Meet Michelle Courtney Berry ❤️
The Workplace Doc™ is In.
Speaking truth to the toll of toxic work—and how we begin to heal.
Michelle Courtney Berry, creator of the Workplace Doc™ initiative and the Working Well, one day at a time(R) brand is a global speaker, wellness strategist, and doctoral scholar whose work bridges research and real-life recovery from workplace stress and leadership dysfunction. Michelle has worked with clients in the U.S., the U.K., Africa, Mexico and elsewhere. As the Founder/CEO of Courtney Consulting, she works in these ways: 1) as a Keynote Speaker on How to Heal How We Work; and 2) As a Certified Business and Wellness Coach for Top-Performing Leaders, Visionary Owners, and Teams Needing Support in Working Well - rebuilding healthy habits, developing sound coping strategies, and more.
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As seen in:
TEDx • SXSW • Good Morning America • O Magazine • Kivo Daily • Womenpreneur • Authority Magazine
🏆 Best-selling author “Keeping Calm in Chaos” | Award-winning researcher | Former elected official | Trusted voice in wellness and leadership
Michelle Courtney Berry (MCB), she/her/hers, MPS, Cornell University —a sought-after keynote speaker, wellness strategist, and doctoral scholar in Executive Leadership at LSUS. With job stress cited by WHO as a #1 threat to global health, Michelle has made it her life’s mission to do her part to interrupt that cycle and teach others how. Since 1990, Michelle has delivered 5,000+ data-backed keynotes, retreats, stand-up and SRO only events, and workshops across North America and Africa, using storytelling, scholarship, and humor to help people heal from toxic work—and help leaders prevent it.
Michelle’s research examines:
How toxic leadership harms employee health and productivity
Why many employees use maladaptive coping mechanisms
What leadership behaviors foster real well-being and organizational citizenship
These insights power Michelle’s keynotes, writing, and private coaching—making complex ideas accessible, actionable, and unforgettable.
Take your next step in healing how we work— starting today! ⬇️
Testimonial from Jacob Salem, Speaker, Minister, Coach, Author Millionaire Secrets, & CEO @EZMetrics
Testimonials for Michelle’s “Authentically You,” Keynote Address, Women’s Conference
Why Coaches and Leaders Trust Michelle
Since 1990, Michelle Courtney Berry has dedicated her broad career in communications, marketing, brand management, human resources, campaign design, the arts, and wellness to enhancing lives. Her holistic wellness approach, shaped by her battles with stress and burnout, connects with executives looking for genuine solutions. As a sought-after speaker and coach and as a “Top 20 Most Empowering Woman” (in the company of amazing women like Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among others) in the United States, according to Womenpreneur, Michelle helps leaders create ethical, open workplaces focusing on mental health, self-care, and mindful productivity, making her a trusted ally and collaborator with leaders around the world. She’s opened for international icons like The Dalai Lama and Maya Angelou and received praised for fundraising for kids in the military from Oprah’s Favorite Charity. Her academic credentials include ongoing doctoral studies in executive leadership at LSUS, a master's degree in organizational/risk communication from Cornell University, and two bachelor's degrees (English, Literature, and Rhetoric and Political Science) from Binghamton University, where she was a Presidential Scholar and Commencement Speaker. An internationally certified NLP Master Coach for Life and Business Success, Reiki Master Teacher, meditation teacher, and trauma reduction expert, Michelle has captivated audiences worldwide with over 5,000 talks delivered to people in the most stressful of places, professions, and conditions—including two TEDx and two SXSW experiences—Michelle blends evidence-based doctoral scholarship, storytelling, and wellness to guide individuals and organizations toward ethical, transparent businesses and workplaces that prioritize care for self, one another, the community, and by extension, the world.
🌟 About Michelle Courtney Berry
⬇️
Global Speaker • Executive Coach • Wellness Strategist • Best-Selling Author & Storyteller
I help high-performing coaches, HR leaders, and visionary entrepreneurs speak with confidence, grow in divine purpose, and radically protect their health as they build a legacy of impact.
But I didn’t always live this way.
After decades leading internal and outbound communications strategy at the highest levels — including roles as a CMO, brand and hospitality manager for major brands, a spokesperson and media relations director for a global Ivy-League business school, a mid-sized city, and national women’s organizations — I hit a wall. I burned out. I lost my spark.
What followed was a personal reckoning — and a professional transformation. Even with all my training in wellness and stress reduction, I still struggled during the pandemic. I became deeply depressed trying to “save” a toxic workplace. I also returned to emotional eating patterns that led to illness and significant weight gain. Despite everything I knew, I was overwhelmed — and it and humbled me.
So, I did what I ask my clients to do: I asked for help. I meditated, prayed, and listened to my gut. I hired a support team of ten to help me heal. Coaches need coaches — and receiving support (emotionally, physically, and spiritually) was part of my transformation. I finished a book that quadrupled my speaking fee. I also went back to study for my doctorate (something I’d been putting off for decades) in executive leadership and workplace wellness. (Fingers crossed, I only have less than a year to go!)
I’ve since won major fitness awards, reached new business milestones, helped coaches close multi-million-dollar deals, appeared in numerous national news stories and podcasts and released over 70 pounds, reversed major health risks, and reconnected with the practices I teach. This journey isn’t just personal — it’s proof that healing (with help) is always possible. And I’m 110% committed to helping others thrive from the inside out.
Now, I blend my background as a healing arts professional, former college professor in marketing, internationally certified life and business coach, former Alternative Active Mayor of my City, and an award-winning storyteller, former poet laureate, and former broadcast journalist covering The White House and Capitol Hill with my expertise as a workplace stress reduction expert and doctoral scholar in executive leadership. I’ve worked across every facet of the communications industry — from advertising to PR to radio and print to television and digital to owning a full-service speaking, training, and marketing firm.
As an award-winning serial entrepreneur, business columnist, and NPR-affiliated Board of Trustee member, and volunteer and member of numerous boards and trainer to many Boards, I’ve opened for Maya Angelou, Mos Def, Howard Zinn, and the Dalai Lama, appeared on Good Morning America, in a national weight loss commercial, and graced the stage twice for TEDx and also two times for SXSW. Since 1990, I’ve spoken over 5,000 times and reached hundreds of thousands of wonderful leaders like you throughout the U.S., Africa, Mexico, and Canada.
Trust me, I know tons about recovering from loss, trauma, grief, and pivoting. Today, I use all of that lived experience to teach other high-performing, entrepreneurial coaches like me how to lead with purpose, speak with confidence, and show up authentically from a place of truth and deep purpose in every facet of their lives.VI tripled my speaking rate by finishing and publishing the book I’d been procrastinating about for years. That moment taught me the power of alignment — not just in strategy, but in soul. Since then, I’ve helped mission-driven coaches, speakers, and business leaders close major deals not by hustling harder, but by reconnecting to their deepest, divine purpose.
This work was born from my own experiences healing from toxicity and burnout. I’ve been exhausted, overcommitted, and uncertain about what was next. What brought me back wasn’t more pushing — it was clarity, community, and courage. That’s what I now offer inside The Confident Coaching Ecosystem™ — a space to grow without grinding, and to build your coaching legacy with peace, power, and purpose. Welcome, Friend, You Belong Here.
If any of this resonates with your soul:
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