marisa ciesluk

meet the chief firestarter

Let's start with 2016.

I was standing at one of those crossroads that looks great on paper and completely disorienting in real life. At work, I had just been promoted into a newly created senior leadership position. You know, the kind of opportunity you're supposed to be grateful for. At home, I had stepped into another new role: mom to a baby girl. Two things I had genuinely longed for- for years. Both arrived at once.

And yet . . . .

My soul was restless. My heart was heavy. And there was a voice in my head- persistent, inconvenient, impossible to ignore- saying: "This isn't it, Marisa. You're made for more."

Not more stuff. Not a bigger title. More impact. More fulfillment. More alignment. More of the work that makes me feel like I'm actually on fire instead of quietly burning out.

I know what it is like to cry the whole way to work after dropping your daughter at daycare-more days than I care to count. I know what it's like to look the part and feel completely hollow inside. To wonder why everything you worked for doesn't feel like enough.

And I know what happens when you stop pretending everything is fine and finally start having the real conversation.

That's when everything changed for me. And that's what I've dedicated my work to every since: helping women and organizations stop skimming the surface and start doing the deeper inner work that actually creates change.

a few of my favorite things...

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My Credentials: The Relevant & the Wonderfully Irrelevant

Certified Leadership Coach for Organizational Performance, American University
Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Certified in EQ-i 2.0 + EQ 360 assessments, Multi-Health Systems (MHS)
Completed Playing Big Facilitator Training with Tara Mohr
MS, Miami (OH) University
BA, Longwood University
Learning and Development Certificate, UNC Charlotte
Summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (because some journeys are literal)
Two-time Marathon Runner & Half-Ironman Finisher (chronic boundary pusher)
IVF mom to a future leader who is honing her curiosity and wit (why I do this work)
Burnout Survivor (X2!)

on a personal note

what I believe deep in my soul

The conversations most people avoid are the ones that change everything.

Burnout isn't a personal failure. It's a symptom that demands a response.

Women don't need to be fixed. They need space to breathe, clarity to see their brilliance, and the courage to act on what's true for them.

Organizational wellbeing starts with the wellbeing of your people.

Cultures changes when conversations change.

A culture of wellbeing starts with leadership. To lead well one must be well.

Messy, imperfect action beats polished paralysis every single time.