SHARE WITH ICFH BOARD: UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
ICF Heartland Higher Education & Leadership Alliance
Memorandum of Understanding
Building the Midwest Leadership Ecosystem Through Coaching
The future of leadership development is changing.
Universities, community colleges, healthcare systems, and employers are navigating increasing complexity related to burnout, workforce retention, AI disruption, student engagement, communication breakdowns, and leadership pipeline development.
The ICF Heartland Chapter is uniquely positioned to help convene a regional leadership ecosystem that connects higher education, workforce development, and professional coaching to support more effective, human-centered leadership across the Midwest.
Our Vision
To establish strategic partnerships between ICF Heartland and colleges, universities, and post-secondary institutions that integrate coaching into leadership development, workforce readiness, student success, organizational effectiveness, and community engagement initiatives.
This is not simply a sponsorship initiative.
It is a regional collaboration strategy designed to:
Strengthen leadership capacity
Support emerging professionals
Create experiential learning opportunities
Foster ethical, coaching-centered leadership cultures
Connect academia with real-world coaching practice
Build stronger relationships between education, employers, and communities
Potential Partnership Opportunities
ICF Heartland envisions collaborative opportunities such as:
Leadership development workshops
Coaching demonstrations and learning labs
Faculty and staff development sessions
Student leadership programming
Career readiness and transition support
Executive education collaborations
Research and interdisciplinary partnerships
Coaching circles and peer learning communities
Community leadership initiatives
Regional networking and innovation events
Signature Initiative: COACH-X Midwest
Inspired by innovative coaching events emerging nationally, ICF Heartland is exploring the development of:
COACH-X Midwest
The Power of Coaching — Amplified in Minutes
A high-impact leadership event featuring short-form talks, coaching insights, and cross-sector collaboration designed to showcase how coaching supports leadership, communication, resilience, workforce development, and organizational effectiveness.
Potential university partners may serve as:
Founding hosts
Strategic collaborators
Venue sponsors
Student engagement partners
Leadership innovation partners
Initial Strategic Outreach Targets
Potential pilot partners may include:
Missouri State University
Drury University
Ozarks Technical Community College
University of Missouri
Kansas State University
University of Kansas
Why This Matters
The Midwest does not need more disconnected leadership initiatives.
It needs a collaborative ecosystem that helps people think more clearly, communicate more effectively, lead more intentionally, and navigate complexity with greater confidence.
ICF Heartland has the opportunity to become a regional connector between higher education, workforce development, and professional coaching practice.
Next Steps
ICF Heartland is seeking:
Founding academic partners
Leadership innovation collaborators
Workforce development stakeholders
Faculty champions
Event co-hosts
Research and program collaborators
Together, we can build a stronger leadership future for the Midwest.
Contact
ICF Heartland Chapter
Partnerships & Strategic Collaboration Initiative
[Insert Contact Information]
Presentation Title:
Stuck Is a Signal: Recognizing Pressure Patterns in Coaching Conversations
Brief Summary of Session (2–3 sentences)
Many coaching clients describe themselves as overwhelmed, stuck, or caught in repeating patterns; yet coaches are often left wondering where meaningful movement should begin. This session introduces a practical framework for recognizing pressure patterns, cognitive overload, and recurring meaning structures in coaching conversations without drifting into diagnosis or over-analysis. Participants will explore how pacing, question selection, and small meaning shifts can support greater clarity and movement.
Full Description of Presentation Topic
Clients rarely arrive in coaching with neatly organized problems. More often, they present with overlapping pressure, competing responsibilities, emotional fatigue, recurring relational loops, or a generalized sense of “stuckness” that feels difficult to name. Coaches can easily become overwhelmed trying to determine whether they should focus on goals, emotions, accountability, mindset, or strategy.
This session introduces a practical coaching framework designed to help coaches recognize common pressure patterns and identify where coaching attention may be most useful during high-pressure or high-complexity conversations. Participants will learn how to distinguish between surface-level presenting problems and deeper meaning structures influencing client behavior while maintaining a client-centered and ethically grounded coaching approach.
Participants will also explore how pacing, question selection, and small meaning shifts can influence clarity and movement within coaching conversations. The session emphasizes practical coaching application rather than rigid models or formulaic interventions.
Description of Interactive Portion
Participants will work in dyads or triads using short coaching case studies involving common client presentations such as overwhelm, recurring pressure loops, delegation difficulty, identity-related stuckness, or chronic responsibility load. Coaches will practice identifying possible pressure patterns, selecting an initial coaching orientation, and experimenting with practical intervention approaches such as cognitive offloading, responsibility mapping, or attention narrowing.
Participants will reflect on how different coaching questions, pacing choices, and meaning assumptions influence the direction of the coaching conversation and client awareness.
Learning Objectives
• Recognize common pressure patterns that emerge in coaching conversations under stress or overload.
• Differentiate between surface-level presenting problems and deeper meaning structures influencing client behavior.
• Apply practical coaching interventions that support clarity, pacing, and client-generated insight.
• Identify how coaching presence, question selection, and pacing influence client meaning-making.
• Practice using pattern-oriented coaching approaches while maintaining client agency and ethical coaching boundaries.
Short Bio
Ronda Dorsey, M.Ed., PCC Applied, is the Founder and Principal Coach of Hellbender Coach LLC, where she works with leaders, professionals, and individuals navigating complexity, pressure, and meaningful transition. Her work integrates systems thinking, neuroscience-informed coaching concepts, leadership facilitation, and practical coaching application to help clients recognize patterns, reduce cognitive overload, and move forward with greater clarity and intention.
Ronda currently serves as Director of Partnerships & Sponsorships for the ICF Heartland Chapter and brings experience in organizational leadership facilitation, workforce development, instructional systems design, and conflict navigation across government, nonprofit, educational, and community-based environments.
ICF Core Competencies Addressed
☑ #2 Embodies a Coaching Mindset
☑ #4 Cultivates Trust and Safety
☑ #5 Maintains Presence
☑ #6 Listens Actively
☑ #7 Evokes Awareness
☑ #8 Facilitates Client Growth
CCEU Recommendation
Core Competencies (CC): 80%
Resource Development (RD): 20%
Preferred Presentation Dates
1st Choice: October 16, 2026
2nd Choice: November 20, 2026
3rd Choice: September 18, 2026
TAMPA EXAMPLE EVENT: REPLICATE WITH STAND BESIDE THEM
COACH-X: The Power of Coaching – Amplified in Minutesxx
COACH-X:The Power of Coaching – Amplified in Minutes or Where Forward-Thinking Leaders Discover the Power of Coaching
Join the International Coaching Federation-Central Florida (ICF-CF) on Monday, May 11 from 5-7 pm at the University of Tampa (Ferman Center for the Arts in the Gordan Theatre) Parking is available on the First floor of the Thomas Garage (First floor entrance on W. North A. St.)
As part of International Coaching Week (May 10–16, 2026), you’re invited to kick off this week of celebrating coaching with an evening designed to shift perspectives, spark innovation, and showcase the true power of coaching.
COACH-X is not just an event—it’s an experience.
A curated hour of short, impactful talks where ideas move fast, insights land deeply, and conversations continue long after the evening ends.
Five speakers. Ten minutes each. One big idea at a time.
Because sometimes, the smallest ideas—shared in the shortest moments—create the biggest impact.
Presentation Title:
Stuck Is a Signal: Recognizing Pressure Patterns in Coaching Conversations
Brief Summary of Session (2–3 sentences)
Many coaching clients describe themselves as overwhelmed, stuck, or caught in repeating patterns; yet coaches are often left wondering where meaningful movement should begin. This session introduces a practical framework for recognizing pressure patterns, cognitive overload, and recurring meaning structures in coaching conversations without drifting into diagnosis or over-analysis. Participants will explore how pacing, question selection, and small meaning shifts can support greater clarity and movement.
Full Description of Presentation Topic
Clients rarely arrive in coaching with neatly organized problems. More often, they present with overlapping pressure, competing responsibilities, emotional fatigue, recurring relational loops, or a generalized sense of “stuckness” that feels difficult to name. Coaches can easily become overwhelmed trying to determine whether they should focus on goals, emotions, accountability, mindset, or strategy.
This session introduces a practical coaching framework designed to help coaches recognize common pressure patterns and identify where coaching attention may be most useful during high-pressure or high-complexity conversations. Participants will learn how to distinguish between surface-level presenting problems and deeper meaning structures influencing client behavior while maintaining a client-centered and ethically grounded coaching approach.
Participants will also explore how pacing, question selection, and small meaning shifts can influence clarity and movement within coaching conversations. The session emphasizes practical coaching application rather than rigid models or formulaic interventions.
Description of Interactive Portion
Participants will work in dyads or triads using short coaching case studies involving common client presentations such as overwhelm, recurring pressure loops, delegation difficulty, identity-related stuckness, or chronic responsibility load. Coaches will practice identifying possible pressure patterns, selecting an initial coaching orientation, and experimenting with practical intervention approaches such as cognitive offloading, responsibility mapping, or attention narrowing.
Participants will reflect on how different coaching questions, pacing choices, and meaning assumptions influence the direction of the coaching conversation and client awareness.
Learning Objectives
• Recognize common pressure patterns that emerge in coaching conversations under stress or overload.
• Differentiate between surface-level presenting problems and deeper meaning structures influencing client behavior.
• Apply practical coaching interventions that support clarity, pacing, and client-generated insight.
• Identify how coaching presence, question selection, and pacing influence client meaning-making.
• Practice using pattern-oriented coaching approaches while maintaining client agency and ethical coaching boundaries.
Short Bio
Ronda Dorsey, M.Ed., PCC Applied, is the Founder and Principal Coach of Hellbender Coach LLC, where she works with leaders, professionals, and individuals navigating complexity, pressure, and meaningful transition. Her work integrates systems thinking, neuroscience-informed coaching concepts, leadership facilitation, and practical coaching application to help clients recognize patterns, reduce cognitive overload, and move forward with greater clarity and intention.
Ronda currently serves as Director of Partnerships & Sponsorships for the ICF Heartland Chapter and brings experience in organizational leadership facilitation, workforce development, instructional systems design, and conflict navigation across government, nonprofit, educational, and community-based environments.
ICF Core Competencies Addressed
☑ #2 Embodies a Coaching Mindset
☑ #4 Cultivates Trust and Safety
☑ #5 Maintains Presence
☑ #6 Listens Actively
☑ #7 Evokes Awareness
☑ #8 Facilitates Client Growth
CCEU Recommendation
Core Competencies (CC): 80%
Resource Development (RD): 20%
Preferred Presentation Dates
1st Choice: October 16, 2026
2nd Choice: November 20, 2026
3rd Choice: September 18, 2026
This calendar actually tells a really important story.
Your chapter already has:
recurring cadence
educational programming
informal community touchpoints
credentialing support
coaching conversations
experimentation culture
What’s MISSING is:
signature ecosystem-level events.
That is where your role fits perfectly.
Right now the calendar feels primarily:
member-serving.
You have an opportunity to add:
outward-facing visibility + partnership events.
That directly advances:
KPI 4.1
KPI 4.3
KPI 4.4
What I Notice Immediately
Existing Programming Strengths
You already have:
Brew & Renew
Coaching Over Coffee
competency-focused sessions
informal gatherings
credentialing support
community meetups
That’s GOOD.
It creates rhythm and culture.
You should NOT disrupt that.
Instead:
add strategic “anchor events.”
HUGE Opportunity
October–December is EMPTY.
That is actually ideal.
Because it gives you room to introduce:
partnership events
public-facing events
sponsorship opportunities
ecosystem collaborations
community impact initiatives
without competing against existing chapter rhythms.
Strongest Direction
“Hellbender Sessions”
Honestly?
This could become your SIGNATURE series.
Not therapy.
Not wellness fluff.
Not motivational speaking.
Instead:
practical leadership conversations for humans navigating complexity.
That aligns beautifully with:
your coaching identity
ICF
leadership development
Midwest culture
universities
healthcare
nonprofits
community leaders
Concept Direction
THE HELLBENDER SESSIONS
Real Conversations for Humans Navigating Complexity
OR
HELLBENDER CONVERSATIONS
Leadership, Coaching, and Community in Real Life
OR
HELLBENDER LIVE
Coaching Conversations That Actually Matter
Structure Recommendation
Not lecture-heavy.
Think:
fireside conversation
facilitated dialogue
short keynote + community discussion
highly relational
practical
story-driven
THIS Is Your University Entry Point
Not:
“Would you like to sponsor us?”
Instead:
“Would your students/faculty/community benefit from participating in a regional leadership conversation?”
Completely different energy.
My Top 5 Event Ideas For You
1. Hellbender Session
“Stuck Is a Signal”
Audience:
professionals
students
healthcare
nonprofit leaders
Topics:
overwhelm
decision fatigue
leadership complexity
clarity under pressure
Potential partners:
Missouri State
Drury
healthcare orgs
VERY aligned with your brand.
2. COACH-X Midwest Pilot
Small-scale first year.
Not giant conference energy.
5 speakers.
90 minutes.
High-quality conversation.
Potential venue:
university partner
brewery event room
innovation center
Could become annual flagship.
3. Coaching in Community Series
You already have Manhattan meetup language.
Expand that concept.
Examples:
Coaching in Healthcare
Coaching in Higher Education
Coaching in Veteran Transition
Coaching in Rural Leadership
THIS is how partnerships emerge naturally.
4. “AI + Human Leadership”
This would probably draw VERY well.
Especially with:
universities
HR
healthcare
leadership orgs
Potential framing:
“What Still Matters Most When AI Can Do So Much?”
That’s a HOT topic right now.
5. Hellbender Roundtables
Invite-only small leadership discussions.
12–20 people.
Cross-sector.
No panels.
No PowerPoints.
Just:
facilitated strategic dialogue
networking
leadership conversation
THIS is where sponsors and partnerships often emerge.
My Strong Recommendation For Fall 2026
October
Hellbender Session #1
“Stuck Is a Signal”
November
Community Impact / Partner Event
Possibly tied to:
Stand Beside Them
veteran leadership
healthcare leadership
university partnership
December
ICF Heartland Community Gathering
Less formal.
Relationship-building.
Celebration + ecosystem visibility.
Another Strategic Insight
You do NOT want your additions to feel:
“extra.”
You want them to feel:
like the natural evolution of the chapter.
Right now your chapter already has:
internal learning
coach development
community rhythm
Your role expands:
visibility
strategic relationships
external ecosystem engagement
That’s actually a coherent progression.
Sponsorship Insight
Your strongest sponsor opportunities are probably:
healthcare systems
leadership institutes
universities
coach training orgs
HR organizations
assessment vendors
local business leadership groups
NOT generic corporate sponsorships initially.
Most Important Observation
Your calendar proves the chapter already has:
operational consistency.
That is HUGE.
Many chapters fail there.
Which means:
you can now build upward into:
visibility
partnerships
ecosystem positioning
regional influence
without first fixing organizational chaos.