Navigate what's next with clarity and intention.
Change can create complexity—whether you're reconsidering your career, stepping into a new leadership role, or helping a team navigate organizational change.
Structured Guidance helps people and organizations cut through the clutter, clarify what matters, and move forward with intention.
When things change, clarity matters.
Sometimes the path forward isn't obvious.
You may be trying to figure out what's next in your career. You may be navigating new responsibilities as a leader. Or you may be helping a team adapt to changing priorities, expectations, or ways of working.
In each case, the challenge is similar:
How do you make sense of what's happening, determine what matters most, and decide what to do next?
That's where I come in.
Through coaching, I provide the structure, perspective, and thoughtful challenge needed to turn complexity into clarity—and clarity into action.
Let’s Talk About What’s Next
How I help
Individual Coaching
Get clear on what's next.
Career and leadership coaching for experienced professionals who are navigating change, uncertainty, or a new chapter.
I have a particular interest in working with mid-career working mothers who are successful in their careers but are questioning whether their current work life still fits—and want to figure out what they really want from work now.
Together, we'll explore what's working, what's not, what matters to you now, and what you want to do about it.
Explore Individual Coaching
Leadership Coaching
Lead with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
Leadership changes as your responsibilities, relationships, and circumstances change.
I work with leaders who want a thoughtful partner to help them navigate complexity, strengthen their leadership, communicate more effectively, and make purposeful decisions.
Whether you're stepping into a new role, navigating competing priorities, or leading through change, coaching creates space to step back, think differently, and move forward.
Explore Leadership Coaching
My approach
Cut through the clutter. Find clarity. Move forward.
I don't believe coaching is about giving people all the answers.
It's about creating the right space and structure to help you find the answers that are right for you.
My approach combines curiosity, thoughtful questions, practical tools, perspective, and accountability.
Depending on what you need, our work may involve:
Clarifying
Understanding what's really happening and separating the important from the urgent.
Exploring
Looking at possibilities, assumptions, perspectives, and choices you may not have considered.
Deciding
Determining what matters most and what direction makes sense.
Acting
Turning insight into practical steps and following through.
The goal isn't simply to think differently.
It's to move forward differently.
Why Structured Guidance?
Because meaningful change rarely happens in a straight line.
My background spans leadership coaching, organizational change, agile ways of working, project management, and professional development. I've worked with leaders, teams, and organizations navigating complexity—and, as a working mom, I've also experienced firsthand the challenge of aligning a meaningful career with the rest of life.
I bring that experience into each coaching relationship with a simple goal:
Help you make sense of what's happening, get clear about what you want, and move toward it with intention.
Meet Ellen
What's next for you?
You don't have to have everything figured out before you reach out.
Whether you're thinking about what's next in your own career, growing as a leader, or helping your team navigate change, a conversation can be a useful place to start.
Let's talk about what's next.
Start a Conversation
Areas Served:
Structured Guidance is located in Richmond, VA; however, all coaching sessions are delivered remotely. Working hours are on EST.
What clients are saying . . .
“You can’t see the label when you’re inside the bottle. Sometimes we need an outside perspective to help point us to clarity. Ellen was fantastic helping me refine business priorities and put steps in place to focus on the right things at the right time. I highly recommend booking time with her.”
“Ellen is the one you want as your coach and mentor. I had to step up and fill big shoes this last year and navigate new challenges; she was my sounding board and provided an unbiased perspective that helped me in ways words cannot express. She validated my directions and asked questions to nudge me towards a better path, helping me build my unique perspective as I carved about my space to grow my scope in a way that was right for the business. I cannot speak highly enough about her, what I gained through her mentorship was invaluable and you would be lucky to have the same opportunity!”
“For anyone seeking a leadership coach, I would wholeheartedly recommend Ellen. I had the opportunity to work with Ellen for three months, and our sessions provided real-time, positive impact on my personal and professional growth. From our first meeting and throughout our 90-day program, Ellen made me feel comfortable exploring my aspirations, sharing my concerns and addressing my development areas by demonstrating exceptional listening skills and thoughful understanding. She consistently delivered impactful and practical insights as she guided me to explore challenges, consider alternative perspectives and to take purposeful actions. I am thankful to have worked with Ellen and I feel she was genuinely committed to my success and growth, providing support and timely feedback, accountability, and ongoing encouragement.”