Molly Christiansen
Executive Coaching + Consulting for Social Impact
I am committed to building a more just future where all people can flourish. I work with leaders to connect to purpose, build new skills and practices, and move wisely through moments of growth and change. I support organizations to build cultures of belonging and to amplify impact for the people, communities, and systems they serve.
About Molly
I am an executive coach, strategic advisor and consultant. I approach my work with curiosity, compassion, deep care, and loads of practical experience.
I bring 20+ years building, leading and advising growing high-impact organizations. As the second employee of Living Goods, a global non-profit that strengthens community health systems across Africa, I served in various leadership roles as the organization grew to over $30M in revenue and improved the lives of over 5M people. I have also worked with Think of Us, Fistula Foundation, Acumen, IDEO.org, Vision Spring, and UCSF.
I am a certified Integral Coach through New Ventures West, and hold an MBA and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan and a BA from Brown University. I live in Berkeley, California with my husband and our three daughters. I am an avid trail runner, and love spending time outside with friends and family.
My Services
I work in a flexible way to meet your needs
Executive Coaching
I work with senior and emerging leaders as a coach to connect to purpose, build new skills and practices, and move wisely through times of growth and change. I listen deeply and support leaders to deepen self-awareness, build confidence, and strengthen their work relationally. This allows them to build trust across their teams and ultimately drive large-scale impact.
Advising + Thought Partnership
I am a thought partner, sounding board, and advisor, walking side by side with you as you move through uncertainty, manage stakeholders, develop new strategies, or make important decisions. I can provide feedback on strategy, plans or key deliverables and bring ideas and resources to challenges and opportunities.
Facilitation, Workshops, and Group Coaching
I facilitate team and leadership gatherings, design and deliver workshops and group coaching engagements to cultivate leadership skills, build trust, align people + purpose, and ultimately enhance team performance and impact.
Organizational Consulting
I leverage my years of strategic impact and organizational leadership experience to partner on projects including organizational strategy, program design, leadership development, impact measurement, evaluation + learning, growth planning and more.
Working with me as a Coach
I take a "whole-person" approach to coaching, supporting you across your life (professional + personal + everything in between). I meet you exactly as you are and support both the current practical challenges you are facing as well as the possibility for deeper development underneath.
Coaching partnerships are typically 6 months or longer. Engagements include an extended intake, a personalized coaching plan and regular sessions together. You are often invited into practices between sessions.
Questions you may be asking yourself as you seek out coaching:
- Where do I sense a developmental or learning edge?
- What might a “bigger” version of myself look like?
- What am I avoiding or shying away from that could use my attention?
- What might nourish my development and growth?
Outcomes you can experience from coaching:
- Showing up with more authentic presence and confidence
- Increased clarity about what is important and where to focus
- More ease relationally including in giving and receiving feedback
- More courage to take risks and step into new ways of serving and leading
Beliefs that infuse my work
Love is at the core
Love is in each of us. When we can fully see and express our flavor of love in the world, so much is possible.
We are whole
Each of us is an integrated whole. We have tremendous wisdom we can attune to in our minds, hearts and bodies.
We are always becoming
We are continuously evolving and becoming. The question is where we choose to focus our attention and energy. We are what we practice.
All we need is already inside us
We each have innate potential and capacity. We don't need to "fix" anything. We can open to what is already here to develop and thrive.
Coaching Testimonials
Molly has an incredible ability to both recognize and build on an individual's strengths while also challenging them to grow - understanding the profound effect this can have on an organization, team and mission.
Working with Molly helped me gain clarity on my values, motivations and how I engage as team leader. Most critically though, her coaching helped me reframe the way I think about different possibilities for my life and career by learning to tap into my own intuitions and inner wisdom - and how to put that into practice daily. The way Molly engaged with my whole self has opened up a different, authentic part of me at work, and I'm more proactive and aligned in pursuing what matters most to me.
I didn't expect to grow so quickly and so deeply. I can't recommend Molly highly enough!
-Meg, Manager at Social Impact Foundation
Molly is a powerful coach. I came to Molly during a challenging period with my company, and feeling some self-doubt. Molly listened deeply and created an environment where I felt comfortable sharing openly. I felt seen and understood with Molly. She helped me trust myself and my capacity as a human and leader. With her support, I was able to step into more strategic relationships with clients and to move through important but difficult staffing changes in our company with clarity and grace. I also experienced positive shifts in my health and well-being. I understand myself more deeply and have clarity around what supports me to show up most fully for life. I am so grateful for all Molly coached me through. I truly feel like a new person, but also more like myself than ever. I cannot recommend Molly more highly!
–Andrew, Founder + CEO, Non-Profit Consulting Firm
What I appreciated most about Molly’s coaching style was her ability to create a comfortable space for exploration and reflection. She encouraged me to embrace my curiosity and playfulness, allowing me to approach my current work with fresh eyes rather than relying solely on my previous experiences. This supportive environment has been invaluable, particularly in supporting me in navigating the challenge of slowing down. Molly helped me explore my tendency to rush transitions, prompting me to remain present and engaged in all the stages of my journey.
I am grateful for the insights and growth I’ve experienced through this coaching relationship, and I highly recommend Molly to anyone seeking meaningful development in their professional life.
-Jill, Interim Executive Director & Social Entrepreneur