Patrice A. Hall

I come from what I now know are “humble” beginnings (I grew up in the inner city of Baltimore, the daughter of middle class parents who divorced when I was 4). I knew we weren’t rich, but my family worked hard, we lived very simply, and we were blessed – so thankfully I never felt deprived.

Education was always one of the most important values in my family. I attended public school and did extremely well throughout, so it made sense that I would attend an Ivy League university for my undergraduate studies. It was also understood that I would – at some point – go on to get a graduate degree (on my own dime). My Mother and several others in prior generations had earned advanced degrees, primarily becoming teachers, with a lawyer here and there.

What did not make sense was that my graduate work would take me to the Harvard Business School and that I would end up with a 25+ year successful career in Corporate America. No one in my family before me had ever taken that route – and to this day, I’m not entirely sure why I did. (But that’s another story for another time…)

Turns out that all of this informs the work that I do today:

‘How to Succeed in Business’ was never discussed at my dinner table, so I did not have the benefit of learning the subtleties and unspoken rules that many of my colleagues enjoyed. For the most part, I learned what worked and what didn’t by observation, trial and error, and working my butt off. My “Coach-sulting,” in part, intends to pass on that accumulated knowledge to other talented hard workers to help them accelerate their leadership development and career progression – in ways that honor their unique gifts and goals.

While I did not have direct role models at home, I was blessed with a wonderfully supportive environment that also had high standards. This gave me the courage and confidence to take professional risks and to believe that I had important gifts to share. Through my Coaching, I help my clients develop and enhance this same inner strength so that they too can reach their greatest professional potential.

Finally, so much of my personal and professional experiences have placed me in situations where I had one foot in one world and the other in a world 180° away. More often than not it was hard to remain authentic in the midst of competing perspectives, values, and demands, but it did develop in me the ability to see multiple sides of an issue and to communicate effectively even in the face of difficult situations. I work with my clients to develop these same abilities in ways that honor their particular values and strengths. I call it “Commune-ication.”

One last thing: you’ll notice that my organization is titled “Patrice Hall & Associates.” Who, you may wonder, are these “Associates”?! They are the many people who have contributed to my leadership development throughout my life. Everything I am today is due, in part, to the gifts I’ve received from knowledgeable and supportive mentors and sponsors. When you work with me, you work vicariously with all of them, too.

It’s an holistic perspective that embodies my belief that the power of the Universe is resident in all of us – we need only to tap into it. It is an honor and a privilege when Clients invite me to help them do just that.