Senior Leadership Coaching CliftonStrengths® Coaching Strategic Communication
For senior leaders in government, higher education, nonprofit and faith-based organizations who want to lead from purpose instead of pressure.
Sometimes the demands have changed. Sometimes you have. Either way, when your usual approach stops short of what's ahead, it is easy to read that as a question about your ability. It rarely is. Recognizing what's needed takes honest perspective from someone outside your situation.
You have built a record that speaks for itself. But you sense that where you want to go next will ask something different of you. Creed & Clay coaches senior leaders at that inflection, calling forward strengths that have gone unnoticed and creating space to be honest about what needs to change.
Through certified Gallup strengths coaching, Creed & Clay helps you recognize, appreciate and harness what's right with you. People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged at work and three times more likely to report an excellent quality of life (Gallup).
Real communication isn't just about information. It's about meaning and movement. Drawing on scientific research on storytelling, Creed & Clay helps leaders and organizations shape messages their audiences recognize as their own. That recognition is what turns purpose into action.
Our philosophy
The name holds it all. We can be grounded in conviction and still open to becoming. That tension — settled and still growing — is the work and the invitation Creed & Clay extends to every leader it serves.
Rooted in deep leadership and coaching experience, as well as research into how the stories we believe and tell shape us, Creed & Clay partners with senior leaders in government, higher education, nonprofit and faith-based organizations to identify and amplify strengths so that you can reconnect with the priorities and people that matter most.
The result is not just performing better. It's leading from a place of genuine clarity about who you are and what you are called to do. When breakthrough comes, the people you love and lead will feel it too.
Dr. Cooley has a gift for seeing people clearly. Those who work with her often describe a particular kind of calm that enters the room and a steadiness that makes it easier to think, to be honest and to take the next step.
She brings that same presence to coaching and consulting: asking simple questions that uncover powerful insights, calling forward gifts people have overlooked in themselves and holding encouragement and expectation in the same breath.
As principal and founder of Creed & Clay, Dr. Cooley creates spaces where individuals and teams feel genuinely supported, positively challenged and empowered to grow. Her work draws on more than 30 years of experience, including as an executive leader in government, higher education and nonprofit organizations, as well as a decade as a Gallup-certified Strengths coach.
Dr. Cooley is equally at home in the creative and the analytical, able to help a group shape an ambitious vision and then map how to reach it. Her academic path reflects that same range:
Nefretiri is an amazing coach. Since I've been working with her, my consistency has shifted. Having someone who provides a combination of direction for productivity and a perspective grounded in faith is invaluable. She listens and works intentionally with you personally, but is not a "yes person." She is always willing to challenge your thinking.
She was great with engaging everyone and answering questions outside of Q&A, and she always had great examples when explaining terms and answering questions.
Creed & Clay helped us translate our client's vision into a clear, actionable communications plan. Dr. Cooley's strategic thinking and ability to bring clarity to complex ideas helped us move from vision to execution. She was responsive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented, exactly the trusted partner you want for communications work that needs to meet deadlines while delivering quality.
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