Our Team

Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author Harrison Monarth coaches C-suite leaders, senior executives, high-potential managers and other top professionals on effective communication and positive behavior change for professional and organizational success. Clients include organizations such as General Motors, U.S. Air Force, Hewlett-Packard, MetLife, AT&T, Northrop Grumman, The Nature Conservancy, Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte Consulting, Cisco Systems, GE and Standard & Poor’s among others, as well as start-up entrepreneurs, political candidates and members of Congress.

Harrison helps leaders at all levels develop a powerful, personal brand and authentic executive presence. His approach incorporates the latest research in effective leadership, interpersonal communication and behavioral sciences. With Harrison’s coaching, leaders from various sectors develop increased self-awareness, overcome “derailer” behaviors, enhance personal effectiveness, develop new leadership skills and competencies, and communicate with confidence and competence.

His latest book, Breakthrough Communication: A Powerful 4-Step Process For Overcoming Resistance and Getting Results (McGraw-Hill 2014), provides a way to look at communication in a new and powerful way. It teaches readers how they can get on decision-makers’ radar, influence the agenda, infuse meaning that resonates and spark the desired actions. His other books include New York Times bestseller The Confident Speaker (McGraw-Hill 2007), 360 Degrees of Influence (McGraw-Hill 2012) and the international bestseller Executive Presence (McGraw-Hill 2009), which Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer said is “…must reading for everyone who needs to build their personal brand and sell themselves.”

Harrison is a contributor at Harvard Business Review, FORTUNE and Entrepreneur.com.

In a field often dominated by theory, Jennifer Fox developed her leadership, coaching and facilitation style based on a gap she observed that was preventing people from achieving their desired results: using clear language, practical application and personal accountability. She has been endorsed as “One of the most practical, no nonsense Learning & Development professionals on the planet” by enthusiastic clients.

Jennifer is GuruMaker’s senior program designer for instructor-led and online training for client companies such as Procter & Gamble, Hilton Worldwide, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Cisco Systems, NASA, Moody’s, U.S. Air Force Weapon’s School, and The Nature Conservancy among many others.

As a sought-after workshop leader, Jennifer creates dynamic learning opportunities that clients refer to as “relevant, fun and practical.” She is an expert facilitator of programs such as Executive Presence, Situational Leadership®, Increasing Human Effectiveness, DiSC, AchieveGlobal, MBTI, Presentation Excellence and more, and has successfully led training sessions and keynote speeches for groups of 2 to 100 at all levels of an organization throughout the United States, and globally in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong, among other places.

Jennifer previously held management and leadership roles at Nordstrom.com, Starbucks (corporate) and Getty Images. She is a trusted consultant to Twinings North America and regularly coaches hi-potential employees and leaders seeking to overcome obstacles in their careers or achieve personal development goals. Jen’s 25 years of experience has resulted in expertise in organizational design, coaching, performance and talent management, employee development, change management and project management. She has a track record of leveraging technology to accelerate the learning process and has been a leader in bringing social media solutions to unite individuals and teams. A self-described personal-learning junkie, she helps individuals and teams take the best ideas from today’s influencers and put them into action.

Dr. Jon Freda has been working in the fields of executive education and psychology for 30 years. Jon has spent the majority of the last 15 years coaching, training and consulting. He has developed and facilitated over 200 training programs on executive presence, effective communication/assertiveness, interpersonal dynamics, and strategic storytelling for executives; coached hundreds of managers and executives on issues related to emotional intelligence, particularly self & organizational awareness, leadership presence, and relationship management.

A skilled workshop leader, executive coach and licensed psychologist with a strong film and theater background, Jon uses improvisational acting techniques to help GuruMaker clients alter their leadership behavior and communication style. His approach is to connect clients emotionally and intellectually to their stories and messages to effectively manage interpersonal dynamics and project executive presence and leadership. Dr. Freda combines both, psychological insights, and specific creative methods in his coaching and corporate workshops.

Jon has worked with executive clients from the private, public and non-profit sectors for over 30 years, spanning a variety of industries, from IT, high-tech and telecommunications, to financial services, health care, manufacturing, defense and aerospace, and the energy sector. Select clients include GE, McGraw-Hill Financial, Hewlett Packard, U.S. Air Force, Electronic Arts, General Motors, Baker-Hughes, PepsiCo and Deloitte Consulting.

Jon is also an award winning film, TV, and stage actor, and screen writer. He is currently best known for his role as Rocco in Luc Besson’s The Family with Robert De Niro and Michele Pfeiffer, and Off-Broadway in his solo show, Imagine Dat, as Jimmy Durante. Other film and TV credits include The Blacklist, Law & Order SVU, Nikki & Sara Live, The Joe Buck Show, plus numerous local and regional theatre credits.

Jon received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational psychology from SUNY Binghamton, and a post-doctoral Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Windsor, Ontario.

President Ronald Reagan praised Larry Tracy as “an extraordinarily effective speaker” for his speeches on controversial policy issues addressing some of the United States’ toughest audiences. Described by his superior as “the State Department’s most sought-after and articulate spokesman,” he was invariably assigned the most difficult speaking assignments. A former army colonel, Larry originally managed and trained the Pentagon’s top briefing team,the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Presentation Division.

He was responsible for daily strategic intelligence briefings to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, Congressional staffs and other Washington decision-makers. His skills took him to the State Department, where he delivered hundreds of presentations on contentious foreign policy issues, many of them debates occurring before demanding, often hostile audiences.

Larry brings that experience to GuruMaker, helping train speakers and presenters to convert audiences that have already made up their minds. His specific training and consulting specialties include presentation skills for executives, public speaking for professionals, persuasion skills training, managing audience emotions and preparation for media appearances.

As an executive coach specializing in leadership, communication and management, Dr. Belsten works with CEOs and senior-level executives on negotiating and influencing skills, organizational and political skills, working with difficult people, improving personal power (speaking up, claiming their results) and sharpening their skills in team leadership, conflict management, emotional intelligence, executive presence, building trust, delegating, motivating and coaching others, providing honest and effective feedback, personal and professional resilience, stress management, and time management.

Laura’s focus in coaching is to work with executives and teams so they can better lead their organizations toward strategic performance objectives.

Laura has more than 25 years’ first-hand leadership experience, holding senior executive positions in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Her clients span a variety of industries, from high-tech and telecommunications to financial services, health care, manufacturing, defense and aerospace, and the energy sector. Select clients include: Qwest, Symantec, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Xcel Energy, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, Verizon, T-Mobile, Newmont Mining, First Data Corporation, UBS, Oppenheimer Funds, MWH, Turner Construction Company, CH2M Hill, HealthONE, Kaiser Permanente, The Medical Center of Aurora, Skyridge Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center.

Laura holds a Ph.D. from the University of Denver and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder Since 1990, she has been on the faculty of the University of Denver, teaching graduate courses in leadership and communication.

Michaels Collins is a veteran presentation-skills coach and actor, bringing his storytelling expertise to GuruMaker School of Professional Speaking. His approach is to fully understand client needs and help identify and tell the stories that represent the client’s core values and business objectives. At GuruMaker, Michael has improved the communications skills of our diverse clientele, from medal-winning Olympians to forensic accountants to world-renowned surgeons.

Michael is known for his ability to establish trust with his clients, making them feel at ease as they are guided through exercises ranging from personal stories to business pitches to high-level town hall talks. His coaching philosophy is not unlike improv itself: to meet people where they are, to support and build on ideas and to be present in the moment. Michael is a long-time performer and instructor, graduating from the renowned Second City Conservatory in Chicago. Michael has performed on stage and in front of the camera in Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver, and was a host for Outside Television.

Fernanda is a commercially driven organizational psychologist with an outstanding track record of delivering innovative people solutions to drive better business performance and personal transformation for senior executives and high-potential individuals. With a personal approach that combines both professional rigor and deep empathy, Fernanda draws on a range of tools, techniques and methodologies to help her clients achieve their desired business goals. Fernanda has over 15 years experience in coaching managers and senior executives at all stages of their career on a broad range of leadership challenges.

Her experience spans blue chip organizations, partnerships and not-for-profit organizations across a range of industries, including management consulting, media, banking and finance, professional services and global industrial businesses.

She has gained significant experience working with middle-to-senior management around issues such as developing leadership styles, gaining buy-in, managing teams, promotion to leadership roles, developing and raising personal profiles, executive presence and increasing self-awareness to build longer-term leadership capability.

Fernanda’s clients appreciate being challenged and encouraged to build on their strengths in order to become more focused, influential and successful. Through greater self- understanding, her clients learn tailored strategies to confidently and effectively manage their personal challenges, lead their people and deliver better business performance.

With a reputation for innovative thinking and connecting humanity in business to deliver better business results, Fernanda has held several leadership and advisory roles in the Australian Psychological Society, including National Chair for the College of Organizational Psychologists. She is currently on the Board of International Affairs White Papers for the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologists (USA), on the Advisory Council for Global Alliance of Organizational Psychologists, an Adjunct Supervisor with Macquarie University and Adjunct Associate Lecturer for the University of New South Wales, Masters of Organizational Psychology.

Political humorist Doug Gamble is best known for shaping the speeches and presentations of America’s most persuasive figures in politics, entertainment and business, including the great communicator, President Ronald Reagan, and George H.W Bush, in addition to numerous other political candidates, officeholders and CEOs. Among his many training and consulting specialties is speech writing for political campaigns and senior-level business presentations, roast writing and sound-bite writing.

He also preps individuals for debates, news conferences and media interviews, helping them use humor to sell a position on the issues or craft material tailored to a specific audience, location or event.

His experience writing for President Reagan from 1984 until the end of his second term and for President Bush throughout his 1988 presidential campaign and presidency is where he perfected the signature sharp witticisms that he weaves into powerful, memorable content for GuruMaker clients today.

As acting and media coach for GuruMaker, Katelyn Nichols coaches CEOs, executives, and professionals from varied industries on how to be perceived as confident, authentic, and engaging by their audiences.

A professional voiceover, TV, and theatre actor, Katelyn draws from her expertise in vocal performance, perception management, and persuasive storytelling to help GuruMaker clients get their message across with impact, clarity, and emotional richness. With her guidance, clients develop a keen sense of connectedness to their message, improve executive presence, and discover their own sense of empowerment. The result is increased confidence, the ability to maintain composure in stressful situations and the tools to project an air of authority with any audience.

Katelyn can also be seen on television on ABC, NBC, and Lifetime Movie Network, or Off Broadway. Her voiceover work can be heard in commercials around the world.