See What’s Possible: Real Stories from Leaders Like You
These are leaders who were already capable, already thoughtful — and still stuck in ways they couldn’t quite name. What changed wasn’t their circumstances. It was how they saw themselves, their choices, and what they were willing to claim.
This is what’s possible when you stop managing your dragons and start befriending them.
Case Studies
Lisa Mae Brunson, Founder and Chief Visionary at Wonder Women Tech
The Leader’s Challenge: Funding was dwindling, and burnout was taking hold. Overcommitment—driven by identity-based expectations—was draining my energy. I felt torn between stepping away and pushing forward, unsure of how to sustain both my passion and my well-being.
How They Worked With Cindy: Cindy helped me cut through the overwhelm and pinpoint what truly mattered. She guided me in setting clear boundaries for myself and my team, ensuring our focus stayed on revenue-generating and fulfilling work. With her insight, I recognized the importance of stepping back from unpaid, non-essential tasks that were consuming my time and energy.
The Transformation: I gained clarity, agency, and a leadership approach aligned with my values. I no longer felt the need to overextend myself to prove my worth. Instead, I redefined success on my own terms, taking control of my decisions and reclaiming my time, energy, and joy.
Stacia Varga, CEO and Founder at Data Inspirations
The Leader’s Challenge: During a high-pressure technical project, Stacia recognized that her long-standing coping strategies were no longer serving her. She found herself caught in a cycle of exhausting self-criticism and self-doubt that logic alone couldn’t break.
How They Worked With Cindy: Cindy’s gift for asking the right questions cut through the internal noise. She gave Stacia a framework to identify and interrupt unhelpful patterns — stopping the “powering through” spiral before it could take hold. Through deep self-reflection, Stacia reconnected with a grounded, more authentic version of herself.
The Transformation: Instead of burning energy just to cope, Stacia now channels it into making good things happen — professionally and personally. She’s moving forward with renewed self-trust, joy, and the tools to stop surviving her challenges and start living with intention and genuine confidence.
Josephine Bush, Principal Database Engineer & Microsoft Data Platform MVP
The Leader’s Challenge: Navigating workplace culture as a woman in tech often means facing biases, self-doubt, and uncertainty in decision-making. Josephine struggled to see new possibilities within her existing role and needed a way to gain confidence without changing her circumstances.
How They Worked With Cindy: Through private coaching, Cindy helped Josephine shift her perspective and recognize unseen options. With guidance and practical tools, she learned to separate workplace biases from her true value—unlocking a new sense of confidence and clarity.
The Transformation: Josephine emerged from coaching with renewed self-assurance, able to own her value in a way that reshaped how she navigates challenges. Cindy’s empowering approach made a lasting impact, giving her the perspective and strategies to thrive.
Kelsey Farabaugh, Principal Product Manager
The Leader’s Challenge: I was surrounded by everyone else’s perspective—so much so that their voices drowned out my own. My confidence, ambition, and voice had faded, leaving my professional well-being at its lowest point.
How They Worked With Cindy: Cindy helped me recognize that others’ perspectives were just that—their perspectives. With her guidance, I learned to separate bias from actionable feedback and focus only on what was truly useful for moving forward. Reframing these voices allowed me to hear my own again.
The Transformation: I reclaimed my voice, confidence, and ambition. Now, I set goals based on my own values rather than seeking external validation. Cindy’s sage guidance, perspective, and advice have forever changed how I navigate my professional path.
Andrea A., Small Business Owner
The Leader’s Challenge: I struggled with deep-seated fears and resistance around money mindset in my business. My hesitations held me back from making confident financial decisions, and I kept deflecting instead of facing the hard truths I needed to address.
How They Worked With Cindy: Cindy’s incredible intuition picked up on the subtle BS and avoidance tactics I didn’t even realize I was using. She asked incisive, perfectly timed questions—ones that cut through the fog and got to the heart of the issue. Her supportive yet direct approach challenged me in all the right ways, guiding me to confront what was truly holding me back and shift my mindset. She didn’t allow room for deflection, which accelerated my progress in ways I never imagined.
The Transformation: I made more progress in overcoming my financial fears than I had in the past six years. With Cindy’s guidance, I gained clarity, confidence, and decisiveness in my business decisions. Her deep insights and powerful coaching style helped me embrace a growth-oriented mindset and step into financial empowerment.
Ready to Find Your Way Through?
What Changes When You Befriend Your Dragons
Shifts That Happen in the Work
“Her ability to ask the right question at the right time cut through my resistance and led to profound breakthroughs.”
“Talking things through is a relief—it’s good to get it out of my head and share.”
“I really needed help being myself for a while, and Cindy created the space for me to rediscover who I am.”
“Cindy’s coaching helped me redefine success on my own terms, freeing me from the pressure to overperform for external validation.”
“I’m the only one I need approval from.”
“I now approach workplace challenges with confidence, knowing my strengths and values guide my decisions.”
“I can design my own path to the future.”
“I make time to be intentional with myself and speak my truth, not just what I think others want to hear.”
“Cindy’s insights on systemic inequities gave me the strength to navigate my career with clarity and resilience.”
Client Reflections
Cindy has a way of sifting through the noise of logistics and emotions, to get at the heart of an issue. She invests heavily in the experience, and success, of her clients — and her investment is obvious through the entire coaching experience. She is a powerful coach, and she has the ability to not only ask critical questions at the right time, but to model the questions you will need to ask yourself moving forward on a sustainable path to thriving.
My time working with Cindy was powerful. No matter the topic, I was able to cut through the noise that I thought I had already resolved, and come out on the other side better able to identify my desired path forward. Because of her services, I am a more intentional, curious, and confident person — and her impact in my life has been extraordinary.
If you are looking for a coach who invests with their whole self, while supporting you in befriending your own dragons — hire Cindy TODAY!!!
dr. sarahlloyd, PhD
Chief of Community and Leadership Development at Washington State Charter School Commission
What I appreciate most is her willingness to say hard things and call out inequities in a way that invites conversation rather than shuts it down.
Cindy is smart, resourceful and intolerant of all forms of inequities. She puts that focus to work in everything she does.
Jeni Craswell
President & CEO at Leadership Eastside
Cindy leverages her lived experience and coaching expertise to help people better understand issues from the perspective of people whose lives are different from ours. I participated in an anti-racism group that Cindy ran in 2021, and I looked forward to the insightful and honest discussions in every session. The program opened my eyes in many ways. Thanks to my work with Cindy, I now think about whose voices I am amplifying when I share something or buy a book.
Julia Freer
Communication that Supports Businesses on their Sustainability Journeys
Working with and learning from Cindy is an honor. Creating a learning environment to better ourselves through understanding intersections in life and how we can set examples to further social equity and diversity are the most worthy goals. I am so grateful to have been part of one of Cindy’s groups and grow from that experience to further understand how I can contribute as a business owner to the social good of my community.
Jessica Drake
Owner at Room to Craft
I recently worked with Cindy in a one-on-one session after participating in market research with her. She was empathetic, asked questions that truly made me think, and helped me hone in on a next step I could take in growing my business in a way that is sustainable and authentic to me. Her approach made me at ease, and she handled vulnerable conversations with poise and understanding. I am looking forward to finding ways to work with Cindy in the future, and I hope anyone considering whether or not to work with her will see this and take the leap!
Caroline Weeks Digital Marketing Consultant | CEO & Founder, Southern Grit Digital
Cindy is an exceptional coach who cares deeply about her clients. As a Systems Coach, she has a rare ability to help you see what’s actually happening — not just what’s visible on the surface — and how you’re functioning within it. She is an unabashed disruptor who leads you to insights about yourself, where your energy is going, and where you may be quietly compensating for friction that was never yours to carry alone.
Cindy’s initial assessment gently probes and prods you to dig deep for answers. Like the best coaches, her response to your initial replies are “tell me more” and “what does that mean to you?” — moving you beyond the theoretical and toward actionable navigation practices you can implement on your journey.
Lynn Juniel Founder, MissionFirst
I have been a beneficiary of being coached and supported and accompanied in my growth as a woman of color professional by Cindy.
Her selfless service to women, and her high expertise, from experience, and also scholarship, of the challenges for women of breaking the glass ceiling and creating new systems where all can thrive, is impactful.
When Cindy talks, there is knowledge and power in her voice, especially because she utilizes it for women everywhere.
Mahtab Mahmoodzadeh Assistant Head of School, Giddens School | Creative Strategist
Cindy has a talent for asking just the right question that not only initiates deep thought resulting in great insights, but also cuts through the fog to get to what’s really going on. Her supportive and direct approach clears the way for incredible growth and very fast progress for those who are open, do the work, and are willing to put themselves in Cindy’s hands.
I made more, and more significant progress with my business money mindset issues — which I have been battling for 6 years — than I have made with any other coach. I needed someone to help me face a number of hard things. It was time to rip off the bandaid — in a MOST supportive way — and deal with those hard things. That someone was Cindy.
Small Business Owner
I reached out to Cindy during a high-pressure technical project when I realized my long-standing coping strategies were no longer serving me. Since the loss of my husband a few years ago, I have discovered that my internal response to stress has shifted, leading me into a cycle of exhausting self-criticism and self-doubt that logic alone couldn’t fix.
Cindy has a remarkable gift for asking the right questions that cut through that internal noise. She gave me a framework to rethink unhelpful patterns and stop the ‘powering through’ spiral before it starts. Her nudges toward deep self-reflection helped me find a grounded, more authentic version of myself that had been sidelined while I was just focused on staying afloat.
Instead of exhausting myself just trying to cope, I now have the tools to put that energy back into making good things happen, both professionally and personally. I am moving forward with a renewed sense of self-trust and joy. I highly recommend Cindy to any professional who is ready to stop just surviving their challenges and start living their life with intention and genuine confidence.
Stacia Varga
CEO and Founder – Data Inspirations
Cindy has amazing insight into workplace discrimination, sexism and racism related issues particularly in tech industry. She is also a great listener and has ability to help people find what they are good at without a lot of effort. I was able to find the alternate direction I needed with her help. I highly recommend her coaching and guidance.
Mala Mahadevan
Database Engineer & Community Leader
I cannot thank Cindy enough for the incredible breakthrough she helped me achieve. I had been struggling with a business problem for over a year, and despite all my efforts, I couldn’t seem to find a solution. In just one session with Cindy, everything changed.
What made the session so impactful was Cindy’s exceptional ability to guide me through the process. She didn’t offer solutions; instead, she skillfully asked the right questions and created an open, supportive space that allowed me to uncover the solution on my own. Her approach helped me see the problem from a completely new perspective—one I hadn’t considered before—and that clarity was exactly what I needed to move forward.
Cindy has a rare talent for helping people unlock their own potential. Her expertise, intuition, and thoughtful guidance made all the difference, and I am so grateful for the positive impact she has had on my business. If you’re feeling stuck, I highly recommend working with Cindy. She truly has a gift for helping people find clarity and solutions when they need them most.
She has skillfully coached me through some of the most challenging times in my business and personal life. I HIGHLY recommend her!
Kate Amber, MSc
Developer of the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ of Coercive Control
I went to Cindy for coaching professionally when an unexpected family upheaval occurred in my life. Her insight proved extremely revelatory and helped me navigate it well. Cindy challenges you and also provides warm support. Coaching with her was eye opening. Her insights on being a woman in technology gave me strength when I thought I might be going crazy. I highly recommend coaching with Cindy for anyone, but particularly women in tech.
Julie Smith, MSDA
Data Technologist
I highly recommend befriending your dragons with Cindy! Over 4 short sessions, the personal growth I enjoyed was uplifting and well exceeded my expectations. Past coaching experiences left me feeling lost, unworthy of change, and anxious for the sessions to end. Sessions with Cindy were enlightening and very enjoyable! Anytime I brought up a topic Cindy demonstrated deep intellectual knowledge and compassion helping me naturally reach the root-cause of the barrier I was facing. By providing solid advice, guidance, and self-affirmations Cindy helped me strengthen my empowerment! I can confidently say I have greatly benefited from Cindy’s insights which will continue aiding my self-development into the future!
Kaytie Clough
Production Planner
Cindy consistently grew my awareness, raised my consciousness, and contributed to creating a safe space for exploration of issues facing women in the workplace or as business owners. Her ability to coach, ask insightful questions, show leadership, responsiveness, strategic solutions for systems was always appreciated and valued by myself and other members. I also always felt how strongly she cared that each and every one of us thrived. Highly recommended.
Erin Keam
Marketing & Shopaholic Support, Money On Her Mind, Podcaster
“Simply OUTSTANDING – my favorite session of the conference!”
”The applause for ALL the #DataWIT speakers would be DEAFENING in person, but I think it’s possible @CindyGross would’ve brought down the damn house.”
“Best session ever!”
“Whew, @CindyGross is closing this #DataWIT session with heavy truths.”
“One of the best presentations on this topic I’ve seen.”
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