Joanne Chen Coaching & Consulting

Joanne Chen, Strengths & Performance Coach for Mission-Driven Leaders and Teams

Based in San Diego. Available in person and virtually.

Perform at your best, without burning out or abandoning yourself.

I help people find out what they are truly capable of, with strengths, play, and one actionable step at a time.

Let’s Talk
Joanne ChenPlayer-coach
Certified Professional Coach, Leadership That WorksGallup Certified Strengths Coach

A Big Change Has Just Dropped on You. How Do You React?

If you’re like many of the people I’ve worked with, you roll up your sleeves, take care of everyone else, and quietly wonder when you will get around to you.

Are you good at taking care of everyone else except yourself?

As one client once shared:

“I was stopped short when Joanne asked me when I had last been at the top of my game because I couldn’t remember - so lost had I become in serving others.”
Leanne FournierLeanne Fournier, MightyWrite - Write for Business

As an Asian American immigrant from a traditional family, I can relate: Perfectionism. Overworking. People-pleasing. Burnout. I’ve wrestled with all four and coached my clients through them.

I’ve sung in front of 35 representatives from the entertainment industry at an all-city audition, done improv and clown, and pushed through obstacle races in 80+-degree heat. These and other experiences helped me discover and use my strengths, intuition, creativity, and playfulness, all of which I bring into my work. My clients often discover what I did: that they’re capable of more than they realize.

Most Performance Coaches Borrow from Sports. I Borrow from Sports and the Stage.

Improv comedy, stand-up voice and body work, clown, and impromptu speaking taught me presence, play, and how to recover from a mistake in front of people. Training as a midlife athlete taught me grit, which in midlife means handling pressure from multiple fronts, holding work, family, relationships, health, finances, and other goals all at once. Tapping into my strengths and making room for what delights me have lit up my world.

Sled pull with TRX straps at NXPT Kearny Mesa
Strength training at NXPT Kearny Mesa, July 2026
Stand-up at The Comedy Palace, July 2018
Stand-up at The Comedy Palace, July 2018
Singing at Stone Brewing World Bistro Gardens, Liberty Station, August 2026
Singing at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Liberty Station, August 2026
Performing my solo clown act, Waiting at a Bus Stop on a Rainy Day, Red Nose University, July 2026
Performing my solo clown act, “Waiting at a Bus Stop on a Rainy Day,” Red Nose University, July 2026

We need more people who are lit up in the world.

Let’s help you get back to the top of your game in a way that you can sustain.

What Working with Me Is Like

Clients often come to me during a career transition, a new leadership role, or a stretch of juggling too much. Whatever brings you, here’s what to expect:

You’ll feel seen.

“Ever since our first interaction I felt seen and heard by her.”
Marta SchwartzMarta Schwartz

You’ll get questions that shift your thinking.

“What I valued most about Joanne was her ability to listen deeply and ask thoughtful, incisive questions that helped me arrive at my own insights and identify practical ways forward.”
Sherry HayesSherry Hayes, Learning and Development Leader and Co-owner of NutFrusion

You’ll get honesty.

“Joanne doesn’t mince words … she means well and she highlights truths.”
Anna WeltmanAnna Weltman, Sport Psychology Coach, www.psychforsport.com

You’ll play.

“She has a vibrant and humorous nature, and this brought a sense of fun and lightness to our sessions.”
Michelle MihaMichelle Miha, Brighton, UK

You’ll feel safe, whoever you are.

“We have very different world views, and I never felt that this got in the way or that she held any kind of judgement.”
Michelle MihaMichelle Miha, Brighton, UK

You’ll leave with action.

“At the end of each session, I felt relieved, self-aware, and empowered.”
Laura ToddLaura Todd, Marketing Director, Southern Cross Property Consultants

What Makes My Approach Different

We look at your natural talents and how to use them more deliberately: in how you lead, communicate, handle conflict, make decisions, and work with others.

Since logic alone rarely drives lasting change, I will help you access your intuition, natural instincts, body wisdom, emotional intelligence, and creativity, and use them as practical, real-time tools for decisions and performance.

Sessions balance reflection with action. We get clear on what you truly want, and you leave every session with concrete action items tailored to your needs.

My approach is equal parts challenge and support. Expect deep listening, direct honesty, and some surprises. Sessions may involve play, movement, improvisation, or an exercise you didn’t see coming. I’ve found that people (me included) often find answers by getting out of their heads.

Once, in a conversation with a fellow artist, my insight landed with a thud. So I tried something else: I did some jazz hands and asked, “What would you like to handle next?” The question and the visual stopped her in her tracks. Something shifted, right there in the moment.

As a player-coach, I’m still in the arena: training, racing, auditioning, signing up for things that make me nervous, taking risks in spite of fear. I share my process, messy parts and all, not just the polished outcome.

Impact

For individuals. Clients have made career pivots, earned raises, and found more energy and joy while balancing demanding lives. One client, who worked in finance, rediscovered his passion for designing roller coasters. Another earned the raise she was hoping for while also having more fun with her kids. A third overcame her resistance to being visible and went live on Facebook 31 days in a row.

For teams and organizations. With 17+ years across learning and organizational development, strengths-based coaching, higher education, and technical training, I’ve designed and facilitated people development initiatives with a mix of live training and eLearning modules, coaching programs, and gamified learning experiences. I’ve facilitated leadership and team development programs for more than 1,500 participants at organizations including Zeiss, Rady Children’s Hospital, and the University of San Diego; trained about 3,000 faculty in a university-wide Blackboard adoption; and launched strengths-based coaching programs that earned evaluation scores of 4.4–4.8 out of 5.

In Their Own Words

“If you are trying to escape negative thought patterns, explore your passions, or work on short-term or longer term career aspirations, Joanne will encourage you to draw upon your strengths, think productively, and put together action items as well. You will feel stronger and get moving.”
Carol BarefootCarol Barefoot, Training and Change Specialist
“I would recommend Joanne to anyone who is ready for a shift in their lives in any area because, although my focus was Career, I now bring who I am to every area of life. The shift is within then the externals change.”
Rose JulietteRose Juliette, Transformational Healer
“Joanne … has been a true champion and incredibly invested in my development as a leader. Joanne is always very good at balancing reflection with action so that you get introspection to inform your positive momentum.”
Lupe PoblanoLupe Poblano, Project Director, Compass Point

See more testimonials →

Here’s What Working with Me Could Look Like

For individuals, including leaders: 1-on-1 coaching programs

“She has a remarkable ability to help leaders identify, unlock, and leverage their core strengths to drive meaningful growth.”
Jennifer Tucker-TatlowJennifer Tucker-Tatlow, Executive Consultant, SDSU Academy for Professional Excellence

For groups: Strengths-based leadership retreats, team development programs, workshops, keynote speaking, and post-event learning transfer support that makes change stick back on the job.

With a background in learning experience design and gamification, I make sessions participant-centered, interactive, and engaging.

“We came away from the retreat feeling energized - which is what we were ultimately aiming for!”
Shannon DaggettShannon Daggett, 2021–2022 San Francisco Bay Area Chapter President, Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS)

Prologue

Standing at the edge of a 42-degree cold plunge, I thought, this is going to be bad.

It wasn’t.

Stepping out of the water later, excitedly, I thought, Wow, that was it?! I expected things to be much harder!

Years of showing up to training, with coaches and teammates behind me, had made me stronger than I realized. That’s the moment I want for every client: stepping out of the water and realizing you’re not the same person who stepped in. What I’ve learned is that we’re capable of more than we think, and that the path getting there is usually messier and more rewarding than we could ever imagine.

More about me and my credentials →

How Do We Start?

If you’re leading a team through change, or working through one of your own, let’s connect.

I offer a complimentary, no-pressure conversation for us to discuss the change you’d love to make, strategize a possible plan for our work together, and see whether we’re a good fit. Folks have told me that they enjoyed their initial conversations with me and got valuable insights.

What would light you up? Let’s make it happen!

Start the Conversation

Joanne singing on a rooftop stage
Performing at Trilogy Sanctuary, December 2025
Portrait of Joanne Chen
Joanne Chen
Joanne lifting a roller overhead at a DEKA race
DEKA Mile Spartan Race, September 2026

Bio

Strengths and Performance Coach Joanne Chen believes in getting people fired up and feeling supported about change. Over 17 years across fields such as learning and organizational development, strengths-based coaching, higher education, and technical training, she has designed and delivered live training, eLearning, strengths-based coaching programs, and gamified experiences for organizations, teams, leaders, and individuals navigating change. In training and coaching with Joanne, people feel seen, challenged, and moved to act, right in the moment.

Joanne holds an M.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University, a B.A. in History from UC Berkeley, and a Training-for-Trainers Certificate from SDSU Academy for Professional Excellence. She is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and a graduate of Leadership That Works’ Coaching for Transformation Certification Program. She is also an IFS-Trained Practitioner. Joanne has written about change, trauma-informed workplaces, and the role of play in organizational culture, and has appeared on Transformation Talk Radio and the Academy i3 Podcast. Outside of work, she is an athlete and a performing artist who strives to enjoy green milk tea as often as possible.

An Asian American immigrant who broke out of a conventional background to create her own path, Joanne helps people who want to play big break out of the status quo and experience the freedom of being their true selves.

Credentials

Education

M.A., Sociology, Rutgers University

B.A., History, UC Berkeley

Sententia Gamification Journeyman, Level 2

Certifications and Training (Select List)

Certified Professional Coach, Leadership That Works

Certified Strengths Coach (CliftonStrengths), Gallup, Inc.

IFS-Trained Practitioner, Level 1, IFS Institute

Gamification Surveyor Certification (Level 2), Sententia Gamification

Training-for-Trainers Certificate, SDSU Academy for Professional Excellence

Action Learning Certificate, Association for Talent Development

True Purpose® Trained Coach, True Purpose® Institute

Featured Testimonials

Recent, detailed words from people who have worked with me on strengths-based coaching, retreats, and training.

Jennifer Tucker-TatlowJennifer Tucker-TatlowExecutive Consultant, SDSU Academy for Professional Excellence

“She has a remarkable ability to help leaders identify, unlock, and leverage their core strengths to drive meaningful growth.”

I had the pleasure of working with Joanne for nearly 8 years when she worked for the Academy for Professional Excellence. She partnered with me to design highly impactful retreats for my executive leadership team. Joanne's expertise in strengths-based coaching provided was a real asset to the Academy. She has a remarkable ability to help leaders identify, unlock, and leverage their core strengths to drive meaningful growth. Her approach is thoughtful, engaging, and centered around asking insightful questions that push you to think deeper about how to bring out the best in yourself and your team.

Her greatest impact comes through her design and facilitation of strengths-based leadership activities. She excels at partnering with leadership members to create engaging, tailored exercises specifically crafted for leadership team-building retreats. Her tools, training, and coaching frameworks leave a lasting impression and create a positive, strengths-focused culture within leadership teams.

If you are looking for a coach or facilitator to work with your leadership team, elevate a team retreat, or embed strengths-based development into your organization, I highly recommend Joanne. She is a powerful partner for any leader looking to build stronger, more self-aware teams.

Kathy SanghaKathy Sangha, MS Edu ITStrategic media communications and storytelling leader

“She's personable, fun, and genuinely talented at what she does.”

Joanne's strengths-based approach meets you exactly where you are. She listens closely, asks thoughtful questions that make you think, and points you to the right professional resources to help you hit your SMART goals.

Her expertise in team building, by leveraging individual strengths and communication styles, were extremely beneficial to my leadership role. On top of that, she's personable, fun, and genuinely talented at what she does.

What inspired me the most during our coaching sessions was her personal sharing of the ways she bravely put herself out there to develop her own natural strengths, talents, and passions of her own- it made me feel like I could accomplish anything.

I am fortunate to have worked with Joanne and would highly recommend her without hesitation.

Sherry HayesSherry HayesLearning and Development Leader and Co-owner of NutFrusion

“She thoughtfully creates experiences that help people better understand themselves, learn from others, and grow.”

I highly recommend Joanne as a strengths coach and learning professional. As a certified CliftonStrengths coach myself, I already had a strong understanding of my strengths, but Joanne helped me gain fresh insight into how I apply them, particularly when navigating workplace relationships and conflict. Our work helped me become more intentional about how I communicate, respond to challenging situations, and consider perspectives different from my own.

What I valued most about Joanne was her ability to listen deeply and ask thoughtful, incisive questions that helped me arrive at my own insights and identify practical ways forward. She creates an environment where reflection feels meaningful and immediately applicable.

Joanne is also one of the best training designers I have known. She takes the time to explore creative ways to make learning active, engaging, and relevant. Her training on giving and receiving feedback and embracing conflict stood out because she made challenging workplace topics approachable and useful in real situations.

What people should know about Joanne is that she brings genuine care, curiosity, creativity, and skill to her work. She does not simply deliver coaching or training. She thoughtfully creates experiences that help people better understand themselves, learn from others, and grow.

I would highly recommend Joanne to leaders, professionals, teams, and organizations seeking to strengthen self-awareness, communication, workplace relationships, and the ability to navigate conflict more effectively.

Ready to find out what you or your team are truly capable of?

Let’s Talk