Leadership Coaching that increases your performance, your confidence, and your impact.
Start scrolling to learn more, or contact me at bryn@brightevolutioncoach.com
We are all works in progress.
Human beings are meant to evolve, grow and continue learning, or else we become stagnant, stuck, and yearn for something more.
When you're ready to lean into your potential and have more impact in your life and career but you’re not sure how to go about it, I'm here to guide you through your next evolution.
For over 20 years, I’ve worked with MBA students and business leaders from all industries and sectors, from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Before launching my business, I spent 15 years at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where I successfully coached 2,000+ business students and executives, helping them navigate critical transition points and leadership challenges. The result: I’ve enabled clients to up their leadership game and be more effective in their lives and careers. The future is bright!
Is Leadership & Career Coaching for you?
The 3 Keys to Career Happiness
Can you answer “yes” to all three questions?
Are you using skills and talents you enjoy?
Does your role meet your key priorities and align with your core values at this age and stage of your life?
Are you feeling challenged and still learning and growing in your role?
I can help if you are unable to answer “yes” to any of the questions above.
If you’re stuck, together we can look at what’s missing and what needs to change so you can become more productive, satisfied, and positively challenged. I provide the structure, and we focus on concrete steps to move you forward.
Testimonials
I'd like to offer a heartfelt thank you for the significant impact you've had on my career journey.
As someone who was seeking to return to work after a career break, I’m thrilled to have accepted an offer for a senior strategy role at a Fortune 500 company. During our work together, your thoughtful observations, candor, and humor consistently guided me towards the benefits of coming from a place of strength. I am honored to know you and to have worked with you. You are an excellent executive coach. I look forward to starting my new role and am ever thankful for your counsel.
– Kate R.
Working with Bryn was a wonderful experience.
I was in the difficult situation of transitioning out of a family business, which added layers of emotion and complexity to my job search. Bryn coached me to determine what was important to me in the next phase of my life, and to pursue it with intention. This enabled me to reframe my mindset so that I could truly move forward. Bryn helped me to get grounded in my strengths, position myself, and create a narrative that I could take out to my network and explore opportunities. While I hope my current employer is the last stop in my professional journey, I would not hesitate to work with Bryn again. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to relaunch or make a big career change.
- Derek P.
Working with Bryn is a partnership.
She is fully invested and brings experience and structure that helped me think broadly about opportunities and options. She has a wealth of resources and ideas and is upfront and open about the work that you will need to put into the process of making a transition. She is supportive, but also willing to challenge me to think differently. Bryn taught me how to be purposeful and approach networking with focus, intent and an open mind. I leave our coaching sessions buoyed by her enthusiasm and appreciative of how she can keep my feet on the ground and focused on the work ahead. I recommend Bryn without reservation.
– Brad G.
I’m Bryn Pane’e Burkhart
Your coach, thinking partner, champion, (devil's) advocate, and guide.
Being authentic to who you are and honoring your unique strengths and values are pillars of my coaching practice. I have found most people approach their lives and careers reactively, rather than intentionally. My goal as a coach is to help you live “on purpose” and evolve into a better, brighter version of yourself — but in order to do this, you have to own your story. Here’s a bit of mine:
My roots
My family is from Hawaii, though I grew up on the mainland in Raleigh, North Carolina. Growing up in the South and being Native Hawaiian was a formative experience. And the highlight of my childhood was spending entire summers in Hawaii with my ohana (family). I’ve always felt rooted and at peace here.
In 2022, my husband and I moved from Boston to Honolulu to bring my father and our children home and get back to our roots. The pandemic caused us to rethink what we wanted our lives to look like moving forward. We chose a life rich in aloha spirit, where we could strengthen our family ties and cultural connections. The opportunity to live and invest our energy in Hawaii felt like a calling to me.
Upending what was a secure life in Boston, leaving my comfortable role at MIT and moving 5000+ miles away was difficult, but put us in alignment with our value system. It also gave me the opportunity to practice what I coach my clients to do: manage stress effectively (!), live on purpose, create more meaning in one’s life and play BIG!
My values
My upbringing and subsequent work in business and education cultivated values of joy, connection, communication and learning (after all, we are works-in-progress!). These values have served as wayfinding tools for my career and life decisions. During our work together, I’ll help you connect to your own core values when your next step is unclear so that you can move forward with intention.
As a leadership coach, I do more than help you increase your effectiveness, navigate critical transition points or define your goals.
I help you clarify who you are at your core, and then take action to increase your potential and cultivate a more impactful life and career.
Education & Certifications
I invite you to take a look at my LinkedIn profile to see the full slate of my professional experience, activities, volunteer work and accomplishments - plus, more client recommendations.
B.A., Journalism & Mass Communication
Ed.M in Education
Trained Mental Fitness coach
Client Success Story
From Large Corporations to Small, High-Growth Firm
Client Objective
After spending my entire career in large, public companies like GE Healthcare and CVS/Aetna, I wanted to pivot to a smaller, privately-held company where I could be a member of the executive management team.
Challenge
I knew this transition would not be easy. Smaller companies would look at me and say, “He’s a big company guy. He won’t know how to function in a small company.” Bryn coached me to proactively address these challenges.
Client Evolution
I landed a Chief Marketing Officer position at a high-growth, private-equity-backed healthcare IT company. It was a perfect match for my skillset and aligned with the vision I set for myself, with Bryn’s coaching and guidance. If you are looking to make a career transition, she will help you figure out what truly matters to you, and then how to best position yourself for the role of your dreams. She was a true partner – one who collaborated with me but also pushed me to be the best version of myself and not take the easy way out.
– Justin Steinman, Chief Marketing Officer, Definitive Healthcare
What do you want and what’s getting in your way?
My coaching style is positive, direct, and practical. I follow a“clear is kind” ethos (thank you, Brene Brown!) and come to each coaching session ready to have real conversations. I am an “all in” coach: delivering honest feedback, providing structure to your progress and holding you accountable for taking action.
You are the greatest change agent in your own life, and I champion your success.
I use Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment and the Positive Intelligence (PQ) Saboteur assessment in my practice as tools to enhance your self-awareness, build your confidence and help you maximize your potential.
Having coached over 2,000 clients, I have seen time and again that the biggest obstacle to achieving success and happiness is quite often our own “inner critic” or imposter syndrome. Together, we anchor your confidence and you learn lifelong skills that will enable you to adeptly navigate life’s challenges.
Keep scrolling to learn about the coaching process:
How we work together:
Goal Setting
In our first Foundational session where we do a deep dive into your background, we also define the goal(s) for our work together. We discuss, if coaching were to have a big impact on your life, what would it be?
Reality Check
Next, we look at where you are currently and the specific roadblocks in your way. Sometimes there are gaps or specific areas to address, other times we’re blocked by limiting beliefs, assumptions, or imposter syndrome.
Options & Choices
You always have a choice. We may not get to choose all the circumstances in our life, but we can choose to create from them. Together, we will co-create options and a concrete strategy that will move you towards your goal(s).
Action
Coaching is about forward movement. Considering the opportunities and options you have, you’ll choose to take considered action from a place of strength. I provide structure and accountability to the process so you progress towards your goal(s). I fully believe in my clients’ potential and you will see a transformation in yourself!
What’s your next evolution?
Free Introductory Call
Start by scheduling a free 30-minute call to discuss your current situation, desired outcomes and decide if we’re a good fit. In addition to my standard offerings below, I provide individual sessions and custom coaching packages, as well as team-based Strengths coaching.
3-Month Career Coaching
$4,000
For those in career transition who want the tools, resources, and coaching to execute a job search strategy and own their long-term career management.
We focus on: Reflective groundwork, your narrative, branding and positioning, intentional networking, interviewing, salary negotiation, and onboarding.
90-minute Foundational Kickoff Session to create specific plan for our engagement, including outcomes
Full 34 CliftonStrengths Assessment
Career Transition Handbook and additional supporting resources
Two hours of coaching per month for three months
Ongoing coaching support and communication between sessions
One 30-minute coaching check-in session during the year after completion
Total of 8 hours of coaching (not including ongoing on-demand support as needed)
6-Month Leadership Development Coaching
$7,000*
For those who want to advance in their role and/or expand their impact, fully owning their day-to-day personal and professional presence and leadership.
Topics we focus on could include: executive presence, managing or leading others, communication skills, navigating difficult decisions, approaching a career transition or pivot, self-awareness/finding your purpose.
*Corporate rates may differ
Two-hour Foundational Kickoff Session to create specific plan for our engagement, including outcomes
Full 34 CliftonStrengths Assessment
Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment and book, plus additional supporting resources
Two hours of coaching per month for six months
Ongoing coaching support and communication between sessions
Quarterly 30-minute coaching check-in sessions for one year after completion
Total of 16 hours of coaching (not including ongoing on-demand support as needed)
Testimonials
A big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being an excellent coach, advisor, and an incredible source of support and inspiration through the last few years.
I would not have been able to confidently navigate the job switches I have made without your help. At every stage, you helped me think through what I wanted, how to get there and to confidently position myself in career conversations and salary negotiations so that I could build a more fruitful life overall. I count you as a lead advisor on my personal board and I am so grateful for our relationship. You are an invaluable resource and I strongly recommend your services as an executive coach.
– Nidhi B.
Navigating a career transition is stressful and intimidating.
Having spent a long time at a former employer, I felt constricted in my career. Bryn’s coaching enabled me to work through my emotional challenges and evolve into a position of strength and confidence. Bryn coached me on how to articulate my strengths, desires, and interests, and together we considered how that fit with my professional experience. Using that as a foundation, we created a pitch and professional profile that helped me reinvigorate my network, meet others, and begin meaningful employment conversations. Further, Bryn has created great tools for networking, interviewing, and negotiating salary. I can’t imagine having to work through that process on my own; for sure it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun or productive!
– Robin W.
Bryn has been there for me through the toughest struggles in my career.
She coached me to uncover what was truly important to me as an individual, a person and a leader. She helped me stay true to this even when I wanted to give up. I have endless gratitude for her coaching and patience as I embarked on my journey of self-discovery as a professional and woman of color from an elite school. Bryn was the first person who helped me verbalize that I wanted to be the CEO of my own company and she has been one of my greatest cheerleaders who got me to the CEO role I have now. Bryn’s coaching was a godsend and gave me the support to achieve my dreams.
– Scarlett L.
Speaking & Workshop Facilitation
I’ve created and delivered engaging workshops for companies and business leaders that have earned world-class net promoter scores. Below, you’ll find video links to some of the topics I’ve covered.
In addition to these workshops, I offer team-based coaching workshops using Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment and their decades of research that increases workplace engagement and productivity using strengths-based practices.
Contact me to discuss creating customized workshops for your organization. I deliver highly engaging content for teams, ensuring that participants leave feeling energized and that their time was well spent.
Client Success Story
From MIT to serial entrepreneur
Client Objective
I came to Bryn when I was feeling stuck in my career, having left a corporate product innovation role to have more flexibility with my young son.
Challenge
At the time, I was conflicted about how to balance motherhood with my career ambitions, entrepreneurial drive and expertise in human-centered design. Bryn coached me to get clear on what I wanted and needed at this stage of my life and career. Her coaching helped me uncover possibilities for myself that I had not considered, and to stay true to my priorities and values.
Client Evolution
My family and career have both expanded since I first started working with Bryn. I’ve been on the founding teams of four organizations, giving me both the flexibility I need and the opportunity to build businesses. I’m now pursuing my dreams with the launch of an incubator focused on innovating and enhancing the experience of working mothers. Working with Bryn as I developed this business venture was invaluable. She helped me frame my vision for what I wanted to create, who I wanted to be as a entrepreneur and supported me to go for my dreams from a place of intention and confidence.
– Jossy Lee, Founder & Creator, woom
Ready to play a bigger game?
I've successfully supported thousands of clients through important transitions and leadership challenges.
It would be a privilege to be a part of your next evolution - the future is bright!