https://www.cindygardner.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-09-13 https://www.cindygardner.com/blog/advice-thats-not-helpful monthly 0.5 2022-06-08 https://www.cindygardner.com/blog/someones-awful-moment monthly 0.5 2022-06-15 https://www.cindygardner.com/blog/choose-to-succeed monthly 0.5 2022-06-15 https://www.cindygardner.com/blog/the-work-of-art-is-you monthly 0.5 2022-06-08 https://www.cindygardner.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-10-01 https://www.cindygardner.com/energy-leadership daily 0.75 2022-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/ebbed2d8-2ab4-4615-ba8c-4bf9bf757e53/Energy-Leadership-Index-Logo.jpg Energy Leadership - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/1f3134e9-dafd-45c2-868d-04b82b7d9212/Cindy-Gardner-Pink-shirt.jpg Energy Leadership - You’ve taken personality tests… but now it’s time for an attitudinal assessment. The Energy Leadership™ Index (ELI) assessment is the proprietary, research-backed assessment tool that takes something abstract, like the way a person views the world, and turns it into something tangible—a metric that you can see and feel and even reevaluate in the future. You’re probably familiar with personality tests like Myers Briggs, DISC, and the Enneagram. These valuable tools can help you understand your strengths, embrace your so-called weaknesses, and discover how you can work to your full potential. In that way, they typically support a “work with what you have” approach to adapting your behavior and pursuing personal excellence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/56d5a5c7-ce7a-4956-bcfd-c49cf21316b7/Cindy-Gardner-world-energy-leadership.jpg Energy Leadership - Change the way you view the world, approach “problems” & engage with others. When combined with the personally-tailored Energy Leadership Index debrief, the ELI assessment will help you look closely at where (and how) you’re investing your energy, and to what effect. As a result, you’ll become aware of new areas of focus and build a plan to increase your level of satisfaction and fulfilment in work and in life. (Is there a difference between the two, really?) As a leader, you’re likely to experience boosts in productivity, enhanced communication, and a greater sense of work/life balance. As an individual, you’re likely to experience a powerful transformation in your intimate and family relationships, feel more connected to your purpose, and enjoy a greater sense of personal freedom. In essence, Energy Leadership will help you live and lead by example, with power, purpose, and passion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/e64d4acd-7a18-4a08-9557-91603922c859/pexels-daria-shevtsova-1458668.jpg Energy Leadership - Take the assessment. This simple online assessment takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once the results are in, I’ll guide you through a 60-minute personalized debrief session, during which you’ll discover the percentage of each of the 7 energy levels that you typically experience under stress and also under “normal” conditions. You’ll also discover your Average Resonating Level of energy (ARL) or E-Factor, which represents the average of all your energy levels under normal conditions and in reaction to stressful situations. You’ll gain insights into where (and how) you’re investing your energy and discover a powerful path to reach your work and life goals—and likely, a higher E-Factor. Studies show that those with a higher E-Factor are more satisfied with all aspects of their lives and are able to engage in their activities and relationships with more energy and passion. https://www.cindygardner.com/what-is-coaching daily 0.75 2022-06-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3e5206b5-6fe2-46ee-b694-1e993cc51fcb/Cindy-Gardner-What-is-coaching.jpg What is Coaching? - What is Coaching? Think about it like this: what’s the difference between snorkeling and scuba diving? When you go snorkeling, you see some amazing things, but you’re essentially just skimming the surface of a wide-open ocean. When you go scuba diving, it’s a commitment. It requires equipment, training, and a curiosity to go deeper, to get to the core. The rewards are in close-up, vivid colors and a deeper understanding of how things operate underneath the surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/6a0eec05-e314-4806-9675-8ebfb6291a68/Cindy-Gardner-coaching-is-like-scuba-diving-.jpg What is Coaching? - My coaching is akin to scuba diving. While others might be content to coach you along the surface, not this girl. I see coaching as a partnership between the two of us, and I utilize a creative approach to help you see what changes you can make in your life to help you find your voice and start living the life you want to live. This approach is called Core Energy Coaching and it operates on the understanding that the challenges you face are often symptoms of an underlying cause. By only tackling the symptoms, you might be able to modify your actions in the short-term, but this approach fails to provide meaningful, long-term solutions. We’ll get to your core, which means you’ll soon be able to better connect your inner purpose and passion to your outward goals and strategies–zeroing in on what you really want and breaking through what’s holding you back. https://www.cindygardner.com/home daily 1.0 2025-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/18753f95-eb7d-4cb7-acf3-825a186b905c/Cindy-Gardner-lead-with-heart.jpg Home - How much longer are you willing to play the performing-pretending-pleasing-perfecting-proving game? While the alliteration may be great, the amount of energy it takes to play the “5Ps” game is also great - translation: exhausting! And it’s the game we play when we protect our hearts and forget what it means (or even what it’s like) to be human, especially in the workplace. Perhaps you’re here because you’re ready to stop playing games (the 5Ps variety, anyway), and to start embracing the once-in-all-history-creation that is you, and to share THAT version of yourself in the workplace, if not with the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/49675274-ee0b-43fb-9c04-924208ba24a8/Cindy-Gardner-coach-7.jpg Home - Imagine… ♥ No longer thinking that asking for help equals weakness ♥ No longer avoiding conflict and uncomfortable conversations ♥ No longer trying to look, work, and deliver perfectly to protect against criticism and judgment ♥ No longer flaunting exhaustion as a status symbol ♥ No longer pretending that effective leadership doesn’t require care and concern for others ♥ No longer hustling for your worth ♥ No longer allowing past disappointments or negative experiences to define you https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/4e09bd2a-93d3-428a-8f9a-952c08719098/Brene-Brown-Cindy+Gardner+dare+to+lead-.jpeg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/2fea9b1f-3716-4541-a455-35bb1a4b61f4/unsplash-image-WukitUSJRgY.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/cf2766d8-2895-4349-9972-ac47e513f1bd/DSC_4361+web+%281100%29.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/f7d2d668-ea96-4e6b-86fd-c45eb8dde58f/We-desperately-need-more-leaders.jpg Home - Your Head. Your Heart. Your Leadership. Let’s integrate these pieces of you. I’m not suggesting we check our intellect at the door – no way, no how. I’m merely saying that if we want the best for and from ourselves, our teams, our relationships…and anyone else with a heartbeat, it’s time we own and honor what makes us human – and operate from that place, over and over and over again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3b35737c-f137-4d0f-91ee-0dfaff03d645/Cindy+Gardner+certifications.png Home https://www.cindygardner.com/services daily 0.75 2022-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/e8e282e9-7694-41fc-aee2-c540479969a2/Cindy-Gardner-coach-10.jpg Services - Coaching, Training, Facilitation & Speaking - for passion-driven leaders, teams, groups, and organizations who want to build their skills and develop their culture around the kind of traits that are uniquely and deeply human. After all, we are all human, right? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/db7c6340-ba69-414f-963c-63fbe3c899fb/anton-jansson-mTIer0UVf2k-unsplash.jpg Services - What working with me looks like… With tangible, research-backed frameworks, including Bruce D Schneider’s transformational Core Energy Coaching™ model and ground-breaking Energy Leadership Index™ assessment, and the widely acclaimed courage-building skill sets developed by Brené Brown, you’ll undoubtedly lead more consciously and courageously – and you’ll get to know yourself, and your precious, life-giving heart, a whole lot better, too. I’ll help you to see what you cannot see, not because I know better than you. Quite the contrary. My job is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you & help you: Gain insight into how you see yourself & the world, especially as a leader Assess what’s getting in the way of experiencing more satisfaction & fulfilment Gauge your strengths & opportunities for growth as a courageous leader Uncover & get curious about the places where you armor-up, ready for battle Discover & leverage the areas in which you’re less armored & more daring Make the shifts & changes that create the ideal image you hold for yourself as a leader Become a more conscious & courageous leader https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/b849a3ed-2636-4dc7-ab37-e87783db0440/Cindy-Gardner-Services-Group-coaching-title.png Services https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/24ec691b-b2e8-4d40-a3d6-36cf8a02b255/Cindy-Gardner-Services-Individual-coaching-title.png Services https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/8b05e6a9-418b-4c6e-a902-6bd27c8eb439/Cindy-Gardner-Services-workshops-speaking-title-.png Services https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/ebbed2d8-2ab4-4615-ba8c-4bf9bf757e53/Energy-Leadership-Index-Logo.jpg Services https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/fbe9c0ec-9c4e-4389-bb20-deadaf481359/Dare-to-Lead-Logo--.jpg Services https://www.cindygardner.com/dare-to-lead daily 0.75 2023-04-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/36262523-2616-4cfb-835c-8b9ed7a30e8b/Cindy-Gardner-Dare-to-Lead-Certified-Facilitator-.png Dare to Lead - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/ce62930a-329d-4710-8de7-c5db3058a814/194967888_ene-Brown-approved2-photo-by-Maile-Wilson_ORIG_t800.jpeg Dare to Lead - Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work. But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we’re scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can’t do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, for starters. Having spent over two decades dedicated to studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and most recently completing a study on courageous leadership, Dr. Brené Brown’s research reveals that the ideal leader is someone who cultivates a culture in which brave work, tough conversations, and whole hearts are the expectation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/0f7ffbd1-c6d7-4d9c-8905-187726853b8c/Cindy-Dare-to-lead-profile.jpg Dare to Lead - What You’ll Learn In this experiential, six-week training, I’ll guide you on a powerful discovery to become a braver leader as you learn the four empirically based skill sets of courageous leadership, all of which are teachable, measurable, and observable: Rumbling with Vulnerability – facing risk, uncertainty, and emotional exposure with courage and clarity Living into our Values – identifying, operationalizing, and practicing the beliefs we hold most important BRAVING Trust – creating or deepening connections in relationships and teams based on the seven elements of trust Learning to Rise – learning and growing from the inevitable failures, setbacks, and disappointments that happen when we’re brave Individuals who successfully complete the full 24-hour Dare to Lead™ training program will receive a certificate of completion and are permitted to put the “Dare to Lead Trained” badge on their LinkedIn account. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/160e2b0b-9d4a-4814-81c7-e28109c5ee94/PY_Netflix_Brown_0873_rgb-crop.jpg Dare to Lead - About Brené Brown & the Dare to Lead Program Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and most recently completed a seven-year study on courageous leadership. She is the author of five #1 New York Times best sellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead, which also debuted at #1 on The Wall Street Journal and Publisher’s Weekly lists. The most significant finding from Brene’s latest research is that courage is a collection of four skill sets that are teachable, measurable, and observable. Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitators focus on developing these courage-building skills through workshops, trainings, and coaching to help individuals, teams, and organizations move from armored leadership to daring leadership. Dare to Lead™ is an empirically based courage-building program designed to be led by Certified Dare to Lead facilitators. It’s for individuals who are ready to embrace brave leadership, shed their armor, and show up with their whole hearts in their work and life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/1654700609083-37929REP6ATU47DCUJNW/unsplash-image-skLqGtLrYKc.jpg Dare to Lead https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/1654019368156-GXUKTIHXADWFO547DQ7P/pexels-fauxels-3184297.jpg Dare to Lead https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/1654862192475-ZAH9PY0MMS5OX2Z7BJVM/pexels-fauxels-3182781.jpg Dare to Lead https://www.cindygardner.com/about daily 0.75 2022-10-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/0c892347-3a58-4177-a591-dd4bbd152314/Cindy-Gardner-coach-6-.jpg About - Meet Cindy If we don’t bring our hearts with us wherever we go, we’ll die. And that’s exactly how I felt (dead, just to be clear) during the first 20 years of my career, when brains, power and might were put above all else. As a result, I recoiled deep inside myself, I hid out (literally and figuratively) whenever I could, I kept my voice silent, constrained, and suppressed, believing that would be my golden ticket to flying under the radar, unseen and unnoticed. In meetings and on project teams, I did my best to stay on the sidelines, to play small, to be quiet, filled with fear and armored-up with all of the protections of a safe room. And when I did show-up, after all, I had a job to do, I was playing the 5Ps (performing-pretending-pleasing-perfecting-proving) like nobody’s business. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/63d0345f-8a5f-4e39-bc08-b78c29ec716c/jonny-caspari-DVzt7cvRKRo-unsplash.jpg About - Leading without heart… Those who do it best (the power players, politicians, and sweepers) shall make their way to the corner office, and with it all the accolades that come from being, well – a bit less than human. Who cares what it took to get there, and the collateral damage created along the way. If you want to be successful, this is what it takes – this is what it looks like. NO. THANK. YOU. I’ve worked in my fair share of toxic environments, cultures in which we talked about people instead of to people, where going home at 7 p.m. was considered “banker’s hours,” where family commitments and obligations were luxuries whose price was paid in whispers at the water cooler, where those who “played the game” scored the most in terms of raises and promotions, and so on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/0f05297f-aa0e-4dd4-bb9e-f88111b18a23/Cindy-Gardner-coach-8.jpg About - My Passion, My Purpose… I’ve combined my expertise as a masterful coach with a certification as a Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, having been personally trained by Brené Brown, to do the life-changing work of raising consciousness and building courage, helping my clients to build their skills around the kind of traits that are uniquely and deeply human and develop the heart every bit as much as the mind. I’m passionate about helping people, especially leaders, raise their awareness and build their courage. The result? Organizations with more conscious and courageous leaders who see the true human (resource) in themselves and the people they lead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/1655460549887-L5MIDAYITFSPN2NAXWFK/unsplash-image-eHD8Y1Znfpk.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/6ccebd0b-9d08-4c4c-8952-6784dad17d30/NJBeach1.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/edffd6d0-a7c2-4000-8add-de149078c7fa/Teacher-Student1.jpg About https://www.cindygardner.com/retreat-2025 daily 0.75 2025-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3ca82b26-f08b-4c2f-86f5-6cb0d7c2830c/Cindy-Gardner-Coaching-Services-2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/46768daa-f1b5-467e-889b-6331e91471ea/kristjan-kotar-bN_q-Mvd-gE-unsplash.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/70400a51-c546-4b29-9b7e-8a5a1e83ef0d/tim-marshall-K2u71wv2eI4-unsplash.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/89af85a9-a617-412c-850a-beffeb33cc04/Cindy-Gardner-Life-Business-Coach-About-Page4.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/0f05297f-aa0e-4dd4-bb9e-f88111b18a23/Cindy-Gardner-coach-8.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/6ae047b6-18ca-47c5-bbcd-ae052660b751/pexels-mart-production-7606033.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/7927dc8b-7e17-492c-9809-bcdf75bacab8/20-90a1ef69.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/41fca495-dc53-4c54-9f9e-c54a58ac9ce7/pexels-fauxels-3184188.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3ca82b26-f08b-4c2f-86f5-6cb0d7c2830c/Cindy-Gardner-Coaching-Services-2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/9c96627b-f6a7-4886-9e61-6834db44912c/Cindy-Gardner-What-is-coaching.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/a896e6ad-b31b-4720-af97-9552e4fccab9/11-5fac915c.jpg Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/7903cf6f-de2c-4016-b7f0-e7b7e7d3cc24/1-45759737.jpg Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/f30ed4c1-63bc-45ed-853a-116187d8989c/16-d4f7c50b.jpg Retreat https://www.cindygardner.com/retreats daily 0.75 2025-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3ca82b26-f08b-4c2f-86f5-6cb0d7c2830c/Cindy-Gardner-Coaching-Services-2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/46768daa-f1b5-467e-889b-6331e91471ea/kristjan-kotar-bN_q-Mvd-gE-unsplash.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/70400a51-c546-4b29-9b7e-8a5a1e83ef0d/tim-marshall-K2u71wv2eI4-unsplash.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/0f05297f-aa0e-4dd4-bb9e-f88111b18a23/Cindy-Gardner-coach-8.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/89af85a9-a617-412c-850a-beffeb33cc04/Cindy-Gardner-Life-Business-Coach-About-Page4.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/6ae047b6-18ca-47c5-bbcd-ae052660b751/pexels-mart-production-7606033.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/7927dc8b-7e17-492c-9809-bcdf75bacab8/20-90a1ef69.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/41fca495-dc53-4c54-9f9e-c54a58ac9ce7/pexels-fauxels-3184188.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/3ca82b26-f08b-4c2f-86f5-6cb0d7c2830c/Cindy-Gardner-Coaching-Services-2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/9c96627b-f6a7-4886-9e61-6834db44912c/Cindy-Gardner-What-is-coaching.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/f30ed4c1-63bc-45ed-853a-116187d8989c/16-d4f7c50b.jpg Retreats https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/a896e6ad-b31b-4720-af97-9552e4fccab9/11-5fac915c.jpg Retreats https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/621fa692efb4c353cec1cad8/7903cf6f-de2c-4016-b7f0-e7b7e7d3cc24/1-45759737.jpg Retreats