My Coaching Journey with Lynn

Meet LPCC alum Lynn Vidler, a former West Point professor and C-suite executive who partners with leaders to build impact that is healthy, sustainable, and authentic. Lynn shares how they keep their LPCC skills sharp through intentional reflection, what it’s like launching a trilingual coaching firm after relocating to Portugal, and how they’re co-leading the ACT Alumni Community Group for Higher Education. They also share news about their new book, Developing Deans: Transforming Higher Education Leadership.

What brought you into the world of coaching? What inspires your passion for coaching?

My commitment to leadership development through coaching is rooted in more than twenty years of study and practice. Early in life I witnessed the impact of harmful leadership, which shaped my determination to pursue a different path. Through research, teaching, and my own leadership experience—including service as a West Point professor and as a C-suite executive—I have seen that authentic, developmental, and caring leaders bring out the best in others while achieving meaningful results.

My purpose as a coach is to partner with emerging and established leaders to expand their capacity for impact in ways that are both healthy and sustainable. Leaders are responsible for building cohesive, purpose-driven teams that achieve goals and drive meaningful change. Yet leadership is not only about results—it is also about how those results are achieved. Not all leaders drive change kindly, ethically, or fairly.

I truly believe that the strongest results—and the healthiest organizations—grow from positive, purpose-driven, and authentic leadership.

What skills that you learned from the LPCC program have you found most useful in your professional life? Do you have any advice on how to cultivate those skills?

Everything from the LPCC program is carefully crafted and expertly delivered. For me, the key has been to reflect intentionally on different aspects of the training and to practice them. For example, after each session with a client, I take a few anonymized handwritten notes in which I review what went well and what didn’t in the session. These reflections help highlight areas that I need to review and practice. I go back to the module manuals, ACT and ICF videos, and ICF’s new Coachbok book to remind myself of the mindsets, competencies, and skills that I learned in LPCC. I write down some things I could have done differently and commit to practicing that skill in my next coaching sessions, at work, and out in real life. I’ve also begun attending the Dojos which provide additional opportunities for learning and practice.

What are the current or upcoming challenges you're facing in the coaching field? How have you been meeting those challenges?

I have recently relocated from the United States to Portugal. My current business is incorporated in Colorado. Now that I am officially a Portuguese resident, I am allowed to open a business here. Therefore, I am navigating Portuguese processes, laws, taxes, etc. in support of opening a new trilingual/tricultural firm that coaches in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Do you have any special projects that you're working on? Could you share any details?

I’ve recently completed several Very Large Projects:

A transatlantic move

Achieved my ACC

Became an Austrian (European Union) citizen (as the descendant of a persecuted person). I encourage everyone to look into opportunities to expand your ability to reside in multiple countries. Lots of countries have laws of return or citizenship opportunities for descendants of nationals. It widens your options and your world view. You’ll also learn a lot by doing the genealogical research! In my case, my grandfather was one of only three people from his extended Austrian family who escaped the Holocaust.

As for What’s Next:

Open the coaching business in Portugal

PR my half marathon.

Where do you hope your coaching journey will take you next? Or 5 years from now?

I plan to continue learning through additional certifications and modes of practice. Additionally, I hope that my company, Blooming Branch Group, LLC, plays a part in scaling up global leadership and coaching capacity.

How has ACT / Brown helped shape the path you've taken (or plan to take) in your coaching journey?

ACT has not only created and delivered an outstanding curriculum, but they have also fostered a wonderful community of like-minded people who are deeply committed to expanding the world’s leadership capacity.

For me, personally, I have really enjoyed co-leading the ACT Alumni Community Group for Higher Education with Francy Magee. Higher education is experiencing some very dramatic paradigm shifts right now, and we are happy to provide a forum for coaches to share strategies and challenges related to coaching clients in the higher-ed space.

Please share some of your recent accomplishments (since completing the LPCC program).

I published my book, Developing Deans: Transforming Higher Education Leadership.

I have been interviewed for three different podcasts:

1. Forged in Fire, LGBTQ+ Leadership

2. The Whole CXO Podcast

3. The Trail Map podcast, hosted by fellow LPCC50 alum Matt Gregory!

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the ACT Alumni Community?

The Higher Education Alumni Community is about to partner with a couple of other Community Groups (AI and K-12 so far) to join forces with these other groups. We hope you will follow us on our tour in January and February! Also, if your group would like to collaborate on a topic that interests both of our communities, Francy and I would love to hear from you.

Connect with Lynn:

LinkedIn

https://bloomingbranchgroup.com

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