MY STORY
BLURRING THE LINES

MAKING MISTAKES

INVENTING NEW WAYS

BRINGING MY OWN STYLE

WORKING MY WAY

SPEAKING MY MIND

LETTING GO

There are a million ways for you to feel stuck in your career. Trust me. I’ve experienced nearly all of them. And I’ve found that most are rooted in conventional wisdom with a mixed message: that we should follow our hearts to do work we love, yet draw hard boundaries between our work selves and our real selves. It leads to a lot of confusing behavior. We blindly follow paths we think we should, while denying ourselves what we really want. We allow others to define success for us. We’re not sure what risks are worth it, so inertia sets in instead. We look past the emotional undercurrents of conflicts at work—missing out on the opportunity to handle them with heart. And when we know we need a change, we’re not always sure where to start.
Our work together starts with something simple but critical: permission. To blur the professional with the personal. Because leading with yourself is the most important prerequisite to doing work that matters.
We can’t do work that matters when we separate what we do from who we are. It starts with giving ourselves permission to bring them together. That work isn’t always easy, but together, we’ll cycle through five modes to find a path forward.
Make yourself a priority. It starts with taking stock of who you really are. This courageous first step is about going deep and being vulnerable to pinpoint who you are and what you’re not. Reflecting on the things that make you who you are set the foundation for a kind of success that’s unique to you.
Explore what you’ve been holding back. To shake off limiting assumptions, norms, and expectations. And to bring into focus the things you care about that may remain unsaid. This opens you up to new ways of thinking and being.
Align yourself with your work. To do work that matters to you, and to work in ways that work for you. With a read on who you are and what’s holding you back, you’ll listen, let go, and move forward. Letting yourself in sometimes means addressing disconnects—connecting new dots to see new possibilities and reset your vision.
Commit fully to your new vision. With personal and professional blended, you begin to lead from the inside out. When you lead with what’s true to you, your work means more to you and to others.
Expand your impact. Leading from the inside out, you invite those around you to do the same—re-shaping the world one person at a time.
I believe there’s more than one way to lead, and the traditional way is just one of them. When we give ourselves permission to be original in our leadership, we find greater purpose in our lives and real meaning in our work—and the world notices.
Only one person can give you permission to lead. You.
How I helpI’m Debra Bednar-Clark (but please: call me DB). I’m a senior exec with 20+ years of wide-ranging experience from Madison Avenue to Silicon Valley. At Facebook, Microsoft, Accenture, and leading advertising agencies, I’ve covered strategy, technology, marketing, design, and social impact. Along the way, I became known for building exceptionally thriving businesses and high-performing teams alongside some of the greatest leaders of our time.
My winding path has included many personal cross-roads—teaching me how to make pivots, take risks, and try new things confidently and authentically. That meant embracing what I love and finding opportunity in the contradictions: a cheerleader who’s also a coder; a technology leader who cares about style as much as substance; a business-minded academic.
Today, I coach people like you through turning points in their careers—giving them the clarity, confidence, and tools they need to plot bold moves and next chapters. And my practice is defined by one core belief: that life is so much more interesting and fulfilling when we give ourselves permission to lead with our truest, fullest selves.
Learn More About My Career
BLURRING THE LINES
MAKING MISTAKES
INVENTING NEW WAYS
BRINGING MY OWN STYLE
WORKING MY WAY
SPEAKING MY MIND
LETTING GO
In my speaking engagements, I explore how every individual can create opportunities for themselves while creating value for their organization. My talks blend field-leading research, client case studies, and my direct experience working alongside iconic leaders at some of the world’s most influential organizations.
My background building high-performing businesses and teams enables me to provide a unique hybrid service for my clients: business consulting services alongside career and leadership coaching services. I work with business and HR leaders to create custom programs and processes that empower people at scale throughout the organization. Together, we’ll uplevel leadership skills, deepen employee engagement, and elevate a unique culture through an infrastructure that honors the individual as much as the collective.
I design workshops to coach groups of rising or established leaders shared obstacles. We focus on the unique perspectives of each participant to help everyone learn that there’s more than one way to address a challenge—and many ways to be an effective leader. These interactive sessions enable participants to test and learn concepts with their peers, with my coaching as support throughout their journey.
A series of gatherings at my home in the Hamptons for women who want to make space to connect on tough topics without self-consciousness—giving ourselves permission to reflect on where we are, recognize where we can grow, realign to a new way of thinking, reveal new paths ahead, and ripple that out into the world. Each salon contains six seats, and runs for six sessions, held on alternating Friday mornings. Each session contains a different set of lessons, exercises, conversations and/or guest speakers.
…or, as my clients have described it to me, career therapy. Each coaching engagement takes place over six sessions and is hyper-tailored to your goals. We’ll focus on anything from advancing your leadership skills to planning how to snag your next promotion to plotting your next move.
Bringing your full self to work means bringing your signature style forward. We’ll work together to pinpoint it then curate a bespoke lookbook—that connects your style with your office culture. There’s literally no one else like you, so each styling experience is tailored specifically to your goals, taste, silhouette, profession, budget, location, and lifestyle.
If you have a question, want to share a suggestion or would like to explore working together, please contact me using the form below.