Leadership Coaching for the 21st Century
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At The Center, partners Virginia Rhoads and John McConnell bring a combined depth of executive experience, applied behavioral science, somatic practice, and embodied leadership. With more than three decades at the cutting edge of leadership development, their work is grounded, practical, and relational—designed to help leaders navigate complexity with clarity, confidence, and purpose. They offer executive coaching, customized team-development retreats, and embodied leadership practicums, including somatic bodywork and equine-facilitated coaching.
Virginia Rhoads blends business expertise, psychological training, and decades of coaching to support leaders navigating major transitions and expanding their impact. She holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business and a master’s in psychology from Antioch, has taught leadership at Seattle University and Antioch, and brings experience from Wall Street, Fortune 100 product management, and Outward Bound Professional. Her approach is steady, strategic, and deeply human—and her clients consistently value the clarity, insight, and accountability she brings.
Virginia’s broader life experience enriches her work as well. She has twice ridden her Norwegian Fjord horse to national championships in dressage, performed with one of the country’s oldest Lindy Hop troupes, and currently plays in a marimba ensemble on Whidbey Island—pursuits that reinforce her belief in disciplined practice, attunement, creativity, and staying centered under pressure.
John McConnell integrates organizational development, experiential education, and embodied leadership to cultivate grounded, capable executives. A Master Somatic Coach with a master’s in Applied Behavioral Science, he previously served as senior faculty at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), where he led high-stakes wilderness expeditions and developed leadership curriculum later used to train NASA astronauts. He has designed and delivered leadership-bench programs for organizations including Microsoft and Group Health, and has pioneered adventure-based leadership programs that take clients deep into wilderness to unlock authentic leadership capacity.
In his personal life, John is an adventurer and passionate photographer. His pursuits have ranged from photographing an Everest expedition to a multi-month bike tour through New Zealand. He has expanded his own limits through challenges such as climbing Mt. Rainier, door to door, in 24 hours, and completing a four-day Vision Quest with no food or water. His latest passion is becoming a master woodworker and learning to steward Pegasus Ranch—our home on Whidbey Island.
Together, Virginia and John bring a complementary skill set and a shared philosophy: leadership development should be practical, embodied, values-aligned, and oriented toward real, lasting change for both leaders and their teams.