Susan McLean Begalka

Consultant

Meet Susan McLean Begalka

As an executive leadership coach, consultant, and facilitator, Susan specializes in empowering leaders and organizations to thrive through increasing self-awareness, improving emotional intelligence, and focusing on individual and teams’ strengths-based development. With hundreds of hours of coaching and facilitation experience, she partners with clients to unlock their leadership potential, deepen their impact, and foster cultures of trust, resilience, and engagement.

Susan delivers tailored coaching and workshops that help leaders lead more consciously and teams collaborate more effectively. Her facilitation, coaching, and consulting focus on building high-trust, inclusive environments where people feel valued and equipped to do their best work. Whether guiding senior executives through transformation or helping emerging leaders grow into their roles, Susan designs programs that drive real-world results such as increased employee engagement and productivity, greater collaboration, and reduced conflict all of which have a bottom-line impact on business outcomes.

Susan is deeply committed to developing self-aware, others-focused leaders who know their strengths—and how to bring out the best in others. This kind of leadership not only improves individual performance, but also enhances employee well-being, team cohesion, and overall organizational health. With certifications in the Hogan Assessment suite, CliftonStrengths®, DiSC, EQi2.0, 5 Behaviors of a Team, leadership psychology, applied neuroscience, resilience, positive psychology, and systemic team coaching, I bring a holistic and practical lens to every engagement.

MEMBERSHIPS & CERTIFICATIONS

Certifications: 

  • International Coaching Federation Credentialed Coach (ACC)

  • Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach

  • Certification in Applied Positive Psychology, The Flourishing Center

  • Certification in Positive Psychology Consulting, The Flourishing Center

  • Bounce Back Better Resilience Trainer, The Flourishing Center

  • True Colors® Administrator

  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)

  • Emotional Intelligence (EQi 2.0®), OKA Associates

  • Benchmarks 360 Administrator, Center for Creative Leadership

  • Hogan Assessments

Memberships:

  • International Coaching Federation

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

  • Cornell, Certificate in Leadership Psychology

Certified Facilitator

  • Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach

  • True Colors® Administrator

  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)

  • Emotional Intelligence (EQi 2.0®)

  • Benchmarks 360 Administrator

Relevant Experience

  • Executive Coach and Facilitator, US Federal government

  • Founder, SkyLimit Coaching, LLC

  • Founder, Copperline Group

  • Coached an economist to achieve a promotion to a  new position and to then get into the law school of her choice. She is currently in law school part time and is thriving in her new position.

  • Coached an attorney to get clarity around her job goals and to achieve a promotion to her next pay grade. This included coaching her to create a networking plan and a strategic plan. Within six months of coaching, she had achieved her goal.

  • Coached a human resources leader who had taken over a very disengaged team. Her openness to leaning into her strengths and her desire to know the strengths of each of her teammates has led to a team that is now engaged and thriving.

  • Coached an engineer who was having challenges with his manager who had a very different management style. This coaching led to his increased understanding of the uniqueness of people with whom he worked and the need to bring more than just data to his relationships.

  • Coached an aspiring C-Suite leader through her job search and subsequent interviews. She has just been hired into a C-Suite job with an international company.

  • Coached a non-profit CEO (who was promoted internally) on how to improve relationships with and between organizational leaders. The leadership team reports improved organizational culture and collaboration.

  • Coached an organization’s Chief of Staff (an attorney) on how to create and implement a strength-based culture strategic plan.

  • Coached a 20-year attorney who wanted clarity around his next career move and needed help deciding whether to leave government service. He is now happily employed with a law firm and is flourishing.

 ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS + RESEARCH