Faculty and Staff

Ursula Pottinga, CPCC, PCC, MNTC is the co-founder of BEabove Leadership and is the co- developer/leader of its ground breaking training program for advanced coaches: Neuroscience, Consciousness and Transformational Coaching available as a 40 week virtual certification program as well as leading BEabove’s Neuroscience and Relational Trauma Certification Program.

Ursula is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach through The Coaches Training Institute and a Master NeuroTransformational Coach with more than 20 years experience.

She is a skilled facilitator with more than 30 years experience creating and leading workshops, events, and meetings internationally as an organizational development consultant. A sought-after speaker and coach, Ursula also has her own consulting and coaching company, Profound Growth. In this capacity she supports highly successful leaders break out of patterns that have held them back from claiming the best version of themselves, impacting culture, relationships and creating new paths forward.

She is also a Certified Relational Trauma and Neuroscience coach where she focuses on bringing awareness, change and ultimately healing to organizations that have been negatively impacted by relational trauma.

She speaks and coaches internationally and has co-authored a number of books. She is the co-author of The Guide to Getting It: Remarkable Management Skills, Create a New Normal and the spiritual journal: Universal Intentions.

A native of Germany she and her family have lived and worked in numerous countries, giving her a unique perspective on the world. She, her husband and dog Comet enjoy their winters traveling and living in warmer climates 41 foot “Glamper”. While the rest of the year they call Minnesota home. She loves playing with her Granddaughters and perfecting her tennis and golf game. And forever diving more deeply into the subjects of consciousness and neuroscience.

Learn more about Ursula’s work and schedule a discovery call on her website.

Jean Davidson brings 25 years’ experience in business, education, entrepreneurship, consulting and coaching to her work. Her background includes consultation, management, training, facilitation and coaching in the healthcare, financial services, retail, pharmaceutical, and technology industries as well as higher education and government.

Jean has been a business owner for a total of 30 years and has expertise in team and leadership development, leadership coaching, as well as the successful implementation of change initiatives. Her passion lies in working with the human and cultural elements of change, team development, communication skills, and coaching leaders to reach their full potential. In short, Jean believes that life is most fulfilling when we are intentional about how we show up in the world and embark on a lifelong journey to being our best selves.

Jean is an Insights Licensed Practitioner, accredited in the entire Insights suite of tools. She is qualified in Lumina Spark and serves as Lumina Learning faculty. She is an International Coaching Federation credentialed coach, as well as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and Certified Neurotransformational Coach. She holds an Ed. D. in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas and her research focus is leadership transition and organization change.

Her recent work projects include several e-books which you can learn more about on her website. In her spare time, she can be found crocheting, quilting, putting together jigsaw puzzles or spending time with her family (husband, 3 children, 11 grandchildren, and 2 Siberian huskies) in Woodbury, Minnesota where she lives. She recently retired after 37 years as a Jazzercise instructor. To stay active she has traded in her dancing shoes for golf shoes. She highly recommends it as a way to stay humble!

An Irish sparkplug, Carol McLean, CPCC, PCC is a truly gifted certified neuro-transformational coach (CNTC), facilitator and non-profit visionary.

In 2011, motivated by a certainty that all individuals are capable far beyond their circumstances and past, Carol pivoted from a career in accounting to launch Shift Happens, a registered Canadian charity, to bring coaching to at-risk children, teens and individuals struggling to find a job. As a rebel and rule-breaker in the best of ways, Carol has always challenged broken, conventional models, calling for radical change in businesses and individuals when required. She sees not what is – but what can, and will, be. Carol dares to go where others might waver and does so with a playful, take-no prisoner approach. 

Working with government and local agencies, Carol is well on her way to her ultimate goal: bringing this work to prisons, empowering all individuals to change their lives. She views people not by their past or circumstances, but clearly sees the true power of every individual, fiercely and lovingly calling you forth.

Kelly works with individuals and organizations to help them rise to their potential. Her coaching, consulting and facilitation services build capabilities that are crucial for a clear path to desired success. What grew out of Kelly’s foundations in Human Resources is a passion for helping people see the path more clearly, navigate crossroads, and live and work in ways that are more fulfilling and successful.

Clients benefit from Kelly’s 20+ years of experience leading, facilitating and coaching clients to achieve their goals in settings from mid-size to Fortune 100 companies, entrepreneurial start-ups and non-profit/military organizations.

Kelly is a graduate of Bowdoin College with a degree in Neuroscience and holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Her coaching credentials include:

• International Coaching Federation (PCC)
• Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC)
• Certified NeuroTransformational Coach (CNTC)
• Licensed trainer on the Seven Levels and Neuroscience through BeAbove Leadership

In addition, Kelly is certified practitioner in several assessment tools including TTI Success Insights DISC and Driving Forces, Insights Discovery, and Shift+ 360.

Kelly brings curiosity, empathy, competence, wisdom, a sense of humor, and a profound desire to help people flourish.

Outside of coaching, Kelly enjoys being active, especially trail-running and yoga. She is married to a restaurant owner and not coincidentally loves eating great food. They are raising their two kids, currently in college. She’ll try anything creative – drawing, painting, collaging, quilting – as she finds those things soul-soothing. An ideal day is one spent on the beach or near the ocean.

Beyond his corporate career, Joseph is a highly qualified, multi-certified Leadership and Team Effectiveness Coach, and corporate trainer and facilitator.

Specifically, Joseph delivers coaching and training at the intersection of neuroscience, consciousness and leadership effectiveness, and seeks to increase our collective understanding of why and how coaching works based on the latest scientific research of the brain.

In fact, with an ambition to support individuals in their attainment of a state of human flourishing and organizations a state of thriving, Joseph has one-foot firmly within the academic space, where he contributes to research concerning advancements in the professional coaching field and how that applies to real-world leadership challenges.

Joseph holds a BSc (Hons) in Management Science & Operational Research from Loughborough University with a Diploma in Professional Studies, a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Coaching from Leicester Castle Business School, and a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) from the University of East London.

Joseph is also a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), as well as having been trained in various other coaching tools and evidenced-based approaches underpinned by the latest research in emotional intelligence, neuroscience & neuropsychology, team performance & systemic coaching and organizational effectiveness.

Joseph splits his personal life between time in the United Kingdom and time in the United States of America, where he enjoys visiting museums, monuments, national parks and hiking trails with his long-term, long-distance girlfriend Megan.

Jaydan Mitchell is a dynamic Professional Coach and Facilitator, with broad-based experience in the areas of workforce development, team leadership, program management, youth services and curriculum design.  Jaydan hails from the domain of services for people with disabilities, cutting his teeth in the human development field as a career counselor for individuals with vision loss.  Over the course of his career, Jaydan has come to hold as his “north star” the belief that all people have the innate ability to craft their own destiny.  While this is a fundamental truth for many coaches, it is especially resonant when one directly sees the impact on people who are not accustomed to being seen or believed to be capable.  Jaydan’s passion for coaching aligns with the Co-Active principle that people are naturally creative, resourceful and whole – a premise that is a game-changer for many living with disability.  Jaydan’s joy today is to witness as people turn “I can’t” into “I will” and then “I will” into “I did.”

As a facilitator, Jaydan draws from a deep bucket of classroom experiences, ranging from teaching social-emotional learning concepts to elementary school children all the way to diversity and cultural competencies to human resource managers.   Jaydan actively stewards several leading programs for youth and young adults at a major non-profit for people with vision impairment in New York City.  His style molds to his audience, but one can especially count on Jaydan to weave into his sessions a blend of fun, creativity, comfort and safety.

Jaydan is credentialed through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), holds three certifications through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), and is a Certified NeuroTransformational Coach and Licensed Trainer in BEabove Leadership’s 7 Levels and neuroscience curricula.  He is a madly-in-love husband to a flight attendant, a cat dad, a proud New Yorker and a lost-cause coffeeholic.

Duy Nguyen identifies as a proud first generation Vietnamese – American. He spent his early academic career studying biomedical engineering. Today, he spends his time at work in employee engagement and organizational development. With a career spanning science, technology, and organizational development he has helped his company create thriving communities where employees are supported and advocated for regardless of their background. Duy regularly spends his time volunteering with non-profit organizations, bringing his industry experience and bridging the resource gaps in underrepresented communities.

Duy started his coaching journey at the Co-Active Institute and has since gained his certification as a NeuroTransformational Coach and Trainer of BeAbove Leadership’s 7 Levels. Duy strongly believes in the power that words can have on the self. When clients put words to their experiences and emotions, they can better handle adversity, make well-informed choices, and create their own path towards the goals they have set. As a coach, Duy loves seeing his clients unlock levels of untapped energy and resolve through the words they use to shape their future.

While not working, Duy loves to take his two dogs to the local dog park to make new friends. He also has a wide ranging list of hobbies including calligraphy, ceramics, video games, and reading the latest fantasy novels. His favorite activity is laughing and he attempts to find an excuse to laugh at least 3 times a day.

Originally from New Jersey, Khalida brings over 20 years of experience in educational leadership and visual design as well as customer service through vacation rental management. She holds a teaching accreditation and has worked internationally at an IB school as a teacher and administrator. In addition, she holds an MFA from Pratt Institute in Digital Design and has worked on several children’s television programs. 

As a volunteer teacher with WorldTeach in Costa Rica, she met her husband. They lived together for 10 years in NYC and, after the birth of their second daughter in 2006, they moved  back to Costa Rica where they ran Agua Vista Vacation Rentals and helped to found the international IB school, Futuro Verde. While in Costa Rica, Khalida met Ann and became familiar with BEabove Leadership from its inception. In 2022 Khalida and her family moved to Santa Fe, NM and she was delighted to join the BEabove team in early 2023. 

Khalida enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets, making art, and solving puzzles.

Susan Ritt is a writer, editor and media & public relations professional based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She has worked with a variety of media at both the local and national level, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times and more. Her public relations career took root at the Minnesota State Fair, where she worked her way up from intern to Marketing Director before taking a break to raise her family.

Returning in 2014, she remains a part of the fair’s seasonal marketing team. Susan first came to BEabove Leadership as a coaching client during two periods of life transition. She remains ever-grateful for the guidance and genuine warmth she received from Ann as her coach. Later, when an opportunity arose to join the team, she jumped at the chance. Outside of her freelance career she enjoys travel, reading, clever comedy and spending time with her husband, two young-adult children and their delightfully bewildering dog, Rugby.