Leadership & Performance Coaching
Before a big decision, an honest talk.
Leadership coaching for women at a turning point: a new role, a difficult boss, a business of your own, or a decision you keep coming back to.
Brenda Raffaelli, ICF ACCSan Francisco and onlineEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian
- ICFAssociate Certified Coach (ACC)
- Brown UniversityACT Leadership & Performance Coaching
- Harvard Medical SchoolLifestyle Medicine & Wellness Coaching
- Sorbonne UniversitéMaster’s in International Relations & Economics
You’ve done the work.
You’re capable, thoughtful and successful. You’ve read the books and you understand the concepts.
And still, it’s hard to see a situation clearly when you’re the one living it.
Coaching gives you a confidential place to think out loud, question your assumptions, and decide what to do next, with someone whose only stake is your outcome.
Who I work with
Women leaders, executives and accomplished professionals who have already invested in their own growth and are at a decision point. Usually it’s one of these:
A career change.
You’re weighing a move, or wondering whether the next step is really the right one.
A difficult boss or situation.
Something at work is costing you more than it should, and you’re tired of carrying it home.
A business of your own.
You’re launching or growing something, and you keep getting in your own way.
A bigger role.
You’ve stepped up, and you want to lead the way you intend to, not the way the pressure pulls you.
How I work
I don’t give advice. I ask questions, listen closely, and help you notice what you already know, including what your body is telling you, not only your thinking.
Each session ends with a next step you chose. Over time, that adds up to a decision you trust and a plan you’ll actually follow.
What clients take away
- Decisions they trust
- A concrete plan for what comes next
- Steadiness under pressure
- Freedom from what was never theirs to carry
- Words for patterns they had never named
Meet Brenda
I’m Brenda Raffaelli. My background is in international relations, diplomacy, education and cross-cultural communication, and I’ve lived, studied and worked across several countries and cultures. I know from experience what transitions, reinvention and a change of context ask of a person.
I’m an ICF Associate Certified Coach, trained in Leadership & Performance Coaching at Brown University, and I hold a master’s in International Relations and Economics from Sorbonne Université. I coach in English, Spanish, French and Italian.
What clients say
“Not to be fixed, but to be seen clearly.”
What set her apart was her somatic approach. She would pause our conversation mid-sentence and invite me to locate what I was feeling in my body rather than just talk around it. It sounds simple, but it was quietly revelatory. She helped me notice patterns I had never put words to, and that awareness made a real difference in how I showed up at work.
Read moreShow less from Adrienne F.
I came to Brenda during a professional transition that carried more weight than I expected, years of accumulated change that I was still processing while trying to show up fully in a new role.
What set her apart was her somatic approach. She would pause our conversation mid-sentence and invite me to locate what I was feeling in my body rather than just talk around it. It sounds simple, but it was quietly revelatory.
She helped me notice patterns I had never put words to, and that awareness made a real difference in how I showed up at work.
Brenda is warm, grounded, and wholly non-judgmental. For me, she was exactly the steady presence I needed not to be fixed, but to be seen clearly.
I’d recommend her without hesitation to anyone navigating a demanding season of life who could use a confidential space to think out loud with someone who is genuinely paying attention.
“She is results-oriented while also deeply caring and warm.”
Because of Brenda’s coaching, I was able to move past the mental blocks that were holding me back in my new business and start moving forward with confidence. […] Her unique blend of directness and optimism helped me see beyond the places where I was getting stuck in my own head.
“…learned to let go of what wasn’t mine to carry.”
Working with Brenda helped me navigate a difficult situation with a challenging boss. […] I feel calmer, more resilient, and better equipped to handle difficult situations without absorbing the emotional burden of others.
Read moreShow less from Diana G.
Working with Brenda helped me navigate a difficult situation with a challenging boss. While I understood intellectually that the situation wasn’t about me, I was still carrying the stress and emotional impact of it.
Through our work together, I gained perspective, stayed grounded, and learned to let go of what wasn’t mine to carry. I feel calmer, more resilient, and better equipped to handle difficult situations without absorbing the emotional burden of others.
Brenda brings a rare combination of compassion, insight, and warmth. I highly recommend working with her.
“Our conversations left me with a clearer sense of direction and a lighter, more grounded perspective.”
Brenda created a warm, relaxed space where I felt like I was talking to an old friend, while still keeping me focused on what mattered most to me as a leader. Through simple, thoughtful questions, she made it easy to reflect on my roles and my growth.
How it works
A free introductory conversation.
30 minutes by video or phone. You tell me what’s going on, ask anything you like, and we see whether working together makes sense.
A rhythm that fits.
One, two or three 60-minute sessions a month, with short check-ins by email or voice note in between.
The work.
By video, by phone or in person in San Francisco, in the language you choose.
You’ve come this far. What’s next?
If you’re facing a decision, a transition or a situation you can’t quite see around, I’d be glad to hear about it. The first conversation is free, and there’s no obligation.
30 minutes, free, by video or phone