Mel Shahbazian, Tide Risers Coach
Mel Shahbazian is a Tide Risers Coach and Networking Lead, specializing in leadership development, executive boards, designing project-based work, mediation and facilitation, virtual communication, strategic partnerships, branding, emotional intelligence and personality-based communication. She is available for one-to-one and small group coaching and will lead our networking events along with Jamie Renwick.
“I am committed to bringing a solution-oriented, cross-disciplinary ideation process to my coaching practice.
Both in individual coaching and team coaching, my mission is to connect people with their passion and to encourage deliberate foresight in designing a successful work life.”
What's your area of expertise?
Leadership Coaching, Future Visioning, Workshop Design and Group Facilitation.
I am the co-Founder of SparkinSight Coaching, and an Executive Coach and Facilitator with over 10 years of experience. I have served as consultant and coach for projects in the finance, consulting, non-wovens, metals, fashion, publishing, and media industries in the US and abroad.
I specialize in the future of work. I have served as consultant and coach for projects in the finance, consulting, non-wovens, metals, fashion, publishing, and media industries in the US and abroad. I am committed to bringing a solution-oriented, cross-disciplinary ideation process to her coaching practice. Both in individual coaching and team coaching, my mission is to connect people with their passion and to encourage deliberate foresight in designing a successful work life.
Recently my projects have included individual coaching for C-suite professionals domestically and workshops with C-suite professionals and teams internationally. My areas of focus are leadership development, executive boards, designing project-based work, mediation and facilitation, virtual communication, strategic partnerships, branding, emotional intelligence and personality-based communication.
I am published in Forbes, Coaching Connection and Hollywood Reporter. I have an accreditation in Emotional Intelligence and Team Emotional Intelligence – JCA Occupational Psychologists, UK. I am also a licensed Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Consultant, a Grove Consultant, Graphic Facilitation, Certified NLP Instructor, Licensed Lego® Strategic Play Consultant and Applied Improvisation Practitioner. I received my Bachelor of Cinema/Television Production from the University of Southern California.
What makes your practice unique?
The spectrum of topics, projects and clients I have guided for over a decade provides me a deep reservoir of experiences and accreditations that I bring to each unique project. Clients walk away with tools and skills that can help them beyond their time with me. I am deeply interested in the future of work and I relish a mission impossible - meaning I enjoy challenging assignments. From transitioning jobs or industries to rising to meet a promotion to nurturing future talent, to managing difficult personalities to rekindling passion for work, I am well-versed in a plethora of scenarios of the like. I bring a unique level of enthusiasm and passion to each client with whom I engage.
What can our members expect from a working relationship with you?
I am a conversational coach and my top strength is ideation. As a partner I design unique programs and turn every stone, creating an emergent journey for my clients.
Which of our leadership principles resonates with you most right now, and why?
Abundance. My experience creating and selling Intellectual Property in Hollywood taught me that squandering ideas or property only hurts progress and isolates people. Collaboration, transparency and sharing deepens community bonding and trust and results in the most beautiful outcomes. My father taught me as a young girl an idea he practiced as a "Mad Man" in marketing in the 1960s: "Not Invented Here". This concept means that there is nothing new under the sun - that we cannot covet or be precious about ideas because they are for the universe, the public domain. Believing in this abundance, that ideas and progress can be universally spread, brings me gratitude and happiness.
Which of our leadership principles do you generally struggle with the most, and why?
Ownership. I am quick to shuffle credit to everyone first before myself. Because I am not precious about much, I tend to overlook ownership in the process. I am an excellent agent or spokesperson for others and often do not take enough ownership of my piece in the puzzle, seeing it too much as a big picture rather than an important stepping stone to creating the final product.
Tell us about your experience with Tide Risers.
I had the unique honor of first participating in a cohort and secondly co-facilitating a cohort. My experience as a participant was valuable because I make connections with people quickly, but I also saw an opportunity to improve upon the architecture of the program. I started contributing ideas and solutions and in turn made partnerships with some extraordinary women. I saw how much the energy I put in was directly proportionate to the value I was getting out of the experience. I threw myself into the design and helped produce value for the community. It has been one of the most truly gratifying and celebratory experiences in my adulthood to date. I am beyond grateful to the women who shared unabashedly and gave wholeheartedly session after session.
Is there anything else our members should know about you?
I love stories. I have endless amounts of patience and time for stories. The connection between film producing and coaching is not disparate or accidental for me. Both arenas allow me to be a vehicle and a cheerleader for so many stories.