Meet Your Coach: Amanda Mills Cutright
EXPERIENCE + QUALIFICATIONS
Amanda Mills Cutright is the Founder of Firefly Leadership and is a Co-Founder of Wind + Sail Leadership Partners.
Prior to carving out her own path, Amanda served as the Vice President of Executive Leadership Strategy and Experience at Teach For America (TFA). In this role she designed executive retreats and served in various coaching capacities to the 51 Executive Directors and other senior leaders nationwide. She built the Executive Director Fellowship, a talent pipeline and leadership development program, and facilitated leadership retreats on topics such as vision and strategy, diversity and inclusion, and change management.
During her tenure she also led Learning and Development for the nationwide recruitment team fueling a period of tremendous growth. She started her career with Teach For America as a St. Louis Public school teacher challenged and inspired each day by her ambitious 5th grade students.
Amanda earned her Certificate in Executive Coaching through Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership and is a proud alumna of The University of Kentucky, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Corporate Communications. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation and is certified in the EQi Emotional Intelligence, Hogan 360, and The Leadership Circle Profile assessments. Through the Society for Organizational Learning, Amanda has had the opportunity to train with leading researchers and practitioners of Systems Change.
Amanda lives in Washington, DC with her husband and finds tremendous joy in keeping up with her toddler and preschool-aged sons. When not chasing them around you can find her cooking or practicing yoga. She is also committed to creating thriving communities where everyone has access to opportunity and has served in the past on various non-profit boards with that focus. She’s currently involved with the KIPP:DC Charter Network, The University of Kentucky Alumni Association, and The Washington Ballet.
MY VALUES
Connection: We are all connected in powerful ways and I am motivated by that notion everyday. I am fueled by meaningful relationships and am lifted by a spirited hello shared on the sidewalk. In my work I seek to honor our connections to the past, to each other, and to a purpose bigger than any one person.
Curiosity: I am a constant learner and never afraid to ask the simple or even deepest of questions. Driven by my curious nature I love to travel, meet new people, and often jump into any project with full force.
Courage: To me courage is all about loving so deeply that you are compelled to do things differently, take a risk, or push the boundaries.
ABOUT MY APPROACH
I partner with CEOs and EDs to cultivate the talent and working conditions for people and outcomes to grow exponentially. Together -one person, one team, and one organization at a time- we can evolve our approach to work and life.
Time and time again, the research demonstrates that the most effective leaders are those who lead from the courage of knowing who they are and with a conviction for what’s possible. They form meaningful relationships, turn obstacles into opportunities, and create win-win solutions for all that often translate into outsized impact.
While all of this can feel esoteric, I speak from the experience of partnering with hundreds of leaders across many industries and backgrounds. As your coach, I commit to honoring and making space for your richness, illuminating the scientific research that adds meaning to or expands your perspective, deconstructing and rebuilding your mental models, and championing you as an individual in order to shore up your well of courage to lead into the future.
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WHY “FIREFLY”?
As I was embarking on the journey to launch this business, my oldest son was also beginning his school journey as a pre-k student in the “fireflies classroom.” The image of the firefly immediately resonated; it struck me that the firefly is an incredible metaphor for leadership. As you may know, the firefly is the world’s most efficient light source, giving off no heat to produce light.
Similarly coaching is a tool aiding leaders to efficiently connect with their inner wisdom. As leaders begin to light up through courage, innovation, or clarity, they in turn give permission for those around them to light up as well. I hope for a world in which everyone can cut through the muck and efficiently, seamlessly, gracefully, continue to tap into their inner wisdom to make the world a brighter place.