Executive Coach
Rebecca Cooley is an instinctive instructor, coach, and mentor dedicated to helping individuals, business leaders, and organizations propel to the next level. She is the CEO of Catalyst Action Coaching, and author of A Mindful Approach to Coaching.
She is a strong proponent of personal and professional growth and regularly facilitates workshops. For over 15 years, she has consulted with individuals from government, small businesses and Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies in a broad range of industries, including radio, sales, banking, internet security, psychology, non-profit leadership, political consulting, management, training, healthcare, human resources, and coaching. She uses a well-rounded approach to consulting and coaching which incorporates principles from mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) adapted for coaching, strategic planning, leadership development, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), and public speaking, and draws from her extensive experience as a manager, worksite wellness program director, public speaking coach, and instructor.
In addition to individual consulting and coaching, she is dedicated to organizational transformation and enlightened leadership and has designed and implemented employee empowerment programs, served as a worksite wellness adviser throughout the US, and has founded several businesses in the Raleigh-Durham area. She is the Founder and Instructor of Happy Cyclists Adult Beginner Bike Riding Lessons, and Founder and Organizer of several Meetups including: the Mindful Living Meetup, Introverts Unite Meetup, and Interviews and Public Speaking Tips. Rebecca shares her knowledge and entrepreneurial expertise with other professionals providing guidance and mentoring to help them successfully establish their businesses.
Rebecca's mission is to help people help themselves. She offers a compassionate, engaged, dynamic, and transformative approach to coaching and training. Each session is client-focused and results-driven. She believes each person can be a catalyst for change in their lives and is dedicated to helping people realize their potential.
Coaching/Consulting Approaches:
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Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction
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Relaxation Strategies
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) coaching, a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral approach to identifying values and action steps with an emphasis on awareness, emotion regulation, and getting unstuck
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Compassion-based Coaching
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Career Transition and Exploration Coaching using an ACT approach
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Career Development Coaching
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Traditional/Classic Goal Achievement Coaching
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Life Planning
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Resume Instruction
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Mindfulness-based interview preparation training and consulting
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Mindfulness-based public speaking training and consulting
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Mindfulness-based communication, interpersonal effectiveness, and leadership training and consulting
Public Speaking and Training Experience
Over 19 years of experience as an instructor, trainer, and public speaking coach
Presented at national, state and local conferences, events, and webinars
Public Speaking Training, several organizations
Public Speaking Training, Trained speakers for national event,
Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment
Career Coaching and Training for AmeriCorps VISTAs,
NC State University Institute for Emerging Issues
Trained and coached speakers for events, several organizations
Career Coaching and Career Development Training, several organizations
Career Development Training, Medical University of South Carolina
Speaker, "How to Network: Tips and Tricks", Duke University
Speaker, "First Impressions: Tips for Before, During, and After Your Interview", Society of Technical Communication, Carolina Chapter, Career Day
Speaker, "SPEAK EASY: Tips for Tackling Public Speaking Anxiety", CLN
Speaker and Instructor, Mindfulness and Meditation, community organization
Speaker, "Interview and Resume Tips", Cary NC
Speaker, "Mindfulness", Freedom House Recovery Center
Speaker, “An Intro to Mindfulness”, Wake County Public Libraries
Taught Leadership Development course
Instructor, Public Speaking for KIDS class, Cary NC
Taught Speech & Debate course, Cary Chinese School
Teach personal and professional development courses, Cary NC
Teach Mindfulness and meditation classes, Cary NC
Mindfulness and Stress-reduction Training
Yoga Nidra Certification, 2023
Meditation Retreat, Won Buddhism Meditation Temple, Chapel Hill NC
7 day Zen Buddhism Meditation Retreat, Plum Village, FR
12 month Tai Chi (moving meditation) Training, Taoist Tai Chi Society, Raleigh NC
4 day Acceptance and Commitment Training, Raleigh, NC
3 day Training -ACT with Compassion: Deepening your Skill in Working with Highly Self-critical Clients (an ACT Immersion Camp), Bon Secours Center, MD
5 day Course- Insight Dialogue Meditation Retreat, Southern Dharma Center, NC
10 day Silent Vipassana Meditation Training, Harrisonburg VA
8 week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Course, Duke Integrative Medicine, Durham NC
Day of Mindfulness Retreat, Duke Integrative Medicine
6 week Mindfulness Yoga Course, Won Buddhism Temple, Raleigh NC
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workshop, Raleigh NC
Mindfulness Classes and Teachings, Kadampa Center
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioral Training, Raleigh NC
2 day Meditation Retreat, Won Buddhism Meditation Temple, Chapel Hill NC
All Day Meditation Retreat, Efland NC
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training
ACT Workshop with Steven Hayes, co-founder of ACT
ACT-based Coaching training
Numerous Meditation, Tai Chi, Yoga Nidra, Mindfulness Courses
over the past 20 years
Professional and Community Affiliations
International Coach Federation, Member for 10 years
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, Member
ACBS Coaching Special Interest Group, Member
Additional Training and Influences:
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Certified Master Coach, Center for Coaching Certification, an International Coach Federation training program
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Certified Professional Coach, Center for Coaching Certification
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Be an Amazing Career Coach, CCC
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M.P.A. in Managerial Leadership and Strategic Planning, Webster University School of Business and Technology
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B.A. in Political Science with concentration in Speech Communication, Northern Kentucky University
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NCDCR Leadership Development Program
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NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Connections Teacher Training Program
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FEMA, IPER Train-the-Trainer Institute Program
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Served 3 years as Worksite Wellness Committee Chair
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Competent Communicator Designation, Toastmaster's International Communication Program
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Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)
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Relaxation, Guided Meditation, Stress-reduction training (over 1500 hours)
"Rebecca is truly objective and best intentioned in bringing out one's true journey or nature in life."
-Trish Kelly Belock
"The first thing I felt when we started our session was trust and professionalism. Rebecca's confident and calm nature made me feel immediately at ease and focused. Her ability to look at my decision in ways I never would have considered really took away some of my anxiety. I can't wait to work with her again!"
-K. Rockhold
"I first hired Rebecca to help me present my services to potential customers in 2009, and was very impressed with her knowledge and experience in public speaking. She was very personable and detail observant, and it was a pleasure working with her. I highly recommend Rebecca as a public speaking coach."
-Mary Chen, President, Chen Language Services
"Rebecca's coaching is straightforward and illuminating--she can discern one's strengths and weakness and propose just the right regimen to improve one's relationship with oneself and the world in which he or she interacts. I wholeheartedly endorse her work as a life coach."
-Ronald L.
"How do you prepare for a job interview when you have no idea what questions will be asked? Rebecca helped me do just that! The tools and tips she gave me were great. I walked into the room feeling prepared to answer any question I would be asked. I felt more confident than I ever have entering the room where the interview took place, and it was the first time ever that I left a job interview feeling that I gave adequate answers to the questions asked. I highly recommend Rebecca Cooley; she taught me some valuable strategies that I will be able to use in my future endeavors."
-A. Van Elsue
"Through working with Rebecca, I have more clearly defined what I enjoy in life and what I want to get out of life. With that I have developed goals to pursue the things that I truly value. Rebecca then helped me define manageable action steps to get from point A to point B with accountability that helped me break the complicated wishes and desires into tangible steps for which I could take immediate action. The profound take away I had was to sit down and look at different facets of my life to identify my core values. I accomplished this through focus and by becoming more mindful of my feelings and emotions. During each of our conversations, Rebecca demonstrated a true sense of genuineness. Her no judgment approach encouraged me to dream big. And with big dreams have come new and exciting opportunities. My confidence has soared and my jovial, fun, and charismatic personality emerged — I have become more of the me I want to be."
-J. Kenney
Rebecca Cooley, CMC, MPA
Certified Master Coach and Instructor
MPA in Managerial Leadership and Strategic Planning
Founder/CEO
