About
Bio, Honors and Awards, Education, Board Work
Susan is a Leadership Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Founder and CEO Beyond the 11th.
Susan is an accomplished leadership coach and motivational speaker, known for her dynamic approach to working with clients. Drawing from personal experience, she relies on compassion and honesty, along with a commitment to uncovering individual strengths and potential. Susan works with individual private clients as well as with executives, from managers to CEOs, to develop confident, authentic, and influential leaders. While each relationship is unique, helping clients become more intentional and less reactive is at the heart of Susan’s coaching style.
Susan is on the faculty of the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), the leading experiential training company for professional coaches. In addition to teaching, she also mentors students pursuing coaching certification.
As a motivational speaker, Susan has a unique ability to transform audiences. Whether in a keynote address or as a panel participant, she shares her message of resilience with compelling authenticity. After her husband David was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Susan co-founded Beyond the 11th, a non-profit that addresses the needs of Afghan widows through literacy and income-generating programs. For this vital and highly personal work, Susan has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal, presented to her by President Barack Obama in 2010, and the 2017 CARE Global Leaders Network Humanitarian Award. She has been featured in media outlets around the world, from Oprah and the Today show, to The Guardian and The New York Times. Her 2019 TEDx talk, The Transformative Power of Small Choices, has been widely praised, and she is the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Beyond Belief, which details her work with Beyond the 11th.
Awards and Honors
Presidential Citizens Medal, Awarded by President Obama, 2010
CARE Global Leaders Network Humanitarian Award, 2017
Colgate University, Humanitarian Award, 2012
The Andrew Goodman Foundation Hidden Heroes Award, 2011
The Search for Common Ground Common Ground Award, 2008
MOVA, Award for Activism, 2008
Education and Certifications
B.A. from Colgate University
PCC (Professional Certified Coach)
CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach)
Graduate of CTI’s 10 month Co-Active Leadership Program
ORSC - Organizational & Relationship Systems Coaching training
Certified Creative Insight Facilitator
Certified Results System™ Practitioner
Completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at UMass Medical School
Board Work
Beyond the 11th
Co-Founder and CEO
2003 - Present
Beyond the 11th partners with international aid groups to teach vulnerable women the income-generating skills they need to not just survive but thrive. They are living proof that pencils and ledgers – not airstrikes and missiles – are the most powerful agents for change.
Retik Mello Foundation
Board Member
2001 - Present
The David E. Retik Christopher D. Mello Foundation makes grants to organizations that positively impact the spiritual, physical, and intellectual growth of compassionate, courageous leaders of tomorrow.
The Children’s Room
Board Member
2013-2106
The Children’s Room offers grief support services for children and families. Services include peer support groups, parent groups, teen programs, and Family Night. Consultations and referrals are also provided.