BRANDISS PAYNE

Vice President, Continuous Improvement

Before working with Kristen, I thought executive coaching was primarily about improving leadership skills. What I learned is that the best coaching changes both what people see and what they don't.

Over the past two years, Kristen has helped me strengthen executive skills such as communication, presentations, influence, and executive presence. More importantly, she helped me build confidence, advocate for myself, trust my judgment, and challenge the internal stories that were limiting my growth.

She helped me get clear on the leadership roles I wanted, develop a strategy to pursue them, and build capabilities that extend far beyond any single position. As a result, I stepped into a larger leadership role feeling prepared, confident, and authentic.

Working with Kristen fundamentally changed how I show up as a leader and a human. The ripple effects have touched every aspect of my career and life. If you're a high-potential leader, executive, or someone navigating significant change, you won't find a better partner in your growth.

SEAN GRIM

CFO, Strategic Finance Executive

Kristen always brings her best to any and all interacts. She provides you with great insights and makes you think outside of your normal perimeters. The ability to just sit and throw ideas back and forth helps to get you aligned to what you truly desire, but at the same time she does not let you get too far out in front of your skis. She has an interesting mix of practical but yet strategic direction which will help you through difficult times and ensure that you are firmly planted in your greatest opportunities. (see more here)

RUBY ESCALANTE-DEVITTO

Senior Sales + Marketing Leader and Business Owner

Kristen has been an inspiration! Her program helped me get the job I wanted then, but it also helped me re-discover what brings passion into my life. I am now following my dream and working on accomplishing it! Without Kristen's help, I'm not sure where I'd be. She's a fantastic coach with an incomparable energy that will always remind you that you can accomplish anything you set your heart to.

BRIGITTE AMSBERRY

Business Owner and Former Prison Warden

Coaching with Kristen has taken me from a soul sucking job to a place where I wake up each day with a smile on my face and an entirely different way of living. I have no doubt that I would still be stuck in the never ending hustle of the daily grind had it not been for our work together. I highly recommend coaching with Kristen. She’s one of a kind.

DENESE CARTY

Financial Executive

As a finance professional with over 30 years of experience. I have had the opportunity to work with many consultants and coaches over the years. However, working with Kristen Zavo, has been a singularly transformative experience.

From our very first session, it became clear that Kristen is someone who not only understands the intricacies of executive leadership but also possesses a remarkable ability to guide her clients through complex career decisions and transitions. Her educational approach on helping me find clarity, is both thorough and customized, ensuring that each session is rich with insights and relevant to my specific needs.

I highly recommend Kristen Zavo to any executive seeking a coach who is educational, diligent and deeply invested in their client's growth. Her expertise and dedication have been instrumental in my professional development, and I am grateful for the clarity and direction she has helped me achieve.

CHRIS GROVES

Managing Director, Finance + Real Estate Executive

I enrolled in executive coaching with Kristen Zavo because I wanted to gain clarity on my next steps in my career. While I had achieved success in my professional life, I felt a disconnect between my work and what truly brought me fulfillment. I wanted to align my career with my passions, values, and long-term goals, but I wasn’t sure where to start or how to navigate the transition.

Kristen’s emphasis on creating a fulfilling career (not just a successful one) really resonated with me. I was drawn to her ability to combine actionable strategies with mindset shifts to help me uncover achieve meaningful change.

Enrolling in her program felt like the right investment in myself and my future. It was clear from the beginning that Kristen’s coaching would provide not only the tools and structure I needed but also the encouragement and accountability to move forward.

SALVATORE CIRILLO

Head of Operations & Strategy

Kristen is the perfect blend of life coach, career coach, executive partner, and friend. She listens and offers on time, invaluable guidance and she able to pull from a wealth of experience in business, rather than a coach who talks about what other clients have done, she can tell you what she did and learned, that shared business experience is impactful. She is helping me not simply find a job, but instead to find what brings me joy and shape my work around it. I highly recommend Kristen Zavo as an executive coach.

NANDITA DESAI-PATEL

Finance Executive

Working with Kristen over the last year has been an amazingly positive and rewarding experience for my professional development. Kristen was recommended to me by a former colleague, and she was one of a handful of coaches I interviewed extensively for fit, personality, and experience.

I chose Kristen because she was one of the few who truly understood the obstacles working moms and female leaders face in corporate America. She encouraged self-reflection and problem-solving, steered with insightful prompting questions, and always started each session focused on the three things you are thankful for. She was also quite accessible, which was reassuring as I could reach out for same-day support and guidance.

My engagement with Kristen began as I transitioned from one multinational pharmaceutical company to another. My new role was a promotion to VP, and I sought a coach to help set myself up for success and create a roadmap to onboard efficiently and effectively.

What surprised me was that our work expanded far beyond job readiness. Kristen helped me navigate many colorful situations:
• Coaching on strategies to clarify intent and objectives when things were ambiguous
• Deepening working relationships and overcoming challenges with key stakeholders
• Structuring feedback to direct reports to drive higher performance and accountability
• Offering guidance on crafting and delivering a compelling introduction at a major speaking event
• Even supporting me with insights on parenting my pre-teen twins on more than one occasion

Through all of this, my leadership skills were further honed and sharpened. My team responded with higher-quality output, deeper engagement, and stronger cohesiveness. Relationships with business partners improved, and I became more included in critical decisions. I learned to communicate more effectively with my manager despite being in a different geography, and my confidence to lead a distributed global team grew significantly.

I wholeheartedly recommend Kristen as a coach for any professional situation. If you need someone who brings empathy, patience, humor, and deep listening, Kristen is it. She struck the right balance of guiding and directing in every scenario. I left each session with a clear plan and regularly used Voxer for in-the-moment support.

I could not be more grateful for the time I worked with her and hope others experience the same benefits I did.