Hi, I'm Misti.

I coach leaders through the messy human dynamics of leadership.

Power.Pressure.Relationships.Responsibility.Identity.

Former COO. 19 years in senior operating leadership. Worked with executive teams inside 650+ organizations and interviewed more than 10,000 people about what work feels like from the inside.

Work with meAbout Misti

The work

You can own outcomes you don't fully control.

Make decisions under enormous pressure. Navigate relationships you can't afford to get wrong. Carry more than you probably should.

Sometimes the problem is you. Sometimes it's the person across from you. Sometimes it's the relationship between you. And sometimes the system itself is creating the problem.

My work is helping you see the difference.

I help you translate what you're in: what's actually happening, what's yours, what isn't, and what to do next.

The work we'll do

Six dimensions that shape how you lead.

  1. Authority

    Clarity about what's yours to own

    UncertaintoClear

    Do I know what's mine, and can I act on it?

  2. Self-Command

    A steady center in high-demand environments

    Externally GovernedtoGrounded

    Can I govern myself under pressure?

  3. Alignment

    Healthy, productive leadership relationships

    Agreeable or CombativetoConstructive

    Can we disagree and still move forward together?

  4. Load

    Sustainable energy and capacity

    OverfunctioningtoOwnership

    Am I carrying what's mine, or everyone else's?

  5. Influence

    Getting to impact without force

    Forcing or AvoidingtoRelational

    Can I create movement when I can't rely on authority?

  6. Identity

    Leading without losing yourself

    Self-Abandoning or AdaptingtoAuthorship

    Can I adapt without abandoning myself?

About

I've spent most of my career inside the mess.

I spent 19 years in senior operating leadership, including 8.5 years as COO, navigating the pressure, power, relationships, and responsibility that come with leading from the second seat.

I've also worked with executive teams inside 650+ organizations and interviewed more than 10,000 people about what work feels like from the inside.

There's an old saying: you can't read the label from inside the jar.

After seeing leadership from the executive room and hearing directly from thousands of people inside organizations, I've developed a strong pattern-recognition lens for what happens between leaders, teams, relationships, and the systems around them.

That's the perspective I bring to coaching.

Misti Aaronson seated on a sofa with woven kilim pillows against a white brick wall

Work with me

1:1 Executive Coaching

For COOs, Presidents, second-in-command leaders, and other senior leaders navigating complicated human dynamics at work.

Coaching engagements are available weekly or biweekly and are tailored to the leader, their role, and what they're navigating.

Stay in the loop

Notes from inside the work.

I write about power, pressure, relationships, responsibility, and what actually happens between people at work.