About Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute
Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute is a place where people and organizations come to grow, heal, and thrive. Think of us as a supportive partner that helps you navigate life’s challenges, whether you want to improve yourself, strengthen your team, or make a larger impact in your work.
Our Story
Coach Leslie Avant-Brown founded the institute to address the unique struggles faced by Changemakers. As a visionary executive, entrepreneur, and community leader, Leslie experienced burnout firsthand. Through her own journey, she discovered the transformative power of coaching. In 2012, she launched Blooming Willow Coaching, which has since evolved into an innovative institute that seamlessly blends coaching, healing, transformation, and education.
The Healing-Centered Coaching® Approach
Crafted specifically for Changemakers (entrepreneurs, executives, advocates and organizers), our signature Healing-Centered Coaching® empowers you through deep pause and reflection. We create a safe, supportive space that allows you to realign with your core aspirations. This approach catalyzes purposeful, growth-oriented action—helping you take meaningful steps forward without burning out.
Within a compassionate environment, we do more than just nurture your goals. We thoughtfully challenge you, cultivating the essential empathy, resilience, and strategic insight you need to truly thrive.
Hear More About Our Approach on the Video Above….
At Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute, everything we do is built around our signature Healing Centered Coaching® framework. It's a transformative process designed to help Changemakers Pause, Ground, Align, and Act with purpose.
Our CEO, Leslie Avant-Brown, developed this model after years of working with global leaders. She saw that these dedicated individuals needed a way to balance their commitment to helping others with the crucial need to look after their own well-being.
The Healing Centered Coaching Model ®
The journey begins with the Pause, a chance for Changemakers to step back from the busyness of everyday life. This quiet moment is all about tuning out the noise and focusing inward. In a Healing Centered Coaching® session, the Pause creates a safe space for you to connect with your inner thoughts, build self-awareness, and put your own growth first. It's a simple moment to breathe, reflect, and prepare for the change you want to make.
In the Ground phase, we start with a simple idea: you're the expert on your own life. This stage is all about you, the Changemaker, setting the direction for our coaching sessions and getting clear on what you want to achieve. With your coach's support, you'll dig into your goals and gain a better understanding of what truly matters to you.
In the Align phase, we'll work with you to map out all the possibilities that line up with your goals. We'll also pinpoint any roadblocks that might get in your way. This step gives you the clarity and confidence to create a solid action plan. It’s all about connecting your big-picture dreams with the practical steps to make them happen, so you can move forward with a clear sense of purpose.
In the final Act phase, it's time to turn your vision into reality. This is where you'll create a clear, step-by-step plan to move toward your goals. We'll also focus on finding the resources and support you need to keep your healing and growth going long after our sessions end. You'll leave with clear Pause Practices and a solid roadmap for success and the confidence to continue your journey.
How can we support you?
At Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute, we provide the tools, guidance, and support you need to succeed through our range of transformative programs:
One-on-One Coaching: Receive personalized support to gain clarity, overcome challenges, and advance with a renewed sense of purpose.
Team Coaching: Unify your team with specialized coaching designed to promote collective growth, healing, and collaboration.
Workshops: Join our Healing-Centered Coaching workshops to develop foundational skills and explore strategies for personal growth and healing.
Professional Certifications: Transform your passion into a career with our internationally recognized, ICF-accredited training programs for aspiring coaches.
Whether you are pursuing personal development, enhancing team dynamics, or seeking an ICF-accredited certification, Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute is your dedicated partner on the journey to meaningful change.
Benefits of Healing Centered Life Coaching®
Supports Growth
Healing Centered Coaching® supports growth by encouraging you to set clear goals for each session. This approach puts you in the driver's seat of your own journey, empowering you to take control of your growth both during and after coaching. With the support of a Healing Centered Coach, you'll learn to tap into your inner resources and strengths to achieve your goals. This not only fosters growth but also builds resilience and boosts confidence.
Enhance Clarity
Healing Centered Coaching® helps you find clarity and figure out your next steps by creating a space for intentional reflection. Coaches provide a safe and supportive environment where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and core beliefs. This process of self-discovery helps you better understand yourself and what's most important, showing you a clear path forward.
Inspires Authentic Leadership & Builds Confidence
Healing-Centered Coaching® helps you become a more authentic leader and build confidence by developing self-awareness, resilience, and emotional intelligence. This holistic approach supports your mind, body, and spirit, helping you find a leadership style that balances vulnerability and strength. Through this journey, leaders learn to trust their instincts, inspire their teams, and lead with authenticity for a meaningful, lasting impact.
Catalyzes Healing
Healing Cented Coaching® helps you heal by showing you the powerful connection between your healing journey and your personal growth. Our approach gives you a chance to pause and reflect on where you are right now vs where you want to be in the future. This helps you see where healing can lead to future growth and identify the people, strategies, and resources you need to support your well-being.
Improves Decision Making
Healing Centered Coaching® helps you make better decisions by giving you the space to think, brainstorm, and plan. This process helps you understand yourself better, clarifying what's truly important to you. As a result, you can make choices that feel right, boosting your confidence and sense of empowerment.
Fosters Accountability
Healing Centered Coaching® helps you stay accountable by creating a strong partnership between you and your coach. Together, you'll set clear goals, create timelines, and follow structured steps to keep you focused and committed. With regular check-ins and consistent practice, your coach will provide the support you need to stay on track and make steady progress toward your goals.
Who we work with…..
Who We Serve
Blooming Willow Life Coaching Institute is designed for:
Changemakers seeking to create meaningful social impact
Entrepreneurs building purpose-driven businesses
Intrapreneurs driving innovation within organizations
Business Leaders ready to lead with authenticity and purpose
Policy Makers committed to creating positive systemic change
Activists working to transform communities and movements
If you're ready to step into your most authentic, powerful self while creating the impact you're meant to make in the world, Blooming Willow Coaching Institute is here to support your journey.
Meet Our Team
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Leslie Avant-Brown, CEO
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Nix Avant-Brown, PCC
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Anisha Desai, ACC
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Oseloka Idigbe, MPA, LLP, CPC
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Stephanie Lowe (Liu), ACC
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Yvonne Rodriguez, Ph.D., CPC
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Shor Salkas, MPH, ACC
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DeShauna West-Anderson, MA, PCC
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Michael Wise, PCC
Meet Our Founder & CEO, Leslie Avant-Brown, MPA, MCC
Meet Blooming Willow Coaching Founder & CEO Leslie Avant Brown
“I have dedicated my life to supporting Changemakers to grow and heal as they design strategies and systems that support liberation. I do this because I know, what we plant today will bloom tomorrow.”
- Leslie Avant Brown, Founder
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As CEO of Blooming Willow Coaching, Leslie helms a culturally relevant, Healing-Centered Coaching practice where she partners with individuals, organizations, foundations, and businesses. Her expertise spans all aspects of coaching, including one-on-one and group sessions, training, and designing sustainable, coaching-based systems. Through her firm, she also runs the highly acclaimed Conductors Coaching Certification Program—an International Coaching Federation accredited program she designed for changemakers committed to serving vulnerable communities.
Before earning her coaching certification, Leslie worked in the nonprofit sector, supporting social justice through leadership development and evaluation. "What brought me to the field of coaching," she explains, "was the idea of supporting deep change while aligning my strengths to support conductors of change.”