Julie Schniers | Inspiring Leader of the Year

I’m Julie Schniers, an inspiring public speaker, coach and leadership consultant with a true passion for helping people tap into their potential. A Texas girl through and through, I work with individuals, teams and leaders across a wide spectrum of professions to go beyond box-checking and transform their team culture by making PEOPLE THE PRIORITY. There is no space I haven't worked in, from hospitals to fast food and small schools to large corporations. In the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to over 6,000 leaders, a 150% increase on the previous 12 months. My personal background sets me apart in the leadership and coaching space. For 13 years, I was a speech and debate coach at one of Texas's biggest schools, Central High School. Over that time, I grew the team from seven to 120 students and led our school to the top 5% in the country. I also coached multiple national and state champions from all walks of life. For example, my first national champion was homeless during his senior year, but found life-changing growth in our team. These experiences gave me incredible insights into how to inspire and motivate a wide variety of young people - which set a strong foundation for later working with adults. Encouraged by my students, I made the leap to my next chapter as an inspirational speaker, coach and consultant in 2020 while also completing my Masters in Executive Coaching & Consulting. While initially fearful of stepping outside the education sector, I quickly found that all industries face similar challenges in creating a positive and productive team culture. By focusing on people first, I empower leaders to centre the human experience in everything they do - which extends from the classroom to the boardroom to your living room. To guide my work with ALL clients, I focus on the ‘three Cs’ essential for transformation: Communication, Connection, and Confidence. In the last three years, I’ve worked with companies and institutions as diverse as the United States Air Force, Independent Bankers of Association of Texas, Johnson & Johnson and Shannon Medical Centre (see below).