Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is an executive coach who helps high-performing leaders unlock their full potential by mastering the art of connection. Her coaching isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level strategies. It’s about deep transformation that aligns your leadership style with your values, your team, and your organization’s mission.
If you’re ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact, Michelle’s coaching framework will guide you there.
The Seismic Shift Framework
Michelle’s coaching is built on her groundbreaking research, bestselling book, “The Seismic Shift in Leadership” and upcoming book, “The Seismic Shift in YOU.” She helps leaders evolve through her signature framework, The 7 Seismic Shifts:
Shift Your Perspective: To focus on connection. Because the only way you’re going to success is through your ability to connect with others.
Shift Your Priorities: To focus on what fuels you. Because you can’t give your best to others if you’re running on empty.
Shift Your Calendar: To focus on your most important relationships. Because what you give your time to reveals what (and who) matters most.
Shift Your Meetings: To focus on engagement. Because people feel seen, heard, valued, respected, and appreciated when they are part of the problem-solving and decision-making process.
Shift Your Conversations: To focus on dialogue. Because connection grows when you inquire more – with great questions – and talk less.
Shift Your Language: To focus on positivity and possibility. Because the words you choose shape the reality you’re creating every day.
Shift Your Energy: To focus on intentionality. Because the energy you bring sets the tone for everyone around you.
Coaching That Drives Results
Michelle’s clients include CEOs, senior executives, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs across industries. Her coaching is:
Whether you’re navigating a promotion, leading through change, or rebuilding team dynamics, Michelle helps you lead with connection and deliver measurable impact.
Engaging Michelle as my executive coach was a defining and transformative moment in my career and my life. What originally began as a personal desire to enhance my executive presence evolved into explorative and transformational work centered on meaningful connections, deeper self-awareness, and a refined self-confidence.
Working with Michelle helped me realize that I wanted to give my teams an exceptional experience in an amazing work environment where people are truly heard, seen, valued, respected, and appreciated. We continue to work on this together every single day. And while it’s a team effort always, there’s no doubt that Michelle’s coaching was a driving influence.
During my coaching experience with Michelle as my executive coach, Michelle helped me grow significantly as a leader by softening my action orientation with a balance of compassion and vulnerability. Michelle brings great positive energy while holding up the mirror at the times for growth. I have recommended Michelle to many of my colleagues and highly recommended Michelle as an executive coach.
Michelle has truly captured the science of leadership and the art of establishing meaningful connections to enhance organizational performance. She teaches the importance of establishing a meaningful foundation of trust to ensure openness and transparency in an organization to improve performance. This foundation is key to unleashing the greatest potential in leaders and teams.
Connections and relationship development is a true investment of time – in the end this investment leads to not only performance but further enjoyment and personal satisfaction in the work!!!
Michelle’s insights as the ‘Conscious Connector’ are transformative, ingeniously blending human connection with tangible results. Her three-tier approach – connecting with self, team, and organization – is a breakthrough in cultivating a culture of meaningful engagement in the workplace.
Quite simply, working with Michelle has changed me. Insightful and perceptive, she uncovers the truths that lead to powerful personal transformations. In short, she helps others find – and own – their authentic story. Done with genuine warmth and humility, she coaches from the sidelines but is never afraid to put herself into the ring. What a gift.
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. Her expertise with connection has been invaluable as I have lead through some very difficult times. She is always someone I can lean on in tough times and available to offer advice. Michelle has helped me grow and mature as a more connected, empathetic leader.
Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is an executive coach who helps high-performing leaders unlock their full potential by mastering the art of connection. Her coaching isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level strategies. It’s about deep transformation that aligns your leadership style with your values, your team, and your organization’s mission.
If you’re ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact, Michelle’s coaching framework will guide you there.
The Seismic Shift Framework
Michelle’s coaching is built on her groundbreaking research, bestselling book, “The Seismic Shift in Leadership” and upcoming book, “The Seismic Shift in YOU.” She helps leaders evolve through her signature framework, The 7 Seismic Shifts:
Shift Your Perspective: To focus on connection. Because the only way you’re going to success is through your ability to connect with others.
Shift Your Priorities: To focus on what fuels you. Because you can’t give your best to others if you’re running on empty.
Shift Your Calendar: To focus on your most important relationships. Because what you give your time to reveals what (and who) matters most.
Shift Your Meetings: To focus on engagement. Because people feel seen, heard, valued, respected, and appreciated when they are part of the problem-solving and decision-making process.
Shift Your Conversations: To focus on dialogue. Because connection grows when you inquire more – with great questions – and talk less.
Shift Your Language: To focus on positivity and possibility. Because the words you choose shape the reality you’re creating every day.
Shift Your Energy: To focus on intentionality. Because the energy you bring sets the tone for everyone around you.
Coaching That Drives Results
Michelle’s clients include CEOs, senior executives, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs across industries. Her coaching is:
Whether you’re navigating a promotion, leading through change, or rebuilding team dynamics, Michelle helps you lead with connection and deliver measurable impact.
Engaging Michelle as my executive coach was a defining and transformative moment in my career and my life. What originally began as a personal desire to enhance my executive presence evolved into explorative and transformational work centered on meaningful connections, deeper self-awareness, and a refined self-confidence.
Working with Michelle helped me realize that I wanted to give my teams an exceptional experience in an amazing work environment where people are truly heard, seen, valued, respected, and appreciated. We continue to work on this together every single day. And while it’s a team effort always, there’s no doubt that Michelle’s coaching was a driving influence.
Michelle has truly captured the science of leadership and the art of establishing meaningful connections to enhance organizational performance. She teaches the importance of establishing a meaningful foundation of trust to ensure openness and transparency in an organization to improve performance. This foundation is key to unleashing the greatest potential in leaders and teams.
Quite simply, working with Michelle has changed me. Insightful and perceptive, she uncovers the truths that lead to powerful personal transformations. In short, she helps others find – and own – their authentic story. Done with genuine warmth and humility, she coaches from the sidelines but is never afraid to put herself into the ring. What a gift.
During my coaching experience with Michelle as my executive coach, Michelle helped me grow significantly as a leader by softening my action orientation with a balance of compassion and vulnerability. Michelle brings great positive energy while holding up the mirror at the times for growth. I have recommended Michelle to many of my colleagues and highly recommended Michelle as an executive coach.
Michelle’s insights as the ‘Conscious Connector’ are transformative, ingeniously blending human connection with tangible results. Her three-tier approach – connecting with self, team, and organization – is a breakthrough in cultivating a culture of meaningful engagement in the workplace.
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. Her expertise with connection has been invaluable as I have lead through some very difficult times. She is always someone I can lean on in tough times and available to offer advice. Michelle has helped me grow and mature as a more connected, empathetic leader.
