I believe in the power of transformative experiences to inspire people to grow and thrive.

Deb Friedman

I am the founder and principal at Cairn Coaching, an executive coaching and leadership development practice that supports impact driven leaders so that they can unlock their full potential. I help my clients develop their leadership capacity to inspire, align, and serve teams – and deliver breakthrough results – amid change and uncertainty.

My work as a coach and facilitator has been informed by my experience as an executive at National Geographic and The Walt Disney Company, where I spent more than 15 years establishing innovative experiential travel programs for diverse audiences. While serving as a Vice President at National Geographic Expeditions, I successfully led and developed high-performing teams through two major corporate acquisitions and helped drive ten-fold business growth.

I am graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching program, and I am a PCC-certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. I completed my undergraduate studies at Colby College with a B.A. in international studies and anthropology.

I am passionate about supporting and challenging my clients as they gain new insights; elevate their unique strengths; and pursue their most important goals.

What Clients are Saying.

“Deb is a deep and empathetic listener with a warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful presence. She has a natural gift for getting to the heart of an issue by asking just the right questions at the right moments so a new perspective and understanding is brought to light, which unlocks the opportunity for real growth.”
—Travel Industry Executive
“Deb is a wonderful thought partner and coach. She has such a calming and open-hearted presence. I am grateful for the time I spent working with her and I know the things we worked on together have already positively impacted my personal and professional life.”
— Small Business Owner
“I deeply appreciate Deb's guidance in helping me define and feel more comfortable with my own leadership style.”
—International Development Program Director
“Deb was the perfect blend of patient, inquisitive, and probing. She asked the right questions and provided helpful framing, reflections, and perspective. I especially appreciated her ability to move seamlessly back and forth between work and "life" (parenting especially) and to integrate all of that into a really holistic approach to coaching. I came into coaching not knowing exactly what to expect... but if I had expectations, they would have been far exceeded in all ways.”
—Law Professor and Associate Dean

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