What clients are saying about Irene Leonard

"Irene is incredibly easy to work with. She approaches each client and their business individually. There is no one-size-fits-all approach with Irene. She listens and then tailors recommendations for each client. Her knowledgeable, creative encouragement is a must for new and experienced business owners alike."

Catherine Needles-Sharpley
Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney Seattle, WA

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"Irene's coaching is insightful, incisive, and extremely helpful. She quickly gets to the heart of the matter in a manner that is energizing and productive."

Amy Stephson
Employment Attorney and Workplace Coach

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"Thanks for your ongoing support and assistance. I appreciate your time and interest in my progress and development. The process of growth and change is an interesting one. At times very slow, other times quite dramatic. I am moving forward and continuing to see real growth in both my professional and personal development. I wish you every success."

Senior Counsel
National Law Firm

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"Your coaching has made a massive difference in the way I see my worth to clients. Thanks to you and our work together, I've hit professional and financial goals that once seemed out of reach. Imagine - paying off one's student loans in two years rather than in the nine left on my payment plan. A real achievement!"

Michelle
Seattle attorney

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"Irene's expertise with simple yet powerful questions always brings clarity and focus to my thinking. It may be unusual for others, but I consistently have an "ah ha" moment in my calls with Irene. Just as important, she truly believes in my best self and helps me bring that forth even more. I am addicted to the effectiveness of this process. All lawyers should be so lucky as to have a coach as excellent as Irene."

Elizabeth Jolliffe, J.D.

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"I just had to say a special 'thank you' for the coaching over the last few months. The changes I have made as a result of the coaching have brought peace into my daily life and allowed me to creatively express myself again in my work, with my clients and with my staff.

"For the first time in five years, I am taking a real one week vacation – no work! With the new rates in place, I will be fine financially. With my better managed schedule, work will be busy before and after, but it is manageable and reasonable. With my self-care in place, I am not heading into vacation completely exhausted. Woo Hoo!

"The best part of this entire experience is how I feel about me – I am delighted with living my own dream and energized by how I feel inside of me!"

Wilka Michaelson
Michaelson Consulting

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"What I liked most about Irene is her passion for her work and the obvious care she has for her clients. She listens and pays attention to who you are as an individual and caters her coaching to fit your specific needs. Her skills in coaching helped keep me on track and focused on my goals. She also helped me face realities that I sometimes wanted to ignore, and I was clearly better off for facing them straight on. Her consistent 'can do' attitude and encouragement were invaluable to my success. I wholeheartedly recommend Irene to anyone in transition, considering making a transition or just trying to grow or improve any situation, personally or professionally."

Siri Quigley
Seattle attorney in transition

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"Irene, I just want to thank you for all your help, guidance and encouragement that you give me week after week. Today I had a big federal court oral argument and for the first time ever I walked into a federal courthouse wearing a size 6 suit!! My admission to the federal court was just after my daughter was born and that suit was a size 14. Thank you for your role in helping me to achieve this goal. It has made a big difference to me in the big picture. I argued like I felt; and I felt great!!"

Marianne Jones
Jones Law Group
Bellevue, WA

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"Working with Irene has helped me bring out the best in my practice and focus on the work I love to do most. In the process, I’ve learned to serve my clients better, gained insight into my business, and improved my bottom line.”

John DeForest
DeForest Architects
Seattle, WA

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"When initially embarking on my law career, my first thought was to find a Career Coach to help me in this daunting endeavor. My extensive search came to an end the moment I spoke with Irene. Being a former attorney gives Irene an advantage over most professionals in her industry because she intimately understands the legal world. She is able to readily connect on a personal level as well, and was a pleasure to work with. After every session I was armed with a definite path to reach my goals, and felt better for having talked with her. Irene made me think, then stop to look at my life from a different angle—my view of the world was always clearer after every session. She was not afraid to give an honest opinion, and always helped me find more than one way to turn a negative into a positive. Irene did not stop at employment counseling however; her analysis covered all aspects of my life and made me accountable for changes I wished to make in my personal life as well.

Irene taught me to aim high and find the job I deserve. She taught me how to balance my personal life with my professional world. Most importantly, Irene always put things into perspective for me. She is, without a doubt, worth her weight in gold!

I can enthusiastically recommend Irene Leonard to anybody seeking a better professional and personal life!"

Renee Parker
Law Clerk Greater San Diego, CA

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"I have greatly enjoyed, and also benefited from, my coaching relationship with Irene Leonard. Her creativity, resourcefulness and advocacy on my behalf has been a tremendous boost to my law practice. I am earning more money, taking more vacation, and enjoying my practice more than I ever have!"

Stacey Romberg
Attorney at Law
Seattle WA

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"I am a senior lawyer with a very busy general solicitor's practice in my own firm. I have retained Irene to coach me for law practice management and staffing issues on a couple of occasions over the last eight years. While the results in a couple of cases were dramatically different from what I originally expected, I was satisfied with the outcome. I might have come to the same conclusions on my own, but I am convinced that, without Irene's guidance, it would have taken me much longer and I would have paid out or lost a great deal more money in the interval. Irene provided tremendous assistance and encouragement to me, leaving me more confident in the outcomes."

Rosalyn Manthorpe
Senior Lawyer
Surrey, British Columbia

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"I have worked with Irene for over 4 years and continue to gain insights and move forward toward my goals with every call. Recently, while working with her I was able to gather steam on a project that had been hanging over my head for many years. The exhibition and party came together quite easily once I found the inspiration and worked through my anxieties with Irene's guidance. Thanks Irene!"

Paul Di Vito
Marketing Consultant
Washington DC

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"If you are starting a new phase in your personal life or practice, I highly recommend utilizing Irene Leonard as your professional coach. She helped me evaluate what was working and what was not working in my practice. She helped me develop a plan that I could achieve, and she kept me accountable for accomplishing the changes. Because she is a lawyer, she understands that industry and the ebbs and flows of a legal practice. She helped me go to the next level.

"If your hesitation is about giving up time out of your already crammed schedule that is all the more reason to hire her – with a little help from Irene in the time management arena you will have MORE time, not less."

Louise S. Tieman
Executive Vice President & CFO
Puget Sound Area

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"Thank you for working with me over the past year. Through our work I feel that I can be successful as I start a new business, become a mom, and continue practicing law part-time. By working with you I now have access to more skills and tools to handle the types of anxieties, tough decisions, and internal and external forces that made me feel stuck at this time last year. With these skills and tools I am confident I’ll be able to handle challenges and opportunities that arise in the future."

Mona McPhee
Attorney
Seattle, WA

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"I enjoyed working with Irene to examine the challenges of meeting obligations at work, at home, to friends and extended family, and to myself. I took away some new tools for tackling problems, which I intend to keep using."

Michael McGinn
Attorney
Seattle, WA

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"Irene Leonard is a coach for lawyers getting started in practice. My impression is that she coaches many lady lawyers, who are starting their practice, and a few guys like me. My point of view is that her fees pay for themselves many times over and in a very short period of time. I like her law practice tips, but her one on one coaching is much better. You may wish to call her, or send her an email, for some first class help."

George Conner
Attorney at Law
Tyler, Texas

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"Once I decided it was time to make a job change, I committed to myself to make sure I found an opportunity best suited for me. Irene took the time to learn about me and help identify my values, interests and skills. With these clearly established, she was there every week for me to discuss my progress, learn from my new discoveries (both about the job search and about myself), and apply them going forward. The result was a new job in an industry I am passionate about, a role that utilizes my skills and a company that shares my values. A very gratifying experience for me. I am really enjoying my work here and look forward to coming to work every day."

Dan Whitaker
Operating Officer
Panattoni Development Company

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"The business results and the enjoyment of my law practice have improved greatly as a result of your coaching – just wanted to let you know that your encouragement, insights and practical tips played a big role in my decision to go after this major case and in how I have managed my practice to do my best for the client."

Keith Moxon
Partner, Seattle, WA

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"As an associate attorney in my 30's living on a tight budget in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was not an easy decision for me reach into my own pocket and come up with the funds to hire Irene. Six months later, the investment has paid off big time – as I was just made a partner in my law firm.

Since Irene herself was a principal in a law firm, she is the ideal coach to help an associate evaluate whether he or she wants to become a partner in a law firm and then develop the plan to attain that goal. As a bonus, Irene has good insights into male/female relationships so I was able to work on "balancing my life" away from work too.

I will continue to keep Irene as a coach to help me meet the new challenges of partnership."

Todd A. Goluba
Partner, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, Pleasanton, CA

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"Working with Irene has been a catalyst for personal growth as well as for our business. Her insight, intelligence and positive attitude have helped us handle specific challenges like marketing, personnel, and ownership transition. At the same time, Irene has helped me clarify my personal strengths and values and challenged me to align what I do with what I love."

John DeForest
Architect, Seattle, WA

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"I knew I didn't want to continue doing commercial law at a large law firm, but it wasn't clear to me what I wanted to do instead. Irene helped me discern my next steps, and I've now opened my own law and mediation firm."

Lori K. Rath
Mediator and Attorney, Seattle, WA

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"Working with Irene has been both challenging and exciting. Together we have built upon what I know and how I learn. Not only does Irene listen but she really pays attention. I have appreciated her honesty and candor.

Through this process I have discovered an application far beyond my original intention in working with a coach. Irene's coaching has expanded my perspective - of myself and the world - and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life."

Andrea Dahl
Writer, Photographer, Attorney

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"I have continued to work with Ms. Leonard since opening my office on September 15, 2003, and consider her an integral part of my practice and my success. Our coaching sessions invariably give me a calming sense of perspective, allow me to generate new solutions and strategies, and encourage me to question any limiting beliefs. She has encouraged my own self-discovery and holds me accountable for my goals and clarifying what I wish to achieve. I have benefited tremendously from her experience and from her skill as a coach."

Sarah Weaver
Attorney at Law, Seattle, WA

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"Irene's talent as a coach has helped me discover my own strengths in practice development. As a lawyer, Irene already had a jump start in fully understanding my professional life. She is fluent in the language of "value proposition" and has helped me create a much more rewarding, focused law practice."

Richard C. Bruder
Senior partner in a midsized, Midwestern law firm

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"I began work with Irene when I first opened my law practice and I lacked all experience as a practicing attorney. Irene's encouragement and support, as well as her willingness to stick with me during my intense periods of resistance, have been instrumental in the success of my practice. I truly believe I couldn't have made it this far, feeling so successful, without Irene's incredible coaching abilities."

Kathy L Marshall
Attorney at Law

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"Irene,

It has been such a valuable experience for me, both personally and professionally, to experience your unique and effective coaching service. I found your ideas would shift my thinking outside of the box, and help identify creative solutions myself in an empowering way. Being able to turn to you each week has provided me with a perspective that encouraged discipline, self-respect, responsibility and inner strength to know how to handle the inevitable problems that come with owning a small business. You have been like a solution-oriented Board of Directors for me at a fraction of the cost.

"Thank you for your valuable support these past months. I will continue to implement your techniques and ideas long into the future."

Barbara Moss
Moss and Company Executive Search

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"I really benefit from knowing that our convenient weekly phone call is scheduled as a "standing meeting," and that I'll come out of the discussion with very concrete goals for the coming week and can use Irene to keep myself accountable for making real progress each week. She doesn't miss a thing when it comes to continuity of direction and goals. She calls my bluff, pulls no punches, and is very frank and quick." 2002

Alex Jordan
University of Washington

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"The wonderful thing about working with Irene is that the value keeps accruing long after the work is done." 2004

Alex Jordan
University of Washington

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"Irene has been such a tremendous help to me as I decided to make a huge change in my life and leave a career that was very successful ... but one that really was not a great fit for me. She has helped me identify my personal values and priorities, and her perceptive guidance and great reading suggestions have brought me to a new point in my life - a much happier one. Thanks, Irene!"

Phil, former executive, America Online, Inc

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"Making the decision and then working with Irene has made a substantial and positive difference in my professional and personal life."

Robert A. Zielke
Counselor at Law Seattle, WA

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"Some lawyers have studied motivation, know what their mission in the law is, and go to the office every day eager to meet their career goals and aspirations. Most of us would benefit from the professional services of a personal coach, who is a lawyer. We would benefit from someone who has a breadth of experience setting your personal chemistry just right for maximum performance and satisfaction. Irene Leonard will study your practice, help you find your motivational engine and help you point your career towards greater effectiveness, income and satisfaction. In most of our practices, even a few percentage points of improved performance translates into substantial gains in income and success. Irene helped me achieve substantial performance improvements with commensurate personal and professional success. She can help you get there."

David Reed
Attorney at Law Bellevue, Washington

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"I started consulting with Irene Leonard 3 years ago. My law practice had become somewhat stagnant and I was not really enjoying what I was doing. With Irene's assistance, I have been able to establish a more focused practice, which is now thriving. I look forward to coming to the office each day and am enjoying life more than ever."

David R. Meyer
Attorney at Law

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"Thank you for being both an outstanding, insightful coach and an excellent role model as I continue my journey to becoming a professional coach with a thriving practice. I appreciate the manner in which you masterfully demonstrate the art and techniques of coaching in every session. I am inspired by your example that it is possible to make a living doing something that we both so clearly love... coaching.

Your high level of professionalism, your commitment to coaching and to your clients make it a pleasure to refer other coaches and aspiring coaches to you. Your dedication to learning and your generosity for sharing and supporting growth ensure that your clients benefit. I look forward to our on-going coaching relationship as I take my life and my business towards their full promise and potential."

Heather Bolton
Professional Coach

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"Irene's coaching has re-tooled my thinking towards the practice of law to the point that I love, not loathe what I'm doing. I relish our weekly coaching sessions. They serve as an empathic, non-judgmental environment in which I can freely verbalize my fears, frustrations and accomplishments.

I initially asked Irene to help me market my new practice. With her guidance, marketing has simply become part of who I am and what I do in my practice, and our weekly sessions quickly moved to cover new ground. I have come to find Irene's coaching an indispensable part of my practice. I would highly recommend coaching as a practice tool, and Irene as a coach."

Simon Paul Brownlie
Business Attorney

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"My sessions with Irene have improved my marketing skills dramatically by teaching me to treat every client interaction as a marketing opportunity and to create additional marketing opportunities that do not necessarily involve "traditional" marketing events."

Law Firm Partner
Seattle, Washington

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"I am an attorney in Bellevue, WA. My situation at times can get a little confusing regarding the different priorities we all have to deal with in our roles as attorneys and business people. Irene was immediately tuned to the types of issues that affect the career of attorneys since she herself was a practicing lawyer. She was able to help sort out the internal conflicts that we all deal with and helped me gain focus. She facilitated the process of understanding my individual values and core beliefs. This was the key to beginning to understand where I needed to go and what options I had for getting there. The concept of a career coach was new to me, but once we started working together it became clear that the benefits would be great."

Don O. Del Rio
Attorney at Law
Bellevue, Washington

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"Through my work with Irene, I have developed techniques that help me more effectively set expectations and to deliver feedback; I have increased my awareness of and ability to recognize opportunities to practice new behaviors I am learning. Irene has been particularly supportive by keeping track and reminding me of my successes; this helps me take the next steps with more courage.

"The opportunity to think out loud with her helps me gain clarity about particular problems or issues and to develop strategies to move forward. Irene asks challenging questions and encourages me to take risks and at the same time is very helpful and supportive."

Betty A. Wiese
Environmental Protection Agency
Seattle, Washington

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"You helped me examine many possibilities and to accomplish much during my year-long transition from one profession to another. Thank you for being there, for supporting me, and challenging me to do my best."

Barbara M. Walker
Executive Coach

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"Your encouragement and support have given me the confidence to move to the next place. Your intuitive and grace-filled approach have helped in ways I didn't imagine were possible."

John Battin
Principal Administrator

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"I have found working with Irene to be invaluable. I have doubled and quadrupled my efforts to get my business objectives met and not at the expense of my other life areas but have also enhanced the rest of my life."

Kathy Shea RN, DCH
Business Owner

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"You've also been a great sounding board, Irene. The old adage that two heads are better than one has lot of substance .... You've helped me think through critical issues that have a major impact on my professional success and personal life."

Gregg W. Arnold
President, Rainmaker Marketing, Inc.

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"I found the coaching process with Irene ... helped me to explore, determine, and actualize many personal and professional commitments. I strongly recommend coaching - especially for people eager to evolve to a higher level of personal and professional satisfaction."

Christine Foster
Attorney. Foster Law Office

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"Since my relationship with Irene the things I've only dreamt about are coming to me, and much faster than I ever dreamt they would!"

Connie Wing
Commercial Leasing Manager

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"As my coach, Irene has done a tremendous job in helping realign my personal life by being a resourceful sounding board and an action-taking catalyst. Her approach is straightforward and goal-oriented. where results are easily measurable."

Paul Mar
Director of Community Services, Edmonds

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"Working with Irene has inspired me to think bigger, do more and really accept my power, all of which has made my life richer and more fulfilling."

Juhree Zimmerman
Personal Coach

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"Being in business for yourself takes an enormous amount of time and effort to be successful. If you are like me you are so busy tending to everyday business it is hard to stay focused on how or what you can do to make your business more profitable. Working with Irene has been very beneficial to my business. Irene has helped me stay focused on growing my business by working smarter not harder.... Do you and your business a favor by calling Irene today. I believe you will be pleased with the results. I am!"

Dewey Farmer
President of Dewey's Auto Salon

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"Irene was great at organizing my strengths and weaknesses in a way that allowed me to celebrate my strengths and tackle my weaknesses."

Melanie Corey-Ferrini
Architect

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"...As you know we have been going through some major restructuring in our office. It has been a great help to me personally to have Irene's objective ear, creativity and insight during this time of change. With Irene's assistance I have identified a role for myself within our new organization that promises to be both challenging and rewarding. She also assisted me with ideas to help my employees see our organizational changes in a more positive light."

Gay MacGregor,
Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Environmental Protection Agency

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"The workshop for my district Managers was fabulous. Everyone says that they want to do this again, and I think that the repetitiveness of it is very, very helpful and effective. Your skills really shine and I think you are making a very big difference for them. The things they're getting out of this are skills they can take with them throughout the rest of their work life – and they are really lucky."

Roberta Fuhr
Senior Vice President, Key Bank

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"Irene really is insightful and a good mediator. She offers a really good forum for us to meet weekly to discuss short & long term goals. I find that I hear things from Jim that I didn't know he was thinking.
It's an organized weekly phone call ... geared toward corporate direction and individual leadership growth. Irene ... draws the answer and direction out of each client and helps them move themselves forward. The weekly consistency really drives the process forward effectively."

Paul Townsend
President, Old Mission Designs, Inc.

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"You played a large part in helping us to achieve our goals. You were able to maintain some degree of order while allowing all the participants to contribute in a way in which they felt recognized and their input valued.... Your perseverance would not allow us to rest on our insights. We appreciate your gentle insistence on our devising a concrete plan of action."

Deborah Daoust
First Vice President of the Allied Arts of Seattle

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"The tools that Irene shared with our management group during a business planning session enabled us to quickly identify core areas of focus. She also provided very simple ways for us to continue growth and accountability of our services."

Connie Wing
Commercial Leasing Manager of Collier's International

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"I like the methods you use to keep everyone involved in the discussion. I learned from observing your good listening and communication skills."

David Johnston
Attorney at Law, Bellevue, WA

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"I enjoyed your presentation last evening and took the opportunity to discuss its content with my staff this morning. Now that we have identified a possible underlying reason, I am hopeful that we will work toward achieving the solution. I appreciate you providing the catalyst for the discussion!"

Michael Harrington
General Counsel

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"I wish a teleclass like this had been available when I started my law practice over twenty years ago. It's like having a support group for lawyers."

Bonita Yoder
Attorney

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"A belated thank-you for the great job you did hosting and leading the ethics CLE. I expected to be bored but instead was treated to a lively and intelligent discussion. When you plan another one, let me know!"

Florine Gingerich
Attorney

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"So often in the practice of law lawyers only focus on the next file pressing on their desks. No wonder depression and a lack of fulfillment are quite common in the legal community. Ms. Leonard's program provides a process for identifying one's goals in a legal practice and how best to enjoy the journey towards those goals. A very worthwhile program!"

Patrick Julian, B.C., Canada
Law Firm Partner & Lawyer

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"I was skeptical (a valuable trait of a good lawyer), but I wanted to attend the meeting and hear your presentation. I must say that you impressed me with your presentation and the way you handled questions and challenges."

Harley D. Sinclair
Business Lawyer, Godinho, Sinclair

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"I took the scary step of being the 'guinea person'. I was a little nervous, but you made me feel comfortable . . . . In short, I found the session to be of value."

Rosalyn D. Manthorpe
Lawyer, Manthorpe Law Offices

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"As a presenter, Ms. Leonard was terrific. It is easy to see how beneficial she could be to someone's career as a personal coach."

Allan Kates
Lawyer, Peterson Stark & Fowler

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"The CLE Irene sponsored on legal ethics was excellent. The discussion format made the subject so interesting and enlightening, the time went too fast."

Richard Cole
Attorney

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"I really enjoyed the opportunity to listen and share thoughts at this ethics CLE. It was terrific and I would do it again - in fact, it might be something to do on an annual basis."

Tom Overcast
Attorney

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"Irene utterly brought light to the whole room with her vitality and her concepts that touched us all.

"Whether you are facing mundane or earthshaking issues in your life, as a coach, I believe that Irene can help you find your own solutions, the right ones."

Don Zarlengo
Vice President of Information Technology and Telecommunications
Edmonds Community College

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"I . . . thank you for your highly motivational and inspirational presentation that I attended recently. I was able to use your ideas and suggestions when I returned to the office and participated in a planning session with my staff."

Patrick Shields
President, NPI, Inc.

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"Your delivery in terms we could all understand got our undivided attention from the beginning. The upbeat presentation . . . your drive and integrity contributed a great deal to this event."

Chris Guitton
Operations Manager, QRC

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"My personal thanks for the coaching you have provided for our company.

In the very short period of two months, you were able to facilitate our management group by teaching them to examine their strengths and weaknesses and set measurable goals for their future.

Some of the specifics include:

• Increasing their awareness of their own behavior instead of pointing fingers at each other.
• Instilling discipline and timeliness in those who lacked these skills.
• Guiding those who felt inferior and unsure of themselves.
• Creating awareness in those who were intimidating and highly assertive.
• Helping them set up a continuing plan for conflict resolution.

It has been a great pleasure working wit you and, again, I want to thank you for the skills you have taught our management group."

Donna Lane,
HR Manager
K & N Meats

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