Elevate Your Success with Our Expert Coaches and Their Special Formula for Success
Meet our team of highly skilled executive coaches, each armed with a wealth of business experience and a secret sauce that sets them apart. They've walked in your shoes, tackled high-stakes decisions, and mastered the art of navigating complex business landscapes. This real-world experience, combined with their exceptional coaching skills, means they truly get you and your challenges.
Our coaches are not just advisors; they’re your partners in success, ready to sprinkle their secret sauce of wisdom and insights to help you achieve transformative results. With their unique blend of business acumen and coaching excellence, they’ll empower you to unlock your full potential and reach new heights.
Join us and discover the magic of working with coaches who understand your journey and are committed to helping you thrive!
Kim Svoboda
FOUNDER, CEO, & HEAD EXECUTIVE COACH
Kim is the founder/CEO of Aspiration Catalyst®. She has forged partnerships with top companies worldwide, empowering them to nurture bold leaders and cultivate high-performing teams.
Her commitment to community extends further as she serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the BBB of Chicago, exemplifying her dedication to ethical business practices.
Kim’s remarkable journey spanning a quarter of a century reflects the true spirit of American entrepreneurship. She has deftly nurtured businesses to thrive, transforming them from mere ideas to multimillion-dollar successes. Kim held executive positions with profit and loss responsibilities, reaching $1B at technology giants like Adobe, CDW, Insight Enterprises, and US Cellular. Kim's expertise spans crucial domains, including sales, strategy development & execution, the art of scaling businesses, orchestrating high-performance teams, and leading with a profound commitment to people-centered principles.
Clients of Aspiration Catalyst consistently achieve remarkable results, not only in driving sales and profit but also in fostering high employee engagement and reducing turnover. These outcomes are a testament to the transformative impact of Aspiration Catalyst's approach to leadership and team development.
coaching style
Strategic, High Accountability, Competitive and Empowering
strengths
Communication, Strategic, Woo, Positivity, Input, Ideation, Activator, Maximizer, Empathy, Individualization
Jose Valcarcel
EXECUTIVE COACH
Jose specializes in executive coaching, leadership, high-performance teams, and Human Resources. He collaborates closely with clients to help them transform.
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With over two decades in corporate HRD/HR roles at renowned companies like ERICSSON, SEAGRAMS, BP, and INDRA, this professional brings extensive experience to the table. As an entrepreneur, he has successfully managed real estate and natural stone businesses with operations in Spain and China.
coaching style
Supportive & Thoughtful, Strategic, Entrepreneurial, Accountable
Strengths
Achiever, Woo, Positivity, Individualization, Strategic
Kristen O’Shea
EXECUTIVE COACH
Kristen has become a leading advocate for embracing individual strengths, discovered through the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment. She now empowers individuals and teams across various sectors to leverage their strengths through personalized coaching sessions and team workshops, keynotes, and development programs, positively impacting thousands.
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Kristen has held leadership roles in various organizations, including Executive Director of the quality-of-life division for the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and managing membership for LeadingAge Kansas. In 2020, she made history as the youngest woman ever elected as a Kansas State Senator. Kristen is also a renowned speaker, has served on the Board of Trustees for the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, and has been featured in numerous print and TV media outlets.
coaching style
Discerning, Personal Responsibility, Purposeful, Clarity Creation, Outcome-focused
Strengths
Discipline, Harmony, Individualization, Responsibility, Deliberative
Angela Steel
EXECUTIVE COACH
Angela transforms and accelerates performance in leaders and teams through Strengths-based coaching, and specializes in working with global and US-based pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and consulting companies.
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Angela, with over 25 years at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in pharmaceutical research and development is the foundation of her extensive experience in leading global teams to launch new medicines demonstrates her strategic planning, project management, and innovation skills, directly applicable to today's leadership challenges.
coaching style
Collaborative, Creative, Trust and rapport building, Action orientated
Strengths
Woo, Positivity, Developer, Empathy, Connectedness
Phil Gafka
EXECUTIVE COACH
Phil is results-driven executive coach with extensive experience in executive coaching, leadership development, strategic business planning, financial management, and team building, committed to outstanding customer service. Dedicated to developing top leaders and producers who cultivate a results-oriented culture, excelling in both established and start-up enterprises.
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Phil, a Certified Business Coach and industry-leading executive coach, brings over four decades of successful leadership experience and strategic thinking to his clients. In the early 2000s, after 30 years in corporate roles—including starting in sales and working his way up to President—Phil pondered new career possibilities following a sudden company sale that ended his tenure at the Viking Range distributorship in the Midwest.
coaching style
Direct, Supportive, Challenging, Goal-oriented, Results driven
Strengths
Maximizer, Arranger, Strategic, Input, Self-Assurance
Maggie Meylor
Business COACH
Maggie, certified as a professional life coach by the Professional Christian Coaching Institute and a Clifton Strengths Champion, ICF Associate Certified Coach, and is currently pursuing he Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach credentials. As a facilitator for the e2grow program and an expert in implementing systems like EOS, she optimizes business operations and helps teams enhance performance, particularly focusing on emerging leaders.
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With over two decades of experience in hospitality, medical, and administration sectors, Maggie has a proven track record of implementing best practices in corporate environments. Her extensive background and expertise enable her to empower teams to achieve peak performance.
coaching style
Positive, Empowering, Challenging, Strategic
Strengths
Positivity, Includer, Harmony, Communication, Responsibility
Mark Irvin
Senior coach and Consultant
Mark has decades of leadership experience in management and coaching across global organizations and the non-profit sector. He specializes in individual and organizational development, as well as in establishing and executing strategic direction.
With over 30 years in the tech industry/telecom sector and with 25 of those years in mid and upper management, Mark understands the issues facing people and organizations who feel the constant weight of change and reinvention. He has experience in product development, owning profit and loss, and leading through mergers and acquisitions. Mark has spent over a decade helping people thrive mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. He has coached people from surgeons and doctors, to CEOs, to C-suite leaders, to non-profit leaders. He has consulted with several small businesses. The blend of these experiences, along with his strategic bent, allows Mark to work with the whole person or organization in achieving transformation.
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Mark has an innate curiosity to learn what drives people and teams and to understand the unique aspects of a specific organization or role. His constant pursuit towards a standard of excellence, and his easy to connect with and engaging communication style have been the foundation of meaningful client relationships.
Mark believes that everyone has something to offer and desires to help individuals and organizations reach their full potential. When leaders improve, everyone benefits.
coaching style
Discerning, Curious/Observant, Supportive, Action-focused
Strengths
Strategic, Individualization, Connectedness, Learner, Maximizer