Interview with Shelley Paxton

Shelley Paxton spent 26 years as a highly regarded marketing and advertising executive stewarding some of the world’s most iconic brands like Harley-Davidson, Visa, McDonald’s, and AOL. In 2016 she walked away from the corporate world to nurture her soul and discover her purpose. She christened herself Chief Soul Officer and called the journey her Soulbbatical. It did more than change her life, it became her calling.  In 2018, Shelley opened the doors of her own company with the mission to liberate the souls of leaders and organizations, by inspiring them to realize their greatest purpose and potential. Shelley’s intention is to help her clients discover, as she did, a way of being that is aligned with their authentic self (soul) and deeply rooted in a commitment to living and leading courageously. As a certified professional coach, she works with individuals, entrepreneurs, and executives at Fortune 100 companies like Lowe’s, Inc. and Mars, Inc.  Prior to becoming a proud corporate refugee, Shelley was Vice President, Global Marketing + Brand, at Harley-Davidson. She was essentially the Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for leading all brand and marketing activity around the world. In her 6+ year tenure, she led significant growth and transformation with her signature authenticity and courage. And she did it rocking leather, jeans, and boots in the Boardroom.  Shelley has always been a rebel soul with a nomadic spirit. She’s a self-proclaimed Global Citizen having lived in places as diverse as Istanbul, Shanghai, and New York City, and she has traveled to 66 countries and counting, quite a few of them on a motorcycle. (Oh, and she pierced her nose at age 42.)  Shelley holds a marketing degree from Boston College. More recently, true to her soul’s purpose, she graduated from iPEC, one of the premier, ICF-accredited coaching certification programs in the country. She’s a member of 4PC, Rich Litvin’s exclusive community for extraordinary leaders and coaches, and has also been selected to train with Brené Brown on her Dare to Lead work in September 2019.  Some additional fun facts: Shelley is a Second City Improv graduate, total book geek, amateur photographer, and avid supporter of the arts. She most recently sat on the Board of Trustees of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design as well as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.   Website:  https://soulbbatical.com/ Book:  https://amzn.to/2Yd8R5I