Reduce
Leadership Friction.
Accelerate Decisions. Improve Alignment.
Leadership in Practice™ helps leaders and teams identify the friction slowing communication, decision-making, accountability, and execution.
3,800+ coaching sessions helping leaders reduce leadership friction.
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · 3,800+ sessions · 15+ years
MCC ICF · EIP · CAMS · M.S. Leadership & Coaching · Atlanta, GA
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google3,800+ executive coaching sessionsSalesforceTwilioAmerican ExpressSnap Inc.Roche15+ years in practiceWorkdayTwitterCheckrAtlanta FalconsNFL Front Offices★★★★★ 5.0 on Google3,800+ executive coaching sessionsSalesforceTwilioAmerican ExpressSnap Inc.Roche15+ years in practiceWorkdayTwitterCheckrAtlanta FalconsNFL Front Offices
Real leaders.
Real change.
Verified client testimonials, on the record, in the voices of the leaders David coached.
01Decision VelocityCoaching the founder behind the brand
Rennie Curran
Entrepreneur & Speaker · Decision velocity · Founder coaching
★★★★★
5.0 rating
02Leadership AlignmentA senior partner aligning the team
Gaye Tinaztepe
Frank, Rimerman + Co. · Leadership alignment · Senior partner
★★★★★
5.0 rating
03Executive ClarityLeading with clarity inside a tech org
Brenda De La Cruz
Workday · Executive coaching · Tech leadership
★★★★★
5.0 rating
Find out if this work is the right fit for the moment you're in.
The friction isn't personal. But leading through it is.
Decisions get revisited. Accountability blurs across functions. What gets said in the room gets misread in the handoff. Strategy says one thing; execution does another.
None of that means your people are broken. It means the way you lead has to grow with the size of the work. That is where we work together: how you decide, communicate, and hold people accountable when the pressure is on.
“You can’t redesign every system you inherit. You can change how you lead inside one.”
David Shawn SmithMaster Certified Coach · Atlanta
Where leadership stalls.
Five patterns you’ve seen this quarter. Most teams normalize them. By the time you’re paying for them, in attrition, missed market windows, or velocity, they’ve already compounded. This is the work of Leadership in Practice.
Slow decision making
Hard calls sit in committee. Decisions get revisited. The longer the cycle, the more ground your team gives up to faster-moving competitors.
Communication breakdowns
What gets said in the room isn’t what gets heard outside it. Critical context drops in the handoff between functions and levels.
Accountability gaps
Ownership blurs across functions. The same questions get re-debated. Forward motion stalls in the gray space between roles.
Team silos
Each function optimizes locally; the organization pays globally. Coordination tax compounds in every quarter you don’t fix it.
Leadership misalignment
Executives use the same words and mean different things. Strategy fractures in execution when the people leading it haven’t aligned on what it means.
Three ways in. Pick the one that fits the moment.
Not everyone’s ready for a 90-day partnership. Start where the friction is lowest, and move when it makes sense.
01 Read
4 minutes a week
The Clarity List
Short, useful notes on leading with clarity and composure, plus the 7 Questions checklist when you join. Sent every Sunday morning.
02 Try
90 minutes, self-paced
The 8 Traits of Executive Presence
A focused, self-paced guide to the presence and composure that move a room. David’s framework, in writing.
03 Talk
60-min Strategic Clarity Call
Direct conversation with David
A confidential call to find out whether executive coaching is the right next step for the moment you’re in. Not a sales pitch.
Choose how you want to work with David.
From a single conversation to a structured 90-day partnership, each engagement is built around the leader and the moment they’re in.
Leadership in Practice™
A 90-day executive engagement for leaders who need to decide faster, align their team, and lead well through friction.
Best for: VPs and executives leading through growth or change.
Executive Coaching
Private, high-trust 1:1 coaching for leaders carrying increased responsibility, visibility, or uncertainty.
Best for: Senior leaders who want a private thinking partner.
Team & Culture Coaching
Group engagements that strengthen alignment, communication, and decision-making across your leadership.
Best for: Leadership teams that need to get aligned.
Workshops & Speaking
Keynotes and facilitated sessions on leadership clarity, emotional intelligence, and leading through change.
Best for: Offsites, conferences, and leadership events.
The 8 Traits of Executive Presence
A focused, self-paced guide to the presence and composure that move a room, your first step into the work.
Best for: Emerging leaders building executive presence.
The Clarity List
The 7 questions top executives use to think clearly under pressure, plus a short, useful note each week.
Best for: Leaders who want to start free.
From leading on default, to leading with clarity.
Most leaders aren’t failing. They’re leading on default, and paying for it in meetings that don’t resolve, decisions that don’t ship, and good people who quietly leave.
BeforeLeading on default
- Absorbing conflict and becoming the emotional buffer
- Projecting certainty while privately navigating ambiguity
- Solving the crisis of the week instead of shaping direction
- Decisions stalling, escalating, or getting revisited
- Saying yes until overloaded, then sounding negative saying no
- Stretched thin, capable of more, no space to think
AfterLeadership in Practice
- Composed under pressure, responding instead of reacting
- Clear strategic judgment in high-stakes moments
- Shorter decision cycles in complex environments
- Clearer delegation with defined accountability
- Boundaries set as a leader, not as a complaint
- Integrated authority, presence that earns trust
Motivation wears off in 48 hours.
Decision habits don't.
The work below is built for the second one.
By the numbersMeasured in practice, 2010 → present
01Volume
One-on-one executive coaching sessions across 15+ years of practice.
02Reach
Organizations served across tech, finance, healthcare, and government.
03Focus
Each engagement defines two to three measurable leadership shifts, tracked baseline to closeout.
04Window
A structured container long enough for visible change in judgment, presence, and influence.
of growth
“David is a coach who listens acutely, has a limitless supply of empathy, and a mastery at helping you solve your problems. Over two years he coached me through strategic thinking, executive presence, and difficult conversations with people who far outrank me. I went from line-manager thinking to having an executive mindset.”
Coleen Coolidge – Director, Technology Company · Bay Area, CA
What leaders say on Google.
G★★★★★Verified reviews from Google
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
David has had a major impact on my life and ministry. His coaching is insightful and practical. I highly recommend I Speak Life Coaching.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
David is exactly the coach I needed to navigate high-stakes, charged situations in startup life. It’s so helpful having someone who knows how to navigate complex situations and create playbooks to move conversations forward. Just knowing you have someone in your corner makes a huge difference.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
David is an amazing coach. I saw my quarterly reviews improve each time with his guidance and reached heights I’d never touched. Supportive, empathetic, and insightful, by far the best coach I’ve ever had. I cannot recommend him enough.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
I can best describe David’s coaching as real, raw, and uncut. I wanted someone who would challenge me, not pacify me. After our first session I left with a full page of doable assignments. He helped me realize I don’t have to change who I am, just refine how I show up in the world.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
I never imagined I’d be able to open up and speak so freely with someone, but our sessions helped me do exactly that. Every conversation challenges me in the best way, pushing me to reflect, grow, and see things from new perspectives.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
David has a unique ability to deeply listen to what you’re working through, offer simple, incremental daily changes, while keeping the bigger-picture goal in play. Working with David was extremely helpful. I’d absolutely recommend him!
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
I’ve used David’s services many times over several years. Each time I walked away with a toolbox full of fresh, relevant tools. He’s helped me with planning, anxiety, fear and more, listening attentively to put together the best actionable steps.
GVerified Google reviewPosted on Google★★★★★
Awesome to coach with David. An excellent professional with a sharp strategic view. I recommend him to everyone.
Different orgs. Different stages.
Same pattern.
Leaders sharing wins, outcomes, and quiet shifts from the practice, week after week. A sample of what’s on the record.
I don't have to change who I am, just refine how I show up.
Verified Google review
My quarterly reviews improved each time. I reached heights I had never touched.
Verified Google review
Knowing you have someone in your corner makes a huge difference.
Verified Google review
Pushing me to reflect, grow, and see things from new perspectives.
Verified Google review
Simple, incremental changes, while keeping the bigger picture in play.
Verified Google review
A toolbox full of fresh, relevant tools, every single time.
Verified Google review
IICredentials · Verified
Credibility you
can stand behind.
Verifiable certifications, formal education, and 15+ years reducing leadership friction. Every line below is on record. Nothing inflated, nothing for show.
◆
Master Certified Coach
Highest credential in professional coaching, 200+ hrs of training, 2,500+ hrs of coaching practice.
Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and the influence work that follows.
Certified Anger Management Specialist
Composure-under-pressure clinical training, applied to executive contexts.
◆
◆
SalesforceTwilioTwitterCheckrAtlanta FalconsNFL Front OfficesC-Suite engagements
Contributor · The EvoLLLution
Have a real conversation about the work.
David Shawn SmithFounder, I Speak Life Coaching
Ready to reduce leadership friction?
If decisions are slowing down, communication is strained, or execution depends on too much escalation, Leadership in Practice™ may be the right next step.
For senior leaders & VPsFor founders navigating scaleFor leaders ready to change how they lead
VThe Clarity List · Weekly note
Lead sharper,
every week.
Notes on decision-making, composure under pressure, and leading aligned teams, sent every Sunday morning. Plus the 7 Questions checklist when you join.
- Sent every Sunday morning
- Average read: 4 minutes
- No spam, unsubscribe anytime
The checklist top executives use to think clearly under pressure.
Join the leaders getting David’s Sunday note.
VThe Clarity List · Weekly note
Lead sharper,
every week.
Notes on decision-making, composure under pressure, and leading aligned teams, sent every Sunday morning. Plus the 7 Questions checklist when you join.
- Sent every Sunday morning
- Average read: 4 minutes
- No spam, unsubscribe anytime
The checklist top executives use to think clearly under pressure.
Join the leaders getting David’s Sunday note.
Executive coaching for leaders navigating complexity, pressure, and growth. Based in Atlanta, serving clients everywhere.