Lisa Gruenloh, Founder and Chief Vision Officer
Lisa is a mission-driven entrepreneur with a passion for helping individuals and organizations achieve sustainable well-being and success – success built on the foundation of their unique strengths, values and purpose. She is Founder and President of Purpose Journey® Consulting, Training and Coaching and recently launched Purpose Journal by Purpose Journey®, a concept five years in the making.
Lisa is certified professional coach and emotional intelligence coach who has held leadership positions in a variety of corporate, government, advocacy and consulting organizations throughout the country. Her breadth and depth of experience results in holistic, systems thinking and a unique ability to integrate an organization’s “what, why and how” throughout its strategic and cultural initiatives. She’s known for her supportive, thought-provoking coaching approach and a commitment to fostering trust, accountability, and shared commitment with colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders. Lisa has a passion for cultivating connection, finding common ground among diverse stakeholders and creating positive change. She is especially energized by achieving results in challenging, complex environments where the opportunity for transformation and impact is often the greatest.
Prior to managing her own consulting business, Lisa worked on Capitol Hill, as director of communications and a spokesperson to a U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative and federal agency board member. She also held management roles at some of the nation’s top PR firms.
Recent Honors. In 2023, Lisa was very grateful to receive two exceedingly meaningful honors. She was appointed to the ICF Foundation (ICFF) Council of Ambassadors, supporting ICF chapters and members who are leading social impact pro-bono coaching projects through the ICFF Ignite Initiative. Lisa also was recognized with the annual James V. Mudd Award from the Leadership Collier Foundation, which recognizes a community leader who exhibits the following attributes: Integrity, Inclusively and Positively Results-oriented, and Selfless Community Service.
The Call to be a Changemaker. Lisa first felt a call to service and advocacy as a teenager. Her high school was located less than a mile from a radioactive waste site. As an editor for her school newspaper, she researched and wrote about the site and clean-up options being considered by the federal government. Lisa recalls, “As I interviewed community activists, I realized I couldn’t simply report about what was happening. I felt a call to do something. And I did.” Over the years, Lisa has worked in a variety of environments to create positive change with a specific passion for children’s well-being, closing opportunity and equity gaps, and environmental protection. Her primary interest for the last 15 years has been teaching and coaching around the power of emotional intelligence as a catalyst for personal, relationship, organizational and societal transformation, which she believes is the foundation for any meaningful, authentic and lasting change.
Education & Credentials. While Lisa’s most impactful learning and growth have been through life experience and spiritual practice, Lisa highly values formal education and training. She holds two graduate degrees from American University in Washington, DC - a Master of Public Administration and Policy (2020) and a Master of Public Communication (2000). She earned her undergraduate degree in Government and Broadcasting from Northwest Missouri State University and holds numerous certifications in organizational development, leadership and coaching.
Service & Contribution. Lisa has joyfully contributed hundreds of hours of pro-bono and volunteer service to local and national causes. She has served as State of Florida and Southwest Florida Citizen Leader for No Labels, a Washington DC-based non-profit promoting bipartisan problem-solving and civility. For six years she served on the Board of Trustees at Unity of Naples Church. She‘s a founding purpose workshop facilitator for the Blue Zones Project® of Southwest Florida. A former lifeguard and swim instructor, Lisa serves on the Drowning Prevention Committee of the Safe and Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County. She has offered her consulting, coaching, and training services to many additional non-profits over the years and looks forward to sharing Purpose Journal resources with as many individuals and organizations as possible.
Read more about Lisa and Purpose Journey at www.purposejourney.com