Lead Change. Drive Results. Gain Traction.

The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group partners with organizations to create momentum where others get stuck. Through cutting-edge coaching, leadership development, and change strategy, we help leaders master adaptability, resilience, and innovation.

Meet Debora McLaughlin

Founder and CEO of The Renegade Leader, Debora McLaughlin empowers visionary leaders to break free from gridlock and build high-performing, adaptable organizations. A sought-after executive coach and business consultant, Debora combines 20+ years of leadership expertise with insights from psychology and neuroscience to transform thinking, behaviors, and results.

Her Amplification Framework™ equips leaders and teams with the tools to navigate change, foster collaboration, and achieve measurable success—faster than ever imagined. Debora specializes in leadership for retention, digital transformation, innovation, employee engagement, and change agility.

A lifelong learner and thought leader, she’s contributed to Forbes, Inc., and The Wall Street Journal. Her bestselling books, The Renegade Leader and Running in High Heels, guide leaders to ignite people, profits, and performance.

When not coaching, you’ll find her reading Harvard Business Review lakeside or enjoying life with her golden retrievers.

The Making of a Renegade Leader

Debora’s Story

Always a catalyst for change, Debora McLaughlin defies the status quo and forges paths where others see dead ends. Her journey began at 21 when she moved to NYC to launch her career on Wall Street. Selling cutting-edge technology solutions for Fortune 100 companies to Fortune 500 clients, Debora quickly learned the power of understanding business needs beyond the surface. Her ability to customize solutions earned her President’s Club recognition and advancement to a national account manager, overseeing global clients and high-performing teams.

The key to her success wasn’t the products she sold—it was her instinct for uncovering hidden challenges and delivering tailored results.

Driven by her passion for human potential, Debora left the corporate world to explore the science of behavior, psychology, and neuroscience. Following a family tradition of life sciences, she pursued a career as a licensed therapist. Her practice soon attracted professionals seeking relief from workplace stress and burnout. Recognizing that diagnosis alone wasn’t enough to empower change, Debora found a more dynamic approach—coaching.

Certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Debora began coaching in 2003, guiding CEOs, directors, and leadership teams through complex challenges. She specializes in breaking down organizational gridlock, fostering adaptability, and creating seamless cross-functional collaboration. Known for her foresight, she helps leaders anticipate trends and discover opportunities where others see obstacles.

Today, Debora transforms visionaries into renegade leaders—those who ignite progress, inspire people, and overcome barriers with innovation and resilience. Let her story become part of your success.

The future isn’t scary, if you are the one creating it.

Debora McLaughlin

Education and Certifications

With The Renegade Leader, you gain access to Debora’s deep educational foundation and proven expertise in leadership development. Holding two master’s degrees—an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Rivier University and an M.A. in Organizational and Social Psychology from Hunter College, NYC—Debora is also a licensed cognitive behavioral psychotherapist specializing in guiding corporate professionals through stress and high-pressure environments.

Her extensive education sharpens her insight into human behavior, enabling her to empower leaders with adaptability, resilience, and growth strategies. She holds a distinguished array of certifications, positioning her as a sought-after authority in executive coaching, business transformation, and change leadership:

International Coaching Federation (ICF): Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with eligibility for Master Certified Coach (MCC).

Certified Reinvention Practitioner: Certified to deliver science based reinvention frameworks that merge strategy into execution.

Adaptability Intelligence Partner: Certified expert in adaptability assessment, change readiness, and reskilling to future-proof teams and organizations.

Change Catalyst: Certified to administer and interpret the CQ Assessment, equipping leaders with tools for organizational agility.

Career Coach Institute (CCI): Certified Executive Career Coach (CECC) and Certified Career Coach (CCC).

MentorCoach: Certified MentorCoach (CMC), Executive Coach, and Small Business Coach.

Center for Executive Coaching: Holds dual credentials in Executive and Business Coaching.

Physician’s Leadership Institute: Certified Physician Development Coach, specializing in leadership effectiveness and resilience-building for medical professionals.

Debora’s combination of psychology, neuroscience, and business acumen uniquely qualifies her to deliver transformative coaching experiences that drive sustainable growth and adaptability.

Recognition

Debora McLaughlin’s expert insights have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., American Express Open Forum, Boston Herald, and New York Daily News, where her thought leadership on innovation, adaptability, and leadership strategies is highly valued.

Her bestselling books, The Renegade Leader and Running in High Heels, continue to shape leadership thinking.

In 2013, Debora was honored as Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) for her impactful contributions to leadership development and coaching.

Clients Empowered by The Renegade Leader…