Testimonials
“Ariana just concluded a terrific two-day staff retreat for the team at FMC (The Former Members of Congress Association). It was a great mix between fun relationship-building exercises and a deep dive on how each staff member identified with our organization’s mission and vision. She also walked us through the DiSC assessment and really connected the dots for us when it comes to communication, collaboration, and project management. It was an excellent experience that would not have been half as productive had someone other than Ariana guided us through the process.”
Peter Weichlein, CEO, U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress
“Ariana coached me at a pivotal time during the COVID19 pandemic. Our sessions together provided much needed clarity so that I could successfully lead the organization through this difficult time. She held me accountable to both my professional goals as well as my personal goals. Ariana excels at listening and truly understanding her clients needs. I highly recommend Ariana as a leadership coach.”
Annie Turner, Executive Director, Food for Others
“I worked with Ariana during a period where I was looking to envision next steps in my professional life, while also feeling the constraints of family and other obligations. Ariana challenged me gently and with thoughtful support to keep looking at what was possible and to let go of what was not serving me in terms of moving forward. I highly recommend her as a coach - she is thoughtful, grounded, and committed to supporting clients in navigating their journeys with integrity and purpose.”
S. Hayes, Nonprofit Professional
“Your coaching helped me think outside the box and get to the goal of my life. It increased my self confidence - I was feeling fear of being alone and now I can be myself with happiness. It developed my boundaries - I can say no to people if I have to without feeling guilty. You were calming, but also encouraged me to be assertive and open-minded. Your coaching helped me understand myself better, get out of my comfort zone and get freedom in my life, and increased my confidence to make me feel like a stronger, happy, and successful person.”
Nitchakamol Rise, Restaurateur
“I have been working with Ariana for nearly three years, and with her support I feel like I’ve been able to go from surviving in my career to thriving. I reached out to her when I realized I needed a lot more support than I was getting in my PhD program, and since we have started working together, Ariana has helped me to find focus, quiet my fears, and reconnect with the passions and interests that originally drew me to my field. She is a perceptive and engaged listener, gives me space to figure out my values and goals, provides engaged and non-judgmental accountability, and does it all with an underlying grace and humanity that models the many approaches and insights that she has to offer. Her support has helped me reach milestones and accomplishments that I had previously doubted my ability to achieve, and has made me a better scholar, colleague, and friend to others.”
Angie Baecker, Lecturer, University of Hong Kong
“Ariana is a terrific coach and I highly recommend her. She is an outstanding listener and does so without judging, asks questions that are amazingly on-point, helps you figure out your own solutions to your challenges, and then helps hold you accountable for taking action and making progress on the steps you identify. She is incredibly easy to talk to and provides a calming lens through which you can view challenges. She helped me identify issues that troubled me far more than I realized, and helped me find easy, sustainable solutions that I continue to use long after our conversations.”
Patrick Mirza, Communications Director
“If you are seeking to elevate your life or find yourself at a crossroads, I highly recommend Ariana as a gifted life coach. She is a source of wisdom and intuition who can help guide you to a better life. Ariana assisted me through an extremely challenging life decision. She also helped me create goals in my personal and professional life, and empowered me to achieve them. I cannot speak highly enough of her insight and skills.”
Emily F., Washington DC-Area Attorney
“Ariana is one of the most multi-talented people I have ever known. We have collaborated on many occasions over the last decade, curating hugely successful exhibits and organizing events together while she was at Asia Society and I at RFA and then at UNDP. She is expert not only at outreach, from graphic design to development, but also at identifying prescient new projects and initiatives and bringing them to fruition. Her scholarly research and writing is first-rate, and she is always modest and graceful under pressure: I truly hope we will be working together on projects and programmes for many more decades."
Sarah Jackson-Han, Senior Advisor, United Nations Development Programme
“Ariana Leon is one of those remarkable people. Remarkable in how she serves; her values shine through in all she does and she is one of the most on-purpose, intentional people I know. Remarkable in her experience; whether as a leadership coach or as a global leader, her competence is clear. Remarkable in how she connects; she always feels present and caring. It has been my absolute honor to work beside Ariana at Women’s Leadership Retreats and to be coached by her.”
Julie Lancaster, Leadership and Management Coach
"Ariana is extremely passionate about her work. I worked with her for over a year at the Global Gender Program where she managed sponsored research projects and wrote and received grants. I respect Ariana as a person and as a colleague because of her personal and sincere investment in her work and the overall functioning of the organization. She is an engaging conversationalist who values relationships. As a supervisor she gave excellent positive and constructive feedback. She cared about the well-being of the staff as well as the overall integrity of the organization’s operations. Ariana is very well-grounded, rational, and diplomatic when handling delicate issues. Most importantly, she is always a positive energy to have in the office. She was a pleasure to work with and I sincerely hope our professional lives cross again!"
Lindsay Kallman, Co-Founder, Community Spring
"It's rare that women from so many different walks of life get the opportunity to connect in a real and vulnerable way. Ariana and Julie create that space and bring a tribe together. The time I spent with these incredible women [in the Being Bold retreat] not only gave me insight into my professional pursuits, but better equipped me to navigate my personal life. I learned that whether we are at the start of our careers or are experts in our fields, the chain of strength and solidarity that connects us is unbreakable. We will move mountains."
Rebecca Byerly, Producer & Director, Women of the Mountain
"Ariana and Julie did a fabulous job organizing and running a thought-provoking and actionable retreat. The discussions, both in large groups and smaller groups, helped bring perspective to the transitions I'm undergoing and allowed me to learn from the experience of other women. I especially appreciated the structured exercises that gave me the mental space to focus on what is most important to me and then on how I might be able to achieve my goals. I left with practical steps and tools to work with, but most importantly, the strength that comes with knowing what I want in life and appreciation that it's ok to want success, love, and happiness--however I define that. Thank you, Julie and Ariana, for clearly putting your hearts and souls into empowering women of all walks of life!"
Washington DC senior professional
"For me, life is a journey of self-expression and self-worth. At the one day retreat with Julie, I gained an insight, reinforced by the wonderful women there with me, 'I deserve to be here.' As a partner in a large global law firm, a competitive, challenging and demanding environment, there are times when I doubt whether I belong. Experiencing and articulating 'I deserve to be here' helps me to regain my confidence - to be, to express, to contribute at work and with my family and here, there, everywhere. With Julie, Ariana and the women in my seminar, I experienced belonging."
Former Partner, AMLAW 100 law firm
"No matter where you are in your life's journey, taking a few hours to press "pause" and evaluate your direction and priorities and identify what may be holding you back from attaining your goals is a wise choice and rewarding experience, particularly when guided by the able team of Julie and Ariana and buoyed by the supportive energies of the other women in the room. The day was a journey in itself, and brought us all through stages of reflection, sharing, learning, and practicing new ways to approach our individual decisions and beliefs. I felt phenomenally grateful to be part of this initial gathering, and I know that I will appreciate its effects and the relationships we created even more as they strengthen over time."
K. Nickerson, senior associate, nonprofit human rights organization
“The Being Bold workshop was all about having the courage to acknowledge the changes you want to bring to your life and how to make them happen. It was empowering to see that each one of us have some kind of struggle as we face transitions in our life. I truly believe that each woman starts going through transitions by the time they get out of school, if it's either getting married, starting a family, changing a job, moving to a different place, losing a close person or facing retirement. I would recommend this workshop to every single woman I know."
Mari Calai, Photographer/Artist