meet the team

Founder

Valerie Black is an author, speaker, coach, and award-winning business leader. She co-founded Vera Whole Health, a national onsite clinic provider, and served as Chief Visionary Officer until 2015. Through her consulting group, The Change Agency, Valerie co-created The Coach Approach, a leading medical CME fostering emotional intelligence in healthcare. During the pandemic, she led behavioral science at Hinge Health, developing clinical, tech-powered products reaching over 10 million users nationwide. Today, Valerie supports leaders in creating unforgettable, high-impact cultures. A recipient of the Puget Sound Business Journal Woman of Influence Award, she is also the author of The Change Agent's Handbook and host of the Becoming Power podcast.

With over three decades of experience in high-stakes wilderness expeditions across Alaska, Japan, and Antarctica, Brooke has cultivated a deep understanding of leadership, resilience, and personal transformation in challenging environments. Her career as a guide in the outdoor industry, including skiing, kayaking, backpacking, rafting, and hiking, has provided invaluable insights into the human capacity for growth, especially when navigating adversity.

Her own journey of overcoming nervous system injury, combined with extensive healing practices, has led her to pivot from wilderness guiding to a dedicated focus on executive life coaching. Through advanced training in nervous system regulation and resilience-building modalities, she specializes in helping individuals—particularly those in high-pressure industries, including outdoor and adventure sectors—develop a deeper awareness of their mental and emotional landscapes.

If you are seeking to enhance your professional resilience, she offers tailored coaching strategies to help you strengthen your leadership, improve decision-making, and foster well-being in both your personal and professional life.

As a woman who has navigated a predominantly white, male-dominated outdoor industry, she is committed to creating inclusive, empowering spaces where diverse voices can thrive.

Éowyn Reitz is a consultant specializing in reflective supervision, strength-based team development, and equity-driven leadership. With over a decade of experience managing non profit teams and supporting frontline staff, she helps organizations build relationship-centered team cultures, navigate complex funding landscapes, and implement continuous quality improvement strategies. Her work is grounded in social justice and racial equity, with a focus on fostering trust, collaboration, and sustainable impact. Éowyn’s expertise in facilitation, coalition-building, and data-driven decision-making enables organizations to create inclusive, people-centered solutions that meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve.

Tom Norwood is a Senior Learning and Development Consultant, Heroic Performance Coach, and self-proclaimed Adventure Dad, with over 20 years of experience helping thousands of people grow into more confident, capable leaders, communicators, and change-makers. With a Master’s in Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, Tom blends deep emotional intelligence with a sharp eye for performance improvement and peak potential.

His work spans industries—from nonprofits to manufacturing and healthcare—with a focus on building the mental fitness people need to meet challenges head-on and thrive both personally and professionally. Known for his dynamic blend of experiential learning and coaching, Tom has delivered high-impact trainings on communication, emotional intelligence, project management, and conflict resolution. He has created a wide range of leadership development experiences, from intensive three-day programs to a comprehensive two-year cohort-based initiative. Over the years, he’s built a reputation as a trusted partner in human-centered leadership development.

Whether he’s coaching a CEO, leading a leadership retreat, or helping a first-time marathon runner cross the finish line, Tom is passionate about creating transformative experiences rooted in clarity, actionable tools, and authentic connection. His private coaching practice focuses on personal wellness, career growth, and sustainable performance.

Tom’s mission is to help people unlock their best selves, lead with purpose, and create cultures of resilience, confidence, and long-term growth.