Our Team
is Committed
to Your Team

At Leading to TEAM, we are an inspired team of experienced coaches, consultants and trainers who love helping our partners transform their organizations into a culture of TEAM.
We are an International Training, Coaching and Consulting TEAM with Clients in
North America, Latin America and Europe.

Freeman Michaels

Founder - Trainer Coach - Consultant

Founder of Leading to TEAM and co-creator of the Group to Team process, Freeman loves the impact that this program has on organizations and individuals.

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Glodean Champion

Trainer - DEI Facilitator

Glodean lives her work - seeing past separation and finding commonality is her vocation. The world is just a better place when people organize around shared interest (aka TEAM).

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Dr. Taylor Peyton, PhD

Trainer – Analytics – Coach – Consultant

Data driven decision making is part of every successful business today. But not all data are equal. Dr. Peyton believes we need to know where to look to identify the underlying challenges organizations face and to assess the value of learning and development programs.

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Michael Maitre

Trainer - Coach

Michael Maitre is more than a coach, trainer, project manager and consultant. Michael Maitre is a poet, artist and activist. To say that Michael inspires people in workshops, retreats and trainings is an understatement – he leads with passion and purpose. His commitment to personal purpose is contagious.

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Gail Bower

Consultant - Speaker

Working with MISSION DRIVEN organizations for over 30 years has given Gail a clear understanding of how mission can motivate and inspire a team of individuals to accomplish extraordinary things. From Gail's perspective there is nothing but upside in becoming more mission driven.

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Susan Leahy, CSP

Trainer – Speaker

FUN! Fun is the secret ingredient in AMAZING teams. Susan's trainings are fun, engaging and enlightening. As the co-creator of the Group to Team process, Susan does a lot more than just entertain workshop participants - she shows them the lived benefit of joyfully pursuing a common cause.

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Wade chumney, JD

Trainer – Business Ethics Consultant

Wade believes that doing basic business ethics training, whether it is sexual harassment or financial compliance, without a deeper commitment to values and principles is more than a mistake - it is a wasted opportunity. The laws are important and people should know them, but it is employees' relationship to the values and principles that guides the culture of an organization.

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Gabriel Beyer

Trainer – Coach

There is NOTHING more exciting to Gabriel than seeing someone grow as a leader. Collaborative Leadership is a model that improves the quality of life of everyone in an organization - it actually extends into every area of life for those who engage in growing and practicing this type of leadership.

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Mark Morales

Trainer

Mark is a master trainer leading organization development in many areas, including communications, creative problem solving and project management. He loves going between teaching university classes and working inside of companies - moving between theory and practice.

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Javier Orive

Trainer – Coach

Javier trains and coaches a type of intuitive leadership that has a profound impact on bosses and businesses. Put simply, he helps bosses become more "lovable". We like to say that this is the hard work of soft skills. Helping people lead with care and compassion has a transformative effect on both the individual and the organization.

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Tom werder

Trainer – Coach – Consultant

Small, clear, goals - if you talk to Tom for any length of time, the conversation will turn to small, clear, goals. Process improvement and leadership development are his passion. Tom experiences true joy drawing out the goals and objectives of teams, then helping them build the map to achieve those goals.

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BRIDGET ORNELAS

Trainer - Coach

Bridget knows the process of applying collaborative leadership principles in to real life, day to day, work. Moving from theory to practice and making TEAM a cultural priority is a passion that can be felt by everyone who works with Bridget.

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Great TEAMS love to Play and
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Freeman Michaels

Founder - Trainer Coach - Consultant

Freeman Michaels is the founder of Leading to TEAM, an international training, coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations develop and sustain a culture of TEAM. Freeman has worked with top leaders at major organizations, including The North Face, Jansport, Canada Goose Clothing, The VA, The FDA, Citi-Banamex, The Research Office at Stanford Medical School and dozens of other prominent companies and organizations across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

For over 30 years Freeman Michaels has been a student of leadership, personal growth and human potential, attending countless workshops and consuming everything he could get his hands on regarding these topics. As a published author, speaker, former radio talk show host, and corporate trainer, Freeman has become a prominent voice in the field.

Freeman brings a distinct background and perspective to his work as an executive coach, culture consultant and corporate trainer. He is a former partner in a real estate development company, managing half a billion dollars in real estate development projects. He is also a former actor and high school teacher, with a knack for getting his message across in a meaningful and engaging way.

Freeman holds a BA from Santa Clara University, an MA in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica, and is a graduate of the MDE program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. He holds about a half dozen other certifications and has completed a number of personal and professional development programs.

Freeman’s most important success is as a devoted husband and father of three terrific human beings.

Glodean Champion

Trainer - DEI Facilitator

Glodean Champion is an experienced coach, educator, and facilitator who works with individuals and organizations to get to the root cause of culturally based challenges by transforming beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions. Her unique approach to this centuries-old endeavor is rooted in the practice of engaging with people’s core emotions, cultural competencies, and situational and self-awareness through coaching, training, and workshops. She believes in meeting people “where they are” and leading them where they “want (or need) to be” to reach their highest potential.

Glodean draws on her extensive background in education, communication, leadership, and process improvement to strengthen teams and organizations. She also partners with companies to advise on strategy, leadership development, and create a business case for change that is designed and implemented from the bottom up to ensure adoption. She strongly believes in the “teach a man to fish” philosophy so that individuals and organizations can continue learning and growing long after the engagement is over. She provides tips, tools, and tactics to incorporate lessons learned into practice; and one-on-one and small-group coaching for leadership and managers on how best to support and serve people of color, whether they are your employees, customers, or members of the community surrounding your organization.

Glodean also speaks professionally on issues relating to diversity and inclusion using her novel, Salmon Croquettes, as a teaching tool. She is exceptionally engaging, funny, and passionate. We suspect this is because she pulls from her upbringing and the influence of my mother — the first authentic leader she ever met – to create stories that connect with her audiences. She approaches delicate subjects with honesty, authenticity, and vulnerability and considers herself a master at challenging and captivating audiences of all kinds in a way that forces them to take pause and become introspective, something we need more of if we want to make the world a better place.

Glodean has a BA in English Literature from Mills College. She is a Six Sigma Black Belt (SSBB), Project Management Professional (PMP), with an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts and over 30-year’s business experience and 10+ years as an adjunct professor and group facilitator.

DR. TAYLOR PEYTON, PHD

Trainer - Analytics Coach - Consultant

Taylor Peyton, Ph.D., is a Professor of Leadership and Workplace Psychology at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. Since 2018 she has taught BU undergraduates and master’s students leadership, organizational behavior, and human resources. She began teaching in 2006 at San Diego State. As of spring 2022, Dr. Peyton has taught 28 university-level courses. Her areas of expertise include leader and employee authenticity, trust, motivation, and passion for work. She delivers keynote speeches on these topics, and on other topics related to human flourishing in the workplace.

Since 2012, Dr. Peyton has served in consultative and advisory roles for companies. Some of that work has included creating effective leadership development trainings and psychometrically rigorous assessments. She has partnered with domestic and international organizations such as: Pfizer, BiasSync, The Ken Blanchard Companies, Omni Hotels and Resorts, Ntroduced.com, Sempra Energy, Sycuan Resort & Casinos, Startup Leadership Program’s global network, and Vistage International’s CEO peer groups network.

Dr. Peyton’s academic research focuses on employees’ psychological experiences — or inner life — at work. She primarily studies people’s experience of personal authenticity during their interactions with others. She has published 9 peer-reviewed journal articles on related topics including: passion for work, power use, and employee emotions.

She completed a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego, an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at San Diego State, and a B.S. in Psychology from Long Beach State with Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. In 2015, her research on personal authenticity won dissertation of the year at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences.

MICHAEL MAITRE

Trainer Coach

Michael is an award-winning speaker with an extensive business background as a HealthCare Informatics Consultant. He is also a Certified Professional Coach, with a degree in Computer Engineering and a Masters in Health Informatics and Administration.

He has extensive background in project management methodologies and the project management lifecycle. As a coach and trainer, Michael developed a powerful life-balance tool to address mental health in the workplace, called Life Scheme.

His traditional business experience is juxtaposed with his life as a spoken word artist, addressing social issues that face our society today. Michael is a devoted advocate for the dignity that black men deserve but have not historically received in the workplace.

Gail Bower

Consultant - Speaker

Gail Bower works with mission- or purpose-driven organizations to uncover and develop reliable sources of revenue that also drive their social or environmental missions. Nonprofit organizations become self-sufficient. Businesses strengthen employee engagement, build client loyalty, and make a difference while also experiencing topline growth.

Gail has worked with organizations of all sizes and scope, for over 25 years. She’s worked with companies such as AT&T, Coca-Cola, Coors, Essence Magazine, Gibson Guitar, Sunoco, and Mercedes-Benz. She’s also worked with organizations like the Folger Shakespeare Library, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Social Enterprise Alliance, and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Her clients have doubled, tripled, and quadrupled revenue within a year. And that’s just the first year.

Trained as a futurist, Gail studies where society is headed, what trends are on the horizon, and how these trends impact her clients’ businesses.

Gail has been interviewed about her work by Marketplace, the New York Times, the Wall St. Journal, Time magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Fox Small Business Center, the Philadelphia Inquirer, plus other specialized media.

As a writer, Gail created the guidebook How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times. Her forthcoming book is titled: Money + Mission: The New Partnership to Engage Employees, Customers, and Communities While Driving Business Growth. As a speaker, she presents frequently at regional and national conferences and events and has led executive leadership workshops at Temple University and Bryn Mawr College.

Prior to becoming a consultant, Gail spent 20 years in marketing. She helped create the largest free events of President Bill Clinton’s Inaugurations. She served as a producer for some of the country’s most important music festivals like the Essence Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

SUSAN LEAHY, CSP

Trainer Speaker

Susan Leahy MA CSP is a certified speaking professional with more than 15 years of speaking experience. She brings practical real-world knowledge to the stage. She is the co-creator of the Group to TEAM Process. She is the owner of America’s top-rated Robert’s Rules of Order training site (RobertsRulesMadeSimple.com) and has personally spoken to and trained thousands of boards across the US and Canada on how to use Robert’s Rules of Order as a TEAM building tool to get more work done. She is able to make this dull subject relevant and even fun and entertaining. She is also the woman behind The Confident Woman Program, an online training that was born out of her desire to support women to give themselves greater permission to lead. Susan is high energy, and her presentation style is interactive, fun yet practical and relevant. 

Susan earned an MA in applied behavioral science with emphasis in coaching and consulting from Bastyr University in Washington State.

WADE CHUMNEY, JD

Trainer Business Ethics Consultant

Wade M. Chumney, J.D., M.Sc. is skilled trainer and presenter. He is also an associate professor of Business Ethics and Law at California State University, Northridge. Prior to joining the faculty at Northridge in 2014, he was employed at Georgia Tech as the Cecil B. Day Assistant Professor of Business Ethics and Law in the Scheller College of Business for five years.

Wade is a seasoned speaker and trainer who is passionate about the practical application of business ethics. He specializes in Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical and Legal Aspects of Managing Technology, and Personal Decision-Making for Success.

A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Wade has a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, a Master of Science in Information Systems from Dakota State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College

GABRIEL BEYER

Trainer Coach

Gabriel is a top performance coach, helping inspired people achieve their goals. He helps his clients to utilize a Mindshift coaching technique to unleash their potential and pave the path for a fulfilling future, in business and beyond.

Gabriel is a certified Coursera Mindshift Coach. He lives in Stuttgart, Germany, where he facilitates Leading to TEAM programs. He also coaches virtually around the globe.

MARK MORALES

Mark Morales is a Leadership/ Corporate Trainer with over a decade of experience working with mid-sized companies in Southern California. Mark trains Leadership, Communication, Creative Problem Solving, Team Building, Project Management and other valuable skills necessary for organizations to remain successful and competitive. He is also a Professor at the University of La Verne in the College of Management and Public Administration. After 20 years as a successful Information Technology Manager, Project Manager and Management Consultant Mark dedicated himself to his life’s purpose: To assist individuals, leaders and organizations to reach their maximum potential.

Trainer Coach - Consultant

Javier Orive

Trainer Coach

Javier is a Master Ontological Coach, certified by Newfield Institute. He has worked with top executives at companies in Latin America and in the United States. Ontological Coaching is a very powerful method for the transformation of individuals, teams and organizations though a shared understanding of language, moods and conversations. This shift in understanding promotes personal and cultural metamorphosis.

Tom werder

Trainer Coach - Consultant

Tom Werder is a results-driven, inspiring, down-to-earth trainer, speaker and business consultant. He has designed, developed and led corporate seminars based on the principles of positive emotion that have achieved industry leading results for decades. His work has generated astounding outcomes for his clients, such as doubling productivity in five months, quadrupling profits in two years and achieving 100% annual growth in a mature market.

Tom developed and implemented his proprietary corporate success system, BullsEyeTM which is a simple, three-step process that transforms business from good to great. He created Retire with Purpose, an eight session, online seminar about using life purpose for living an extraordinary retirement. He is certificated to teach and coach Dr. Robert Holden’s Happiness Project and has led over a hundred seminars for Landmark Education. Tom is committed to inspiring and training people to be extraordinary.

 

BRIDGET ORNELAS

Trainer Coach - Consultant

After a 12-year career at The North Face, Bridget reinvented herself. Many aspects or her career had been tremendously rewarding. The most rewarding were the leadership and teambuilding initiatives. Equally rewarding were the Employee Resources Groups (ERG). This is where Bridget was first exposed to the Group to TEAM principle.

Safe to say, leadership and personal development are a passion. Seminars and coaching programs have led to a carefully mined set of skills and knowledge, designed to take teams to the next level within organizations.

Bridget is an Insight Seminars graduate, a Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner and a remarkable coach, with years of direct experience leading teams in the real word of a major American retailer’s headquarters.