Loree Draude Coaching and Consulting

12/11/2024

I received an early holiday present from Heroic Public Speaking: my speaker reel!

Thanks to the incredible team at Heroic: Amy Port, Michael Port, Keeley Miller, Russell Ewing, Shana Booker and their phenomenal staff.

I've loved honing my speaking craft with this team and I look forward to supporting more organizations as a keynote speaker.

I've been booking talks for next March for Women's History Month but I still have some availability for in-person east coast engagements or virtual talks. Lmk if your company is looking for an inspirational veteran woman speaker to help you celebrate women's achievements and contributions.

10/16/2024

It's been a year and a couple of weeks since I published my second book, Soar Into Joy, and I'm thrilled to announce that the audiobook is now available, narrated by yours truly! It's free with a trial through Audible.

https://www.audible.com/pd/SOAR-into-Joy-Audiobook/B0DJ9W89QH?

I enjoyed recording my audiobook; it was fun to relive the stories I shared. I hope it will inspire listeners to take bold steps and live a life of joy.

I am continuing to offer keynotes while I'm a fellow at the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative as long as they don't conflict with my class schedule. Please reach out if you're looking for a speaker!

08/05/2024

I’m delighted to share that I’m starting a new position as a 2025 Fellow in the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University!

It’s a dream come true to join this community of leaders exploring how to improve our societal impact.

Spending a year as an ALI Fellow will enable me to develop my thinking around several topics of interest:
- how AI can encourage healthier engagement on social media
- how to expand national service opportunities for young Americans beyond current options, including the military
- how to evolve the structure of the armed forces to include contributions from non-traditional servicemembers
- how to best enable companies to succeed and support employees to do their best work

In addition to the ALI fellowship, I’ve been offered the role of Resident Scholar at Leverett House, one of the twelve upper-level residential houses at Harvard for undergraduates. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to support and mentor students and serve this thriving community.

I’d love recommendations for things to see and do during my year in Boston from current residents and those who have lived there - please share in the comments or DM me.

Also, if any of my topics of interest resonate with you and you have recommendations for books and organizations to check out or people to connect with, please lmk!

06/20/2024

It was fun to be back on a naval base, speaking with the regional leaders of the U.S. Navy Fleet and Family Readiness (FFR) team.

This is the team responsible for policy development, resourcing, and oversight of quality-of-life programs for Sailors and their families.

My talk was about how to SOAR as leaders: bringing Self-Awareness, Openness, Appreciation and Responsibility into focus and reflecting on how we can “be” as leaders, not just what we “do.” How we show up as leaders has a material impact on the performance of our teams.

I’m grateful for their support. They ensure sailors, naval officers and their families have excellent facilities and services back home, including fitness centers and MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) programs that support well-being.

06/14/2024

Think about a time when something didn’t go the way you wanted it to: did you take a breath and respond or did you automatically react?

Sometimes things happen that are outside of our control, but the one thing that is always in our power is how we choose to respond. Strengthening our relationships and meeting our goals requires us to give up excuses and take responsibility (the final letter in my SOAR acronym) for the direction of our lives.

What do you need to take responsibility for this year?

SOAR: Responsibility. Are you truly responding to circumstances in your life or are you just reacting? What do you need to take responsibility for this year?

06/13/2024

Do you have an attitude of gratitude?

It can be easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what we don’t have in our lives, especially when we compare ourselves to others. Maybe it’s a promotion you haven’t gotten yet or the new car parked in your neighbor’s driveway that’s making you feel the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

If you’re feeling unfulfilled or discontent, it might be time to exercise your appreciation “muscle.” Appreciation (the “A” in my SOAR acronym) is more than just thinking about what you’re thankful for, but truly feeling and embracing a sense of gratitude in all areas of your life.

Here is my top tip for exercising your appreciation muscle this year.

SOA: Appreciation. Do you have an attitude of gratitude? Have you ever truly thought about what "having enough" looks like in your life?R

06/12/2024

This might be controversial, but failure is not a bad word!

No one sets out to fail, but the truth is that none of us are perfect and things often don’t turn out exactly how we’d hoped they would. Even the most successful, intelligent people don’t succeed every time. Instead of seeing failure as a shortcoming, I see failure as a chance to learn.

When we embrace the possibility of “failure,” we open ourselves to the possibility of growth. Here are a few of my top tips for embracing Openness (the “O” from my book SOAR Into Joy) this year.

SO: Openness. Is fear holding you back from achieving your goals? How can you commit to openness this year?AR

06/11/2024

How well do you really know yourself? Are you playing to your strengths? Are you living out your core values in your career, relationships, and goals?

As we move into the second half of the year, now is the perfect time to do some self-reflection and reevaluate your goals and priorities for 2024. If you missed my talk with a)plan coaching earlier this year, here are my top questions to ask yourself this year to build your Self-awareness: the “S” from my book SOAR into Joy.

S: Self-Awareness: How well do you really know yourself? What values are driving you this year? OAR

06/10/2024

It was a pleasure to speak at GDT's Women in Tech event a few weeks ago, and I was delighted to see so many male allies in the live audience and dialing in virtually.

Thank you, Sydney Johnson, for organizing this impactful event as part of Mental Health Awareness month and inviting me to share my story with the GDT team. 💪 ✈

05/24/2024

As we enjoy the long weekend, please join me in taking a moment in gratitude for the Americans who gave their lives in service to our country, throughout the history of our nation.

The image below is from my first book, which I dedicated to the aviators from my air wing who died while serving our nation during the years I was deployed in the 90's.

I'm forever grateful for their service and friendship.

05/13/2024

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Higher Education Teaching Certificate from HarvardX!

I loved my jobs that included teaching, whether that was instructing naval aviators on how to land a jet on an aircraft carrier, or helping companies understand the intricacies of digital marketing when I worked at Google and Meta.

This 8-week course was a fun opportunity to get back into the mindset of teaching, after spending the past few years coaching. I highly recommend it for any teachers who want a robust refresher on how to design and deliver a course.

We feel honored to award you with your certificate. We trust the skills and knowledge you have gained will serve you well in the pursuit of your goals, and open up new opportunities for your career.