Top 15 Coaches In Columbus In 2026
Columbus is a city that moves comfortably between the practical and the bold. Here, large corporations coexist with small businesses born in garages, quiet neighborhoods sit alongside idea-filled districts, and people value both solid work and personal growth. Its residents are often described as approachable, curious, and eager to build something of their own—whether that’s a project, a career, or a new chapter in life. That mindset shows up in everyday life: professionals looking to evolve, entrepreneurs refining their vision, leaders who refuse to settle for repeating formulas. Columbus doesn’t stand still; it’s a city where asking questions matters just as much as finding answers, and where improvement isn’t a trend, but a way of thinking. This is where coaches come into the picture. From careers and business to leadership, personal life, or professional reinvention, these guides help people organize their ideas, make decisions, and move forward with greater clarity. They don’t promise shortcuts, but direction, focus, and conversations that lead to real change. This list brings together some of the most outstanding coaches in Columbus in 2026—professionals who work with purpose and understand the community they serve. Each one offers a different perspective, yet they all share the same goal: helping others go further, with intention and consistency. These are the Top 15 Coaches In Columbus in 2026 that you can contact right now:
Barb Girson
Barb is a strategist for human and professional growth who went from leading multi-million-dollar businesses to guiding people toward their full potential. As CEO of Beyond Sales Tactics, she blends real-world experience in sales, leadership, and business with high-impact coaching for executives, teams, and entrepreneurs.
With more than 20 years of experience training leaders and managing large-scale sales forces, Barb doesn’t just teach theory—she brings real stories of action, pressure, and measurable results. She has been featured and quoted in USA Today, CBS News, and numerous national, regional, and local publications.
Barb Girson helps you gain confidence, take action, and reach your next level of greatness. If you want to learn from a coach who combines business, neuroscience, and leadership with contagious energy, explore her LinkedIn profile and discover her journey firsthand.
Christine Kotik
Christine is an executive function and ADHD coach, speaker, and consultant who works with individuals and organizations to think differently, work smarter, and thrive. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), she blends science, strategy, and compassion to create practical systems that actually work in real life.
Through her proprietary ME HAT™ and PACE frameworks, Christine equips people with practical strategies to harness their strengths, build self-trust, and design lives that fit who they really are. For organizations, her work strengthens leaders’ ability to understand and develop their teams, leading to stronger engagement, healthier culture, and higher retention.
Be sure to check out her LinkedIn profile.
Dawn M Engle
Dawn is that voice that reminds you self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a smart decision. With nearly two decades of experience and contagious energy, she supports busy professionals who want to reclaim their wellbeing without abandoning real life or real responsibilities.
As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Dawn believes in small but powerful changes. No impossible formulas here: her work is rooted in sustainable habits, clear goals, and a steady presence that drives discipline, confidence, and daily action. She doesn’t just guide—she walks alongside you.
Take a look at her LinkedIn profile and feel how wellbeing can start today, without waiting for the “perfect moment.”
Dr. Kim Carter
Dr. Kim is a true “ignition point” for change in leadership, culture, and community. With more than two decades of experience, she blends academic rigor with a transformative energy that elevates individuals, teams, and entire organizations.
From her role at OhioHealth and her work as a consultant, executive coach, and keynote speaker, she drives more human, inclusive, and productive cultures. Her work connects strategy, empathy, and concrete action—helping leaders break inertia, strengthen communities, and build environments where talent truly thrives.
If you’re curious about what leadership looks like when it inspires, unites, and leaves a mark, her LinkedIn profile is a great place to start.
Holly Haynes
Holly is a business strategist who plays the long game. As CEO, coach, and founder of Crush the Rush®, she helps women entrepreneurs build scalable businesses that prioritize life over constant burnout.
With a corporate background and more than 20 years advising companies—including Fortune 500s—Holly combines systems, strategic planning, and marketing (without relying on social media) to help entrepreneurs take back control of their time. She’s also the creator of Anti-Social School™, host of a Top 100 podcast, and developer of GPT tools now supporting thousands of businesses.
Her LinkedIn is a great stop if you want to see how businesses can scale without sacrificing life in the process.
James R S Williams
James doesn’t sell motivation—he sharpens performance. He’s an executive coach who works with founders, CEOs, and C-level leaders who already operate at a high level but know there are still invisible ceilings holding them back.
His strength lies in spotting what others miss: subtle patterns, leadership misalignments, decision fatigue, and habits that quietly reduce impact. With clear strategy, direct feedback, and real precision, he helps turn clarity into execution—and execution into measurable results.
If you’re interested in how high performance is built without smoke or empty speeches, take a look at his LinkedIn. It shows what work looks like when excellence is the standard, not the goal.
Jim Svagerko
Jim works right at that uncomfortable and powerful point where one chapter ends—and a better-designed one begins. With nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare as a clinician, executive, and educator, he now supports leaders navigating major transitions—leadership, retirement, purpose—without losing themselves along the way.
His approach blends evidence-based coaching, systems thinking, and deep presence. It’s not just about performing more, but about leading with meaning, building cultures of trust, and making decisions aligned with what truly matters.
If you’re curious about leadership that doesn’t end with a title or retire with a role, his profile is worth exploring—it’s the kind of space that invites you to think, and think differently, about what comes next.
Jimmy Henry
Jimmy doesn’t talk about wellbeing from theory, but from lived experience. A physician, executive coach, and mental health leader, his work is rooted in profound personal journeys—loss, professional burnout, and purpose—that he now transforms into impact for others.
His approach is truly holistic: combining conventional medicine, holistic practices, executive coaching, and trauma-informed care. The result isn’t just less burnout, but more conscious, grounded leaders aligned with what they do and who they are.
If you’re interested in what it looks like to lead from healing rather than exhaustion, his profile offers plenty to reflect on.
Katrina Zidel
Katrina is a leader who blends business vision, creativity, and resilience with a deeply human story. From an early age, she stepped into leadership roles, eventually taking over her family’s business in her twenties and leading it to multimillion-dollar growth, establishing it as an industry leader.
Her journey took a transformative turn after the loss of her identical twin sister, an experience that led her to co-found In Christy’s Shoes, a nonprofit that has raised over two million dollars and impacted thousands of women.
Her profile reflects how leadership can be strong, sensitive, and bold at the same time—and it’s well worth exploring at a thoughtful pace.
Kela Kee
Kela is a leader grounded in action and connection. As the founder of Straight Path Coaching, she has dedicated her career to supporting youth and adults through pivotal moments of change, helping them turn personal challenges into clear, achievable plans.
With more than eight years of experience, her work stands out for its human, practical, and results-oriented approach. Kela blends personal development, behavior change, and strategic planning to create real opportunities—especially for communities that need guidance, structure, and support to move forward.
Visiting her LinkedIn profile is a great way to understand how impact is built step by step, with purpose and consistency.
Leila Smith
Leila is a guide focused on holistic wellbeing and intentional living. As CEO of SoulHappy, she supports people seeking real balance between health, happiness, and purpose—helping them reconnect with what makes them feel whole and authentic.
Her work combines personal potential coaching, natural health education, and inspirational speaking, always with a warm and optimistic approach. Leila doesn’t just talk about habits and goals—she lives them, practices them, and turns them into a lifestyle rooted in joy and self-awareness.
Her message is clear: when you align your strengths, passions, and routines, life flows more easily. Exploring her LinkedIn profile feels like stepping into a space where motivation isn’t noise, but well-directed energy.
Melanie Huffman
Melanie Huffman is a people strategist who turns culture into a true engine for results. With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, she has driven real transformations in talent, inclusion, and performance across purpose-driven, high-growth organizations.
As VP of People & Culture and founder of Aspire 4 Change, she combines strategic vision with executive coaching to help leaders gain clarity, presence, and impact. Her results speak through systems that work, stronger teams, and decisions guided by values—not just metrics.
Her profile reflects action, alignment, and conscious leadership. It’s well worth exploring her LinkedIn to see how cultures are built when people and strategy move forward together.
Rhonda Peterson
Rhonda supports leaders who understand that growth isn’t always measured only by short-term numbers. Her approach blends courage, clarity, and deep humanity to help business owners and executives lead with more energy, confidence, and enjoyment—even amid uncertainty.
Her work stands out for putting relational skills at the center: forward thinking, making hard decisions, mobilizing people, and creating cultures where leadership doesn’t drain you, but fuels you. Her warm style—with room for laughter and reflection—makes learning truly stick.
Her profile is an invitation to rethink leadership through energy and real impact. Take a look at her LinkedIn and let yourself be challenged to discover what kind of leader you want to be.
Sweta P.
Sweta turns what feels like free fall for many people into a conscious turning point. Her story isn’t about “reinventing yourself” because it’s trendy, but about learning to listen inwardly when everything looked perfect on the outside—and didn’t feel that way inside.
What makes her work powerful is how she helps women quiet the noise, break patterns of over-control, and make career decisions that don’t just look good on a résumé, but feel right in real life. Less autopilot, more intuition paired with strategy.
If you want to discover why Sweta is considered one of the top coaches in Columbus for 2026, I invite you to visit her LinkedIn profile and explore the impact she’s creating.
Tami Chapek
Tami, Founder and Head Coach of WeInspireWe, is a Certified Coach (ICF, IPEC) with nearly 25 years of leadership experience. Once immersed in the corporate world, she found success but not fulfillment—leading her to reDEFYne her path and help others do the same. Now an award-winning leadership coach featured in Forbes, Thrive Global, and more, Tami specializes in guiding leaders to embrace authenticity, build confidence, and amplify their impact in their careers and organizations.
Through her Leadership reDEFYned framework, Tami helps individuals and teams shatter limiting beliefs, craft their unique leadership style, and build a powerful presence – all based in their authenticity.
Visit Tami’s LinkedIn profile to get a closer look at how she can help you.
We hope you enjoy the top 15 coaches in Columbus in 2026!
