My Story: Where Authenticity Meets Leadership Excellence™

I'm Ukrainian. I grew up under communism when Ukraine was part of the USSR, a society with a strong gender divide, where anything outside of the accepted societal norms would be met with harassment.  Being a female in that environment, I was taught I would need to work twice as hard to see any success, and most dreams were off-limits.  Successful people were good at Math and Science and emotions were considered weaknesses making my emotional intelligence skills of little value.  I suffered from a poor self-image due to constant pressure to achieve, people-please and an obsession over making everything in my life appear perfect (how I look, what I say, what I do).

Something small like being born left-handed made me ever so slightly different in a culture where being different at all was more than enough justification to be bullied. I was intelligent enough to be selected for the gifted programs which only made me more different. Coming out as a bisexual female was faced with violence, discrimination, and rejection.  As I quietly endured, I honed my skills of reading people’s body language, understanding their emotional drivers and underlying group dynamics… slowly perfecting the soft skills I was blessed with.

In 2013, I got a wake-up call that came as a diagnosis of cervical cancer, epithelial tumors in my stomach, and bilateral patellar tendinopathy, which resulted in multiple surgeries and a year-long recovery. It felt like my body was telling me enough…. Enough avoiding unpleasant feelings, enough running away and not living my truth, enough restricting my life to the cultural & societal rules. In my journey of recovery and retrospection, I gained clarity and a deeper understanding of who I am at my core, what my values are, and what my purpose is. 

As the threatening nature of the symptoms subsided, I found myself with a renewed drive and energy to pursue what matters most to me. I quit law school and was compelled to honor my authentic self,  live my truth, and serve humanity in a way that would give others inspiration and courage to step into their power and take action toward their dreams.

This led me to resume behavioral studies graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Science in Psychology from California Southern University and becoming a Certified Professional Coach. 

I started asking myself daily, “How can I help people solve their challenges?” This guided me to pursue continuous improvement consulting. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and ASQ Quality manager, I supported organizations on their continuous improvement journey through the application of lean principles to rapidly improve Quality, Reduce Lead Time, Improve On-Time Delivery and Reduce Overall Costs. I utilized the combination of problem-solving techniques with emotional intelligence leadership to gain team buy-in and engagement to successfully implement improvement initiatives. 

Using my coaching abilities to build a continuous improvement culture provided steady advancement ultimately landing me a position as the youngest member of the executive team of a publicly traded company.  It was there that I really connected with my abilities to help people discover their purpose, find their passion, and become the very best version of themselves, revealing to me my passion, coaching. With the support of my loving husband, I resigned from my corporate position to focus on empowering other executives and leaders to discover their purpose, unleash their potential, and live authentically.

I’m not perfect, and I’ve nearly killed myself trying to be. What I am is a perfectly imperfect being that believes in the power of the human spirit and human potential, strives for excellence every day, and feels compelled to support others on their self-actualization journey. Having climbed the corporate ladder myself, I understand the unique challenges faced by executives and leaders. My mission is to help them tap into their full potential, overcome obstacles and fears, and lead their lives and careers authentically.

Embrace your authentic leadership and step into your fullest potential by signing up for one of my Leadership Development programs. Let's overcome your challenges and embark on a transformative journey towards your most authentic and successful life.

WHERE AUTHENTICITY MEETS LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE™

Certifications and Memberships

"Anna is a wonderful executive coach. Regardless of the goals I set out, and the pivots that I needed to make, she was continuously able to steer me in the right direction so I could get past the hurdles in front of me. She has been quick to understand the root causes of roadblocks and ready with guidance on how to approach and overcome these obstacles. She is very patient and caring and always had a positive attitude when working with me. I..."

Felicia S.

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"From the beginning, I have found Anna to be an insightful and caring coach with a natural intuition about how to tackle issues that otherwise were not apparent to me personally. Anna has patiently worked with me to think through ways to improve my outlook and actions and has not hesitated to bluntly remind me of when I have not followed through with the plans we have developed. Anna is both supportive and demanding, the best combination I..."

Casey L.

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"Working with Anna, there was no doubt she was completely invested in my success. She takes a highly personalized approach to coaching and is a terrific listener—always helping me to uncover those lightbulb moments for me. I came to her to work on professional development, and I finished with having a clearer understanding of myself, which benefitted me beyond just my career. She is a trusted partner who is motivating, patient and asks the..."

Ariana F.

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"Anna is a thoughtful, brilliant coach. Anna helped me shape my own authentic leadership style rooted in my values and supported by the best practices in the leadership field. I’ve worked with Anna on a wide range of topics including leadership, team management, talent development and managing my anxiety. Anna has given me very concrete ideas that I’ve been implementing daily at work - and she tailors her coaching to me, my leadership style..."

Baira D.

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"Anna is a phenomenal coach. I have worked with a couple of coaches in my professional life. I felt her approach was more insightful and non-judgmental. She gave me time and space to speak out what I am trying to resolve or work towards. She listened carefully and pointed out what the overarching message she was hearing. I felt like she helped me self reflect and self resolve many issues. I resonated better with the outcomes or decisions..."

Navneet Sachdeva

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"Anna is hands down the best coach I've worked with. She's intuitive but doesn't make assumptions, so her style is one of guiding versus directing. This allows plenty of room for self-exploration, which has enabled me to grow professionally (and personally) in a short space of time. I highly recommend working with Anna."

Alison

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"I’m a professional and creative who typically considers herself to be a highly motivated go-getter. However, at the stage I met Anna, I was lost, angry and stuck. I wanted to blame anyone and everything but myself for my “being off my game”. Under all the layers of shame, guilt and procrastination lived the truth – I was 100% responsible for healing myself. Anna helped me uncover this reality. It felt as if her light gave me the..."

Michelle H.

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"Anna is wonderful! She helped me pick myself up during a difficult time. She gives you the tools to help yourself. I was numb just going through the motions. Anna helped me figure out what I needed to be happy. I finally feel like I am the person I am supposed to be. I highly recommend her. My life has completely changed for the best! "

Becky McGregor

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"I cannot recommend Anna Barnhill highly enough. As my coach, I can always count on Anna to actively listen and provide meaningful input during our sessions. She has thoughtful responses and makes it a point to ask if there is something she can help with. The tools she has provided me with, will help me for a lifetime to come. I am grateful for finding Anna, and all the progress we have made together! "

Christian G.

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"Anna is an excellent coach, that is extremely results-focused. She has a strong ability to create awareness of what is holding you back, as well as a plan for moving forward. She asks powerful questions that help to create amazing discoveries and helps to build you up to be able to pursue your big dreams in life. She is calm, professional, and committed to your success. As a result of her coaching, I was able to take significant steps in my..."

Chris A.

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"Anna was a great coach to work with! She listens really well and asks pointed questions to get to the bottom of an issue. She makes me feel challenged … and inspires me to think in different ways. Her mental traps framework is very effective in helping me catching and labeling self-sabotaging thoughts as they occur, and I like the perspective switching to ask myself "what would I say/do to my best friend" to cultivate self-compassion. Thanks..."

Anonymous

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"Anna has been the single most helpful voice in my coaching journey. Within only a few sessions she provided me with spot-on good insights. This advice would stick to me, as powerful helpful reminders throughout the weeks to come helping me deal with anxiety. From day one she had an accurate and deep understanding of my concerns, and from there, we outlined action plans that were straightforward and effective. After our sessions, I always feel..."

Laura N.

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"Anna has been great to work with. Her knowledge on the material and how our brain works has been extremely helpful. She has coached me and gave me tools to develop and help me when I run into problems. We have talked about multiple topics and she has found ways to help. How she is different from others is she will make you think and give your homework. She will make sure you are challenged and practice your tools to help develop your skills..."

Mike D.

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"Anna has been an amazing coach. She has given me the necessary tools to allow me to be mentally aware and be as present as possible in order to navigate any situation at hand. Her guidance in how to use these tools and how to navigate mental traps has been fundamental and have helped me reduce stress, approach life with a much simpler outlook, and balance my time in ways I was not able to do before. - Thank you so much, Anna. I was able to..."

Daniela M.

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"Anna is absolutely amazing at what she does. She has helped me to overcome some very difficult things in my life such as being my worst critic, help manage my anxiety/stress, and giving myself self love. I couldn’t be more grateful for my sessions with her. Dealing with such raw emotions and not having the tools to know how to handle them have been extremely difficult for me. She has changed my outlook on life, I would recommend her to..."

Alyssa K

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"Initially my goal was to improve Executive Presence under Pressure and I am really thankful that I got in touch with Anna. We have spoken at length at Thinking Traps, Opposite Reaction, Breathing techniques etc. etc. that have really helped me be more mindful, calm & composed. Anna is a great listener and asks very good questions which at-times makes me really & deeply think about the Why! Thank you Anna for your support on helping me improve..."

Siddharth S.

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""Anna was a wonderful coach - she provided me with tools that helped get my anxiety under control, manage my stress better, and practice mindfulness. Anna has a very thoughtful and caring approach and I found it very easy to communicate with her. She helped me realize that I was frequently falling into the catastrophizing "mental trap" and I am now better equipped to challenge that thinking trap and stop myself from catastrophizing, which has..."

Daniel S.

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"Anna is an incredible coach and has helped me tremendously on my wellness journey. She’s been able to help me work through my issues on a large and small scale by identifying the root cause and offering concrete solutions. I understand myself in a way I didn’t before, and I am eternally grateful for Anna because of it. I highly recommend working with her!"

Anonymous

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"Anna has been instrumental in providing me new tools to increase the effectiveness and impact of my communication both professionally and in my marriage. Anna coached me through various techniques to improve my perception of information presented to me while also improving my approach to connecting and delivering my message with maximum efficiency. All of Anna’s coaching has been backed with supplemental materials and role play scenarios..."

Matt H.

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"I have greatly appreciated my time with Anna! She exuded an amazing balance between care and constructive guidance. She met me right where I was at every point in time and did so without judgement or critique. She offered thoughtful advice founded in both personal experience and knowledge. Anna always made sure to communicate prior to our meetings what specifically I wanted to cover, which I always appreciated. "

Luke R.

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"Working with Anna has been so beneficial to my career development and personal life. Her approach to coaching, identification of areas that need to be worked on, and finding solutions to life's challenges is incredibly motivating to me. In addition, she is always sharing helpful resources that I can easily follow through. Her kindness and honesty during our sessions made our conversations feel very comfortable. Thank you, Anna! "

Patricia S.

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"I absolutely recommend Anna as a coach. She is gentle, intuitive, and intelligent. She debriefed my ELI assessment and did an amazing job understanding where I come from and helping me be go through my blocks with compassion. If you are looking to understand you fears and the things that are stopping you to do better at work and life in general, she is the right person! Her work is amazing! Thank you, Anna! "

Katherine M

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"Anna is an amazing coach. She is a great listener and provides useful feedback regarding my career struggles. She is also providing me with effective frameworks that I haven't used before. Which is key to my momentum. I'm making significant progress personally and professionally with Anna as my coach."

Anonymous

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