Testimonials

About five years ago, late in my career, I started coaching with Natalie. We met at a leadership conference that addressed women’s issues in non-traditional and senior positions. Through 30+ years in executive coaching and her own life experience Natalie possesses untold wisdom and ability to understand human behavior, and ways to manage the only thoughts and behaviors we have any control over…. our own. That requires keen self-awareness that I learned through coaching with Natalie in a safe, non-judgmental, and loving environment. It was a journey of mutual trust that allowed me to safely open up, see myself more clearly, (good, bad, ugly and marvelous); understand how I show up to the world, and how that impacts everything in life.

I had enjoyed a successful career by most measures, generally happy, and a good personal life. I also experienced plenty of self-doubt, fear and all the negative self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that “create” more of the same.

Through coaching with Natalie, I recognized that we always have choice……and that led to a greater sense of freedom and power. It’s hard to keep beating the hell out of yourself when you can see what you are doing.

While I wish I had met Natalie earlier in life, coaching with her is one of the best things I ever did. It was hard work, and continues to be a lifelong process of daily work. Through Natalie I learned practical tools to deal with my “inner voice” and better serve myself and others around me.

Thank you, Natalie. You are amazing. You will forever have my deepest respect, admiration, gratitude, and love.

I’ll never forget the moment, sailing together on a cruise of the Boston Harbor for a Meetings Industry Council event. This woman was chosen by God at such a pivotal time in my life and career to be the bearer of truth-telling that set me on a journey of self-love. I’ll never forget Natalie’s hands on my face, her eyes fixed on mine, as she leaned in and whispered, “Its time to have a love affair.” At first I thought she might be gay and was propositioning me, but when she saw the confusion on my face, she clarified the message – “with yourself.” That not only became my lifetime quest, but has also become my life’s purpose to help other women and girls do the same. For how can we love one another if we don’t know how to love ourselves? More importantly, how can we love ourselves if we don’t know that we are madly loved by God? What began as a career has been transformed into a ministry. You never know how one encounter can alter the trajectory of a person’s life. Thank you Natalie Manor for being God’s messenger on that fateful day!

Natalie and I coached together for several months…my behavioral shifts are many and valuable. Instead of getting immediately frustrated, I am not exasperated – I have a choice of how I use my energy and time. I learned that it is ok to be very good at what I am doing. My listening and hearing with empathy has drastically improved and provided a great deal of value to my team interactions and daily projects. There is a confidence that I have gained that allows me to manage and lead even with counter opinions and people of authority. The best outcome has been my awareness of my talents and strengths and my confidence in engaging easily with complicated and sometimes non directive communication – I am better able to think before taking action.

I am so thankful that a dear friend recommended Natalie to me.  At the start of our time together I felt defeated and unsure if my career path had come to an end.  I had my doubts and never really knew what to expect.  Natalie helped me sort through the minutiae and bring back a focus that I thought I had lost forever.  Her advice was on target and I could immediately see how interactions I once dreaded now I could handle with complete confidence.  This new found confidence has opened up a whole new world that I would have missed out on if I had not engaged with Natalie.

I have worked with Natalie for nearly 3 years now, and don’t know where I would be without our work together. These years have been difficult, with some serious health issues and some big shifts in the industry that I’ve been working in, as well as my own resistance to the very change that I have been wanting for so long.

More times than I can count, Natalie helped me shift my perspective so that I could continue working productively, keeping me moving through circumstances that would have brought me to a standstill before she and I started working together. She has been endlessly patient, encouraging, and insightful, and never gave up even when I pushed back out of stubbornness, fear, and/or frustration or anger with myself. Her willingness to be available to me throughout a crisis helped me stay focused and come through it in one piece.

I am now in the beginning stages of a new endeavor, and know that I will be able to move forward from a position of strength thanks to Natalie’s understanding of how I operate and what is necessary to help me step into my chosen path.

Finally, Natalie introduced me to Emotional Freedom Technique/EFT/tapping, which I use daily. It is a truly powerful tool for overcoming practically anything that has me stuck. It enables me to stay calm through difficult circumstances, and helps me to build new, productive habits and attitudes in place of old, unhelpful ones.

– Sue M., Southern Pines, NC  

“The end of 2016 marks a year that I have been working with Natalie as my coach, and this has been one of the best decisions of my life. At just over 60 years old, I had experienced a successful career and good life, in spite of some habits/behaviors……choices that were not working in my favor and in fact self-sabotaging. I was experiencing a crisis in confidence, and I met Natalie at the right time to recognize this in me and help me come to a wonderful awareness that is enriching my life beyond what I had expected. With awareness comes the freedom to choose, and that changes everything.

With patience and compassion, she helped me recognize my resistance to change and letting go of habits and “stories” I had created that were no longer serving me. She does this in a practical way through the right questions, and I came to better understand the origin of some of my behaviors/reactions. I am learning how to change through practical, simple tools and guidance from a very experienced, talented and trusted coach. It has taken time, work and commitment …and it is so worth it.

I am moving from a place of chaos and “overwhelmed” to spending a lot more time in the present and caring for self and loved ones. I am more competent and confident at work and personally. And most importantly I am learning “how” to make this a lifetime habit. I am reinvigorated and excited about endless possibilities. I only wish I had done this many years ago…but now is wonderful and I highly recommend taking the plunge with Natalie!”

– Vice President of Business Development, Denver 

Thank you so very much, my dear Natalie. I love you forever and will recommend your coaching wherever I can. This has been a magnificent journey! My objective has been met, which was to have a trustworthy, kind and brilliant person to whom I could confide every aspect of my life, to sort things through and to feel open again to life and its possibilities. I so appreciate all that you have shared with me, your delightfully amusing, powerful and caring observations, your intuitive knowledge, your love. I am deeply touched by your ability to know and support me just as I dreamed and felt you would from our first chat.

So here is our success: I feel good about myself and all my personal and professional relationships, and can sense and imagine ways of feeling even better. I am most excited about the ongoing adventure into being, which is a great alternative to feeling doomed to being a lifelong caregiver!

– Cynthia Cross, Business Woman, Business Owner, Chico, CA 

Work with Natalie.  Every day you will be glad you took this important, wonderful step for yourself, your career, your life.  Natalie listens; and, her all-encompassing approach to coaching brings benefits to your career, your relationships and your well-being.  She reminds and strengthens our own voice to be the confident advocate that we give to others.  She helps you find the best in you for you.

– Lisa Alderman, MBA, Business Development and Non-Profit Strategy Professional, Virginia

Imagine that you’ve just been elected President of the Board of Trustees of a small progressive protestant church (non-denominational) in a small southern city, struggling to remain open after several months without a pastor. There was a screaming leadership vacuum, and into this quicksand we invited Natalie Manor, life coach and business counselor to not only teach us how to treat the church as a business, but to become our Spiritual Leader as well.

To borrow a phrase from the Peace Corps, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever loved. We are finally achieving some fiscal stability and because we have learned how to work together and depend upon each other, we have developed more trust than I ever would have believed possible in such a diverse group of talents and personalities. We now know how to manage unexpected events and maintain a stable schedule of church activities. Without Natalie’s encouragement, skills teaching and strategies, and counseling, we might have already closed our doors because when she took us on, our church was definitely on life support. She gave us exactly what we needed: confidence to manage well on our own, and that is a priceless gift.

– Wendy Oliver, Former Teacher, BOD President

Natalie helped to strip away and diffuse years and layers of emotional pain and defensive coping mechanisms that were keeping me from living my best life. Natalie’s skills are such a precious gift! If you are interested in finding your stumbling blocks and removing them to begin living your life in the most wonderful way, I would definitely recommend working with Natalie.

Natalie’s coaching is the best present I have ever given myself, and I continue to use my learnings every day because I can do this on my own now. It will absolutely change your life, and you won’t be disappointed.

– LM, Kingsport, TN

My improvement with my communication skills made me a more efficient and capable problem solver in both my professional and personal life. As a business owner, Natalie and Business Communication Etiquette helped me to be a better communicator and recipient of information. You destroyed the skeptic in me…this really works!

– Kim Smith, Owner, American Import Services, Johnson City, TN

I have and continue to enjoy my coaching experience you. You were there for me. I could say anything I wanted to say as it was an enjoyable and comfortable relationship.

I think we are all perpetual learners. Although in this situation I was the student and you were the teacher, you always made me feel as though I was an equal, and that this interaction was a two-way street, which I appreciate.

Your coaching methods made me fell safe, and I think that that was the key to learning – to feel safe and comfortable with the information and processes. I have learned about my communication style and how to marry competence and confidence.

Thank you for all your help.

– Patricia Hanson, Former Director, GSI Group, Laser Systems Division

NMA has been the cornerstone in our process of team building. Instrumental in this has been the process of creating and maintaining trust in the management team. Natalie, you made this as seamless as possible and the results have proven a more stable, effective, and highly efficient team. This rethinking at the higher levels has enabled us to implement and see benefits to begin to affect our extensive organization.

I know at NMA I will always deal with a team which is personable, professional, I would say I can identify with and who I believe is necessary for the growth of the company.

Our management team has progressed in their ability to easily and confidently communicate.

– LaRae Kraemer, President and CEO, Kansas State Federal Credit Union

She’s a good listener, partner and motivator. She’s frank, truthful, knows where she’s coming from and has no hidden agendas. She has the ability to help clients face their situation and brings hidden issues to the surface.

– Mary Warzecha, CEO

Natalie brings out the best in me. Helps me discover something new about myself every day. Dynamic, gentle and loving. Teaches me to reach deep and go for the gold. Reminds me that everything I need is already within waiting to be discovered, nurtured, cherished … and that’s the truth!

– Cheryl Costa, Business Owner

Natalie is very intelligent, focused, driven and very good! She’s an excellent listener. She has the ability to draw out what the hidden issues are. She’s excellent in getting you to do your tasks. She has the ability and experience to assess a situation very quickly. She’s subtle, she’s a motivator, counselor, very caring and has great credentials. Natalie was the best thing I’ve done for myself.

– Don Davidson, Mayor

Natalie provided the required blend of counseling, advice, listening, encouragement, contacts, and “kick-in-the-pants” motivation I needed to take my business from a one-person operation to a company of sixteen. Natalie is the best!

Terry Traut, Business Owner

Natalie, oh Natalie, where do I even begin….

My life will forever be changed by my journeys with Natalie. I say journeys, because that is exactly what they are to me. Our work together is not just a session or an experience, it is all encompassing. We go up, down, and all around lol.

I was feeling lost and unsure of myself and my future when I first reached out to Natalie. And I am forever thankful to my dear friend and colleague who recommended her to me. I remember the overwhelming emotions that surfaced in our first conversation and how quickly she touched my heart and mind. Trust was never a question for me even though I was not one to trust very quickly. She earned my trust in minutes and had an instant impact on me. The shifts that I have made both personally and professionally have been a blessing to me, my family, and my colleagues. My relationships with myself and others have grown in ways I never imagined. I now have tools to help me navigate all aspects of life and she has helped me realize the potential I have within me.

This might sound cheesy but it is so true… Natalie has a passion for gardening which most people would think are only skills related to plants. But this lovely lady also knows how to “prune and feed” people to help them grow and bloom into their best self. I cannot say enough about my amazing journey with Natalie and how grateful I am to have her in my life.

One last thing, if you are reading this you are likely already considering a coach. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to take that step and reach out to Natalie. Do it for you, because you are worth it!

Natalie has this special gift of meeting you right where you are in your life. She speaks hope and vision into a logical brain like mine. Natalie has given me tools that I will be able to use for many more years, professionally and personally. I love her approach, it is filled with truth and care. I am not looking for feel good fluff, I want real change and Natalie Manor can cause just that!

Natalie is so amazingly well rounded in her wisdom that I have asked her about everything from childhood traumas, to health and nutrition, to management advice, to mom and mother in law diplomacy, to spousal communication, to communication with toddlers. She really knows so much and shares with ease solutions based approaches for whatever I was dealing with.

Before I started working with Natalie i felt anxious and worried about almost everything almost all of the time. Nothing felt fine, everything felt like my lack of effort and organization was depriving my family and my life from being as great as they could be. After the first 6 months of coaching calls with Natalie, this generalized anxiety I’d carried with me through my entire life dissolved. My natural state of being is now a sense of peace and acceptance and contentedness. I still long for things, or get worried about this that or the other, but these feelings come and go and I arrive back to my natural state. Now after spending 2 years with Natalie so much has changed. My relationship with my husband has completely changed from an unrecognized lack of communication and sharing that was expressed with lots of bickering, to a full open loving and accepting partnership. With Natalie’s guidance and encouragement I have mentored and transformed one of my weakest employees into a star player. I have learned invaluable tools to help clearly, simply and lovingly discipline my 5 year old daughter and show her how to express her strong emotions of anger safely. What has been the most valuable about my time with Natalie, is that she is so accepting and encouraging. It is very powerful to have such wise council in my corner acknowledging that what I am doing is hard work and that she is proud of me. Having that solid and loving support has been so validating and restorative. I can’t recommend Natalie’s coaching enough. It is truly a transformative and wonderful experience.

I approached Natalie Manor at a conference, hoping for a few minutes of her time and a couple of pearls of wisdom regarding a work “Situation”. What I received was vastly more than I could have imagined.

Natalie immediately dedicated two hours of her day and gave me her undivided attention. Those two hours were transformational.  She brought clarity and compassion to an issue that I was battling for months. I was at a dead end and her input helped me open up an entirely new road ahead.  For the first time, I was able to understand the emotions behind my fears, and learn where those fears originated.  My “Situation” transformed into just a manageable situation, by removing the old emotions and thought patterns. I was then able to address the situation calmly and professionally. It was empowering!

I am now able to use this new technique broadly, and it has helped me deal with other situations far beyond the first one that drove my initial request.  Natalie is a very gifted, perceptive and motivational coach who made a significant impact in my life.

I would like to take a moment to highly endorse Natalie Manor for your executive coaching needs. Working with Natalie is an experience I will always look upon as transformantional. She listened and helped me identify the challenges I was facing. She is compassionate in her approach and helped me focus on change and self-improvement. Natalie helped me to become more aware of the elements of communication and management situations that I could control and change for the better.

As a result of our time together, I have seen an improvement in performance and job satisfaction in my team members, a greater self-confidence in my own ability to lead and an increased positive perception about my leadership that has led to new opportunities I never thought possible.

My management style has significantly changed after the work  Natalie and I have done together. I am well prepared to continue to learn and grow.

As a manager I feel that I have a better handle on how to drive engagement with my team and empower my team members to be more cohesive while they push themselves to grow professionally.  I came away from each coaching session with a clearer understanding of how people might respond to my actions and how I could improve my skills. This awareness allowed me to improve my leadership style, which ultimately benefited my organization as a whole. A better leader leads to a stronger organization.

I have become a better leader due to the benefits of having Natalie as my executive coach.   

Natalie brings an element of surprise, offers a fresh, creative approach and jolts you out of old patterns of thinking. Her coaching perspective is customized, very holistic addresses what’s happening to the whole person, strategically sound. Her advice is really sound, objective, focused and relevant.

You really helped change my life. I was in such a strange/dark place and you are one of the amazing women who really touched my life and inspired me the perfect way I needed.
I am doing great.  My life has taken an awesome new direction and is filled with so much love and light!   Thank you again for everything you gave me!

– Amy Endress, Advertising Media Consulting

I highly recommend Natalie as a coach, a counselor, a listener, and finally a friend. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine how I would have coped and made it through such a tumultuous time in my life without her constant support. The value I gained from working with Natalie was extremely significant and worth it.
I first met Natalie through a trusted colleague. I was told that she had helped my colleague with some company departmental communication at her previous place of work. At first I thought to myself, “What does a career coach really do?” I was so intrigued and knew I was soon to be at a point in life where I needed very sound career and personal advice that my wife, friends, and colleagues would not be able to offer me due to timing and conflicts of interest as I moved from my hometown to the opposite side of the country to live near my wife’s family in Los Angeles and leaving my father’s company behind me.
The first call was very pleasant and Natalie was very energetic and clear about a six month agreement and fixed price. Soon to be unemployed, I thought it was a lot of money. Looking back after six months and one year, I think how it probably never would have worked out as well as it did without her constant support and advice both in my personal day to day life as well career ideas she gave me to find the job that I really wanted. At the end of five long months of job searching, twenty-six job applications, and twelve interviews, I found the perfect position for me. Natalie was there keeping me going through the hardest parts of being turned down and dealing with living with in-laws and my two young boys.
Again, I would highly recommend Natalie as a coach for you and developing the next best steps in your personal life and career.

– Dan Robinette, Executive Management, Los Angeles, CA

NMA helped our management team to become better communicators and cognizant of our effective behavior in our business environment.

I initially hired Natalie Manor & Associates to help me with an employee communication issue that I had been unable to solve. NMA turned what I expected to be a very confrontational initial meeting, between two employees who had stopped talking to each other, into a productive communication session. I was impressed with their ability to get the employees to openly discuss issues that they were very emotional about.

I have since worked with NMA on projects with several of our other employees. They run meetings in a highly professional manner and are not afraid to ask uncomfortable questions to get to the heart of an issue. They are able to be direct with her message without being threatening. Our greatest benefit from working with NMA has been the improved communication between our senior management team. She has made us more aware of what information we need to better communicate and the most effective ways to deliver that information.

This consistent and continuous self-improvement was key to our success and growth as a technical company.

– Richie Torbett, President, Networking and Computers

I was feeling lost, depressed, and overwhelmed when I signed up with Natalie Manor. Instantly, I felt like she understood what I was going through. With her knowledgeable guidance, I learned to listen to my heart, not my head, and to believe in myself again. I learned it is okay to focus on doing one or two things at a time and not beat myself up over the ten things I’m not doing at any given moment. She taught me the skills I needed to move forward.

One of the most beneficial tools she has given me is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – a powerful technique that helps provide relief and improvement in my emotional and physical issues as they arise.

In Natalie, I found a loving supportive ally, an advocate, someone who wanted the best for me and from me, someone who changed my behavior by helping me explore ideas and make my own choices without telling me what to do. She comforted me during my struggles and celebrated my victories — all without judgment. Who would not want someone like that in their life? I consider Natalie’s coaching and my relationship with her one of the best gifts I ever gave myself.

– Linda Hicks, Bristol, TN

NMA has been working with our organization for several months and I wanted you to know that you were the first name which came to mind when we had problems in our working environment. I felt “Natalie could fix this”.

Your continued work with me has been insightful and has generated a curiosity within me to find a method of solving the communication and team issues in the workplace. The benefit of this was an awareness which helped me to see who I am and how I am perceived by others in the management team and organization. I also appreciate now being able to confidently determine how to create effectiveness.

Thank you for your continued work with our team.

– Angie Reed, Marketing & Business Development Manager, K-State Federal Credit Union

Working with Natalie and her team is like working with an extension of my staff. They have always been available for my team and me just as if they worked for our company. NMA as an organization has been great. We have had the luxury of utilizing Natalie and her key members for our coaching and training. As a team, our biggest challenge was trust. Communication was not good because we did not trust each other with information and/or follow-up. After working with Natalie and her team, we have begun to open up and hold each other accountable so the trust can be built. The communication has improved beyond my expectations. Natalie worked with me one-on-one and many of my staff one-on-one to help us achieve these impressive results.

– Collette Sorgel, Former Vice President, TDS Telecom

I believe the creation of an environment at work, which encourages and challenges people to improve their communication skills and fosters learning is one of the most important contributions an executive can make in today’s world. A learning environment such as this will allow any organization to be more responsive, improve service, and enhance employee and customer satisfaction. I have found that access to leadership and communication training has been a major positive influence in my career, and has helped me become a more effective leader in my organization.

– Peter Gosline, CEO, Monadnock Community Hospital

Natalie is energetic, has good organizational skills and is knowledgeable about long term planning. She has the ability to get to core issues, suggests what to do and helps you with implementation. She offers growth from management to leadership. She helped me prioritize activities and to become more time efficient. She’s taught me that outcomes or goals are not just numbers or business, it’s a package consisting of attitude, happiness and health which will make me more rounded. Natalie helped me get to the root of solving my employee issues.

– Marc Epstein, CEO

Natalie is knowledgeable about human nature. She is 98% always right! She has great analysis skills to get to the bottom of issues and gives good advice. She has excellent business savvy, experience and acumen. She helped accelerate my career, faster than I ever could have on my own in three years.

– Jane Sullivan-Durand, MD

She is capable of evaluating business strengths and weaknesses. She has a nonjudgmental way of pointing out strengths and weaknesses. She offers unconditional acceptance and has the ability to feedback information in a clear form. Natalie is vivacious and totally supportive.

– Judy Dibble, President