Connection Drives Results

Connection
Drives
Results

About Michelle

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston transforms leaders into influential forces.

Utilizing her expertise as the Clifton A. Morvant Distinguished Professor in the College of Business at Loyola University New Orleans, Michelle inspires audiences as a keynote speaker and shares practical wisdom in her bestselling book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership. Advocating a departure from conventional command-and-control methods, she promotes a connection-based approach to achieve long-lasting results.

Michelle’s coaching centers on creating a culture of connection structured across three crucial tiers:

  • Connection with Self
  • Connection with Team, and
  • Connection with Organization.

Leaders on Michelle’s transformative journey acquire practical strategies for significant change, building stronger connections with teams, and advancing personal and professional goals. Her impact is unmistakable, demonstrated through her executive coaching with leaders at esteemed institutions such as Ochsner Health, MongoDB, Copado, Audubon Communities, MaxHome, Imperial Trading Company, The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate, The Young Presidents Organization, and JP Morgan Chase, among others.

Featured in Forbes, honored as a CityBusiness Woman of the Year, and recognized as one of the most influential figures in New Orleans, Michelle acts as a catalyst for change, skillfully forging authentic connections that empower leaders to unlock their full potential and guide their organizations to unprecedented heights.

The impact of Michelle’s coaching is vividly illustrated through testimonials from clients:

Unlocking Leadership Excellence

“Engaging Michelle as my executive coach marked a transformative turning point in my career and life. It began as a personal quest to elevate my executive presence, evolving into an exploratory journey centered on forging meaningful connections, enhancing self-awareness, and boosting self-confidence. Michelle’s coaching gifted me with the tools to overcome perfectionism, shape my leadership presence for maximum impact, and redefine how I engage with my team and others. She’s a true partner, guiding me toward the leader I aspire to be.” – Eden Ezell, SVP & Chief Compliance Officer, Ochsner Health


Navigating Leadership Challenges

“Michelle has coached and supported me as a brand new CEO and helped me transition into my current regional CEO role. She has helped me lead our hospital and region through some of the most challenging events of my career including the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida. Michelle has helped me grow as a communicator and how to more effectively connect with the people I work with. Michelle has provided amazing advice to me throughout my leadership journey that has helped my team grow by creating a better connection and a more psychologically safe environment.” – Fernis LeBlanc, Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Bayou Region

The Seismic Shift in Leadership:
How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection

Today’s leaders need more than power and control to get the best from their teams; they need to connect.
Through a series of revealing interviews with 18 prominent leaders, Michelle K. Johnston shows how
leaders' ability to connect with themselves, their teams, and their organizations defines their ultimate success—or failure.

For fans of Brené Brown and Adam Grant, The Seismic Shift in Leadership is an essential read for all leaders
wanting to be more effective with their teams.

Get your copy of The Seismic Shift in Leadership.

Click a retailer to order

How Has Leadership Changed?

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston discusses her book The Seismic Shift in Leadership and
the new era of connection that is shaping the world in which we live, work, and play.

Old leadership characteristics
are becoming more and more obsolete.

Power, control, and fear
as leadership tools are part of a dying way of thinking.

A leader’s true power
now lies in their ability to connect. 

Authenticity, compassion, and alignment
are the new paths to leadership success.

How Has Leadership Changed?

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston discusses her book The Seismic Shift in Leadership and the new era of connection that is shaping the world in which we live, work, and play.

Old leadership characteristics
are becoming more and more obsolete.

Power, control, and fear
as leadership tools are part of a dying way of thinking.

A leader’s true power
now lies in their ability to connect. 

Authenticity, compassion, and alignment
are the new paths to leadership success.

Clients

The Seismic Shift Podcast with Dr Michelle Johnston

The Seismic Shift Podcast

Season 2 available now!