Thought bubbles

These are some kind words from the many clients I’ve been fortunate to work with throughout the years.

“Leora’s coaching was an invaluable gift in my continued growth as a rabbi. Leora worked with me and a colleague to craft a course of coaching that covered multiple essential domains of leadership development including visioning, management and supervision, working with lay leaders, and more. I cannot recommend her enough for her professionalism, preparation, wisdom, attention to detail, and warmth. I would encourage my fellow rabbis to run to work with her.”

D.R.
Clergy Coaching Client

“Leora has a way of getting me out of my head, helping to stretch my perspective and even helped with strategy planning. She reminds me of my strengths and values and helps me find the clarity to express myself more succinctly. She also has this phenomenal knack for knowing what I need at just the right time- asking just the right question; leading me through the perfect guided imagery; or using a metaphor to help me see in a brand new way. My life, health and business are better for having worked with her. Leora, thank you so much for being there!”

A L
Coaching Client

“The skills required in a good coach- knowing when to listen, when to ask pointed questions, and when to speak- are the skills Leora Isaacs has. Her intelligence, empathic listening, calm presence, and knowledge of her field all contribute to her ability to help clients think through the central, pressing issues they face. As a congregational rabbi, I (and, by extension, my community) benefitted from Leora’s deep knowledge and experience. I’m extra appreciative, because her unique qualifications are not easily found.”

D S
Clergy Coaching Client

“Leora and I began a coach/coachee partnership about 4 months (I can’t remember if it was earlier) before my planned retirement (this past June) from my role as the CEO of a mid-sized New York & nationally focused non-profit. I knew it promised to be a huge transition with many ramifications. I am deeply grateful to Leora for helping me to think through how I wanted to approach the next stage of my life both personally and professionally. Changes such as these are not easy, and the path isn’t always straightforward. It makes a very big difference when a skilled and empathetic coach is your companion on the journey.”

R S
Coaching Client approaching retirement

“… Dr. Isaacs is a superb facilitator of complex collaborative change processes — incredibly talented in walking the thin line between respecting and affirming all participants and positions and being enough of an ‘agent provocateur’ (as she calls herself) to get people to examine their assumptions and face difficult truths when necessary. At the same time, she is a generous coach and mentor for individuals, sharing her savvy with sensitivity and skill … She ‘leads from the center,’ as the current phrase goes, without self-aggrandizement, but with quiet strength. She’s thoroughly comfortable with lay people, indeed outstanding in working with them, and can present confidently to audiences in the hundreds. She’s a seasoned veteran with the vision, commitment to, and understanding of innovation and what makes it work that a young entrepreneur would aspire to.”

Dr. Jonathan Woocher,
President, The Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

“As chair of the Dallas Jewish Community Strategic Planning Retreat and the strategic planning process of the Center for Jewish Education in Dallas, I am grateful to Leora Isaacs for her expert guidance in the planning and facilitation of our retreat. I am especially appreciative of the way Leora guided us to think outside the box, to expand our understanding of what it means to generate conversation and energy and to see the power of doing things in a new way. Leora’s patience, guidance and expertise created an unforgettable conversation about Jewish education in the Dallas community that has moved our community forward by leaps and bounds in just one short day.”

Deborah Niederman, RJE
Chair, Dallas Jewish Community Strategic Planning Retreat
President NATE (National Association of Temple Educators)

“Although we retained Isaacs Consulting to provide program evaluation services for us, we soon discovered that we had actually found a full working partner who helped us not only to understand the opportunities and challenges at hand, but to bring about mid-course improvements that fundamentally enhanced our work. Leora is a consummate professional, dedicated educator and total mentch.”

Dr. Marc N. Kramer
Co-Executive Director
RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network

“Leora Isaacs has been a real blessing to those of us who are fortunate enough to know and work with her over the years. I know few people who bring, as she does to every discussion, such calm but penetrating insightfulness as well as a healthy dollop of humor to offset the ever-present threat of ‘group think’ and pretentiousness. I really enjoy working with her!”

Robert Sherman, Chief Executive Officer
The Jewish Education Project

“About a year ago, our advisory committee undertook the task of creating a strategic plan for our department in an effort to understand the needs of the community, measure the impact of our growth and programs over the last five years, and plot a course of action moving into the future… Leora’s guidance through every step of this process has been stellar, and her ability to envision and create a forum by which we gathered information, engaged our stakeholders, and brought forth solid and clear recommendations has been accurate and timely…”

Meyer Denn, Executive Director
Center for Jewish Education
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas

“Leora is the consummate professional. My husband Harold Grinspoon and I have used her expertise to guide our decision making in many situations, not least of all for our education resource center. As a lay leader, philanthropist, and former chair of JESNA, I have become much more astute as a strategic thinker, learning to evaluate the project at hand and assess its needs as a result of working with Leora. Whether on the local, national or international scene, when it comes to Jewish education, Leora has been my ‘go-to’ person.”

Diane Troderman, Philanthropist
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Past Chair, JESNA

“Leora is a delight to work with. She is a partner in the deepest sense of the word. Within a few hours of collaborating, I had complete and total trust in her understanding of our project’s vision and tasks, her ability to be organized and proactive, and her capacity to take the ball and run with it. Leora is an experienced professional with the highest standards for herself and her work, and one who takes true delight in her ability to have a positive impact on her fields of interest.”

Lisa Colton
President, Darim Online and
Chief Learning Officer, See3 Communications

“Leora Isaacs worked with the Columbus community as we undertook piloting a major community change initiative for Jewish supplementary education. Leora’s breadth of knowledge and experience in a variety of facets Jewish education, change management and team work made her an invaluable asset to our community. Leora came with an extensive background in Jewish educational programs and change initiatives from around the country. She was able to help us sort through a variety of best practices to help our community determine what was most suited to us. She was also quick to help us network around the country with others with experience and those who could serve as thought partners for our work. Leora’s utilization of Appreciative Inquiry was well suited to her strength of a positive mission focus. Leora was able to manage both the day to day detailed work and keep our focus on the larger mission to bring projects to fruition. She facilitated focus groups for us that helped us gather needed information, garner trust, and build relationships with community leaders and professionals. She also assimilated new information quickly and was continually bringing new ideas and approaches into repertoire. She is relentless at solving problems while at the same time objective at evaluating situations. Leora was also a tremendous resource as a coach to sort through difficulties as they arose, regroup under changing circumstances, keep our work goal focused and help assess and evaluate our work. She is exceptionally competent advising in areas of organizational issues, managing change, and innovation in Jewish education. She is an excellent listener and is very constructive with her feedback. Without hesitation, I would recommend Leora to any person or organization that is looking for support with innovation and change; strategy development and implementation; or program or organizational evaluation in Jewish Education.”

Idit Jacques Solomon
Vice President, Jewish Education and Identity
Jewish Federation of Columbus

“Leora Isaacs has been invaluable in moving our community forward with the WOW Initiative. She understands the intricate workings of the Jewish community, and has a unique ability to hear a variety of different voices and synthesize them into a coherent plan that allows for a group to effectively examine and act on key issues. She is savvy and quite capable of working with both high powered lay leaders and professionals in a variety of communal settings. Her ability to engage with community personalities has been a tremendous asset to our ability to build consensus and understanding. We couldn’t have gotten the WOW Initiative off the ground and running without her!”

Anna Elfenbaum
Associate Vice President
Jewish Education and Leadership
Commission on Jewish Education & Leadership
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford

“Dr. Isaacs brings her personal brand of smarts, her practical knowledge based on a career of achievement, and her accumulated wisdom gained from professional practice throughout North America to help us identify and focus on our goals, how to succeed and what to learn along the way.”

Robert Lichtman
The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life

“I just completed 6 sessios with Leora and she was wonderful to work with. She helped me navigate a tricky work/life balance, how to structure my work time more effectively, and approaches to discussing difficult topics with others. I recommend her services. Thank you, Leora.”

Simon Lichter, MBA
Founder, Left Lane Marketing/
Consultant

“Leora Isaacs worked with us evaluating Bring Israel Home and has added incredible value to our campaign over the last year. From her process to delivery, we have been delighted with all aspects of her work; Her framework and methodology is straight forward and intuitive, allowing us to simplify complex programs with relative ease. She is very insightful, getting to the heart of the matter quickly. She challenges us to put hard measurements to our goals, which is not an easy task, and her analysis of the results is excellent – she analyzes them from many different angles to give us a rounded picture of what our respondents have said. As well as being a top evaluator, she is a real pleasure to work with. We cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Rabbi David Markowitz
Chief Operating Officer
AISH NY

“Leora Isaacs is a smart, energetic, creative professional who will stop at nothing to serve her clients until their needs are met…Most recently, the Workmen’s Circle partnered with Isaacs Consulting to build a new logic model for the Education Department to guide its path toward deepening and expanding its network of Jewish cultural schools. Not only did Leora create a workable model for a complex endeavor, she went above and beyond by strategizing with us about how to implement that model on the ground with specific, measurable goals; achievable plans; and an aggressive, yet realistic timeline. Most importantly, Leora continues to make herself available to us as we progress to ensure we are on track and have a competent sounding board. I would recommend Leora without reservation to any organization seeking a top-notch professional and consummate educator steeped in her field and attuned to the individual needs of her clients.”

Ann Toback, Executive Director
Kate O’Brien, Director of Education
The Workmen’s Circle

“When I first met Leora Isaacs I instantly felt like I could be honest and open with her. Her style of questions and brainstorming allowed me to tap into a deeper part of myself, not only in my professional career but personal growth as well. Our conversations pushed me to think in a way where I could nurture my current skills and use them as a tool to tackle future business endeavors. I am always left in awe at how light on my feet, and clear headed I feel after speaking with Leora. She is truly a master at what she does, and I hope to develop a long-term connection, as she is certainly someone to have in your corner.”

S S
Coaching Client

“From our very first session, I could tell my time with Leora would be instrumental. She listened carefully and quickly grasped what I was hoping to achieve from our work together. In a very short amount of time, her coaching led me to stretch outside of my comfort zone, which has helped me to become a more effective leader with greater vision and deeper communication skills.”

A C
Coaching Client

“Leora’s thought-provoking questions, strategic thinking, and guided imagery helped me focus on my issues and bring clarity to my career goals. I implemented the things that we went over and immediately got the results that I wanted.”

If you are looking for someone to put you on the right path; be your personal cheerleader, when no one else is; confide in; then Leora is the real deal.

K G
Coaching Client

“In the six weeks that I worked with Leora, she took my resume from drab to fab. Thanks to her guidance and wisdom, I was able to create a document that truly reflected my skills and personality.”

E C
Coaching Client re-entering the workforce

“Leora’s coaching is intuitive and guiding. Because of my time working with her, I have more confidence in my professional endeavors and can direct my energy to those activities that matter most in my life and work. I have experienced feelings of self-doubt at times but was able to let go of that challenge as a result of imagery work, which has made a significant difference.”

D H
Coaching Client

“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Leora and have benefited immensely from her coaching expertise. Leora is an extremely talented and accomplished coach who skillfully draws from her extensive training, knowledge and professional experience into her coaching practice. This powerful approach to her work helps her clients navigate through their specific challenges and helps them achieve results. Leora has been instrumental in supporting me in achieving many of my personal and professional goals. She has helped me break-through barriers in my thinking and beliefs, helped me identify new perspectives, and enabled me to find much more meaning, purpose and balance in my life. Through our coaching work together, Leora has been an invaluable partner as I continue to move through a significant career transition. I highly recommend Leora and look forward to continuing my coaching work with her into the future.”

JW
Coaching Client, career transition

“I had the honor and pleasure of working with Leora last year as a coach. I was in a time of great unknown and career dissatisfaction as well as having recently grown our family to four. Leora spent countless hours with me asking insightful questions. These questions pushed me to think about what I want out of my life and my career and how to align those desires with a career focus. I had an amazing experience connecting to many professions in and around the field I was exploring with Leora’s guidance. After four months, I landed a job that fit my goals. I am now one year in and still so happy with my decision. I have used the tools that Leora shared with me as well to make decisions about other areas of my life. I am truly thankful for my time with Leora!”

MB
Coaching Client

How may I help you?

Let’s discuss your needs. Please call (917) 570-3201 or send an email today.