Madhu is a trusted partner who has helped me become a stronger, more authentic leader. She listens deeply, sees beyond what is on the surface and asks questions that inspire fresh thinking. Madhu brings expertise in Human Resources, change management, team building, leadership branding and DEI work - all areas that are of critical importance to any leader."

Anika Rahman
Chief Board Relations Officer
NRDC

"Madhu is a master coach who has helped me step into my full power and embrace unknown possibilities. Her expertise, rigor, and cultural diversity experience are tremendous."

Ana Polanco
Founder, Polanco Consulting

“I had recently taken on the largest role of my career and I needed guidance to step into the next level. I wanted to go beyond managing and become a leader in my organization. With Madhu's help, I made big changes in my life and can fully own who I am and the roles I play. I am able to lean forward, stand up for myself, speak confidently and make a difference.”

Katie Doyle
Editor, Forbes Advisor

Career Coaching

"I worked with Madhu at a time when I was too afraid to step fully into my coaching work. I had all sorts of stories about why I couldn’t leave my full time job and limiting beliefs about how I wasn’t a good enough coach to make this work. Partnering with Madhu helped me to envision a path forward that enabled me to be brave while also being deliberate in my steps.

Each step she supported me to take got me closer to where I ultimately wanted to be. She also supported me to own my strengths as a person and as a coach. I had to do the work and be the one to take the risks, but without Madhu at my side I might still be living in my stories of why my current reality wasn’t possible. I am so thankful I chose her to be my coach and mentor. When I look back now I am amazed and incredibly proud of how much I’ve accomplished and how far I’ve come with her support."

Michael Wise

"As a master coach and mentor to me, Madhu brought her full, authentic self to our work together. Her coaching style is warm, thoughtful, honest, and most of all, witty. She often surprised me with her quick, intuitive insights, and she is not afraid to ask the questions that need to be asked or say what needs to be said.

I deeply felt her commitment to supporting my unique journey in a way that felt right for me. She served as a wise partner and witness to my transformational process as a human being and a new coach finding my own force. She summoned the fire dragon in me, and for that I am forever grateful."

Jackie D. Jenkins
Organizational Psychologist and Change Strategist

"I was fortunate to work with Madhu as I navigated a career transition. She asked smart questions that allowed me to better understand myself and my goals, and she ensured I left each session with a clear idea of what to do next. She showed she cared about me and my career, and she clearly listened, drawing on details I had mentioned months earlier.

Madhu is a true champion of women leaders. She helped me launch a diversity initiative and strategize about how to be an effective ally to journalists of color in my newsroom. When I was recently given the chance to work with her again as part of a leadership program, I felt as if I'd won the lottery."

Corrie MacLaggan
Statewide managing editor of The Texas Newsroom, a public radio collaboration

Organizational Coaching

“Madhu is an exceptionally talented person. She possesses advanced skills as a facilitator, trainer, and coach -- and I've benefited from her work in all three roles. She tunes into her audience/client and communicates in a relational and clear way. Most of all, Madhu is inspiring!”

- Lois Guarino,
Chief Experience Officer, Omega Institute

"Madhu Maron is a strong HR and management coach with deep experience in leadership and organizational change.

Madhu’s coaching spans startups to corporate cultures. She helps organizations and individuals successfully navigate both worlds, with corporate HR guidance, team-building and organizational development, personal executive coaching and help with diversity and inclusion initiatives. I worked with Madhu at the Associated Press, one of the world’s largest news companies. Today she helps the Institute for Nonprofit News and many of our members: news startups that are small, nimble and entrepreneurial

What makes Madhu stand apart is her skill in helping anyone think through and work through tough situations with a deep sense of humanity. She isn’t soft. But she employs empathy and introspection as strong tools to help staff and managers get through hard situations. Her work is informed by many years as a human resources manager and the nuts and bolts knowledge that comes with that. But Madhu also approaches work issues in a larger sense, as a life coach. That makes her counsel very effective. Her coaching is particularly valuable in a time of rapid change, as she helps companies and individuals cross the fault lines that divide us and to work better together."

- Sue Cross,
Executive Director and CEO, Institute for Nonprofit News

"Madhu practices a kind of deep listening that allows her to really understand people, our organizations, and what we are trying to accomplish. She then takes that understanding and facilitates conversations and plans that meaningfully advance us toward our goals.

Madhu's approach is personal, authentic, collaborative and smart. That's why I have turned to her for leadership coaching again and again. She is a trusted ally who helps make the leadership support programs I design a success, and I am grateful for her!"

Sara Shahriari
Director of Leadership and Talent Development
Institute for Nonprofit News

Coaching for Coaches

Madhu was the difference maker in my evolution to a certified coach. She never let me off the hook, delivering direct feedback that was also incredibly supportive. Her insights and intuition helped me to take some bold risks and own my authenticity as a budding coach.

Erica Bryndza

I was certified as a coach in 2016 and I’ve been building my practice since. In the summer of 2018, I felt like I was falling into a rut as a coach. One day, when I was struggling to make a difference with a client for the third session in a row, I caught myself planning to run down so I could move on. That startled me, so I reached out for mentoring.

I am so glad that I connected with Madhu. She helped me build my own rubric for my coaching, and then used that rubric to help me evaluate my sessions. She helped me sort through feelings and judgments around tough sessions, and also insisted that I trust my intuition and power as a coach. As a result, I broke through the barrier I’d been having with that client, and I stepped up my game for all my clients, as well. My practice is now growing organically, aligned with my rubric for what it means to deliver transformation.

- Michael Wilson
www.michaelcoachandphoto.com

The impact of being mentored by Madhu lasted way longer than the few hours I got to actually spend with her. I may not remember the exact wording of her feedback, or the challenges she offered me, but what I manage to keep and continue to hold dear is her deep and genuine sense of trust in me as a coach.

There were times when my coaching practice became very frustrating and I wasn't able to coach at a level that draws on my full potential, but Madhu refused to lower the bar for me. What made Madhu a compelling yet compassionate mentor was her way of showing her full faith in me and my ability to become the best coach I can be, so that even during the tough times I felt seen and supported.

- Amanda Yik

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