Clifton Carmody, Executive Coach and Writer
Executive coaching and leadership coaching from a writer, leadership thinker and former business operator with 24 years leading teams and operations.
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Summary: who is Clifton Carmody?
Clifton Carmody is an executive coach, writer and the founder of MNDFL LDR who helps leaders build the self-awareness that better results depend on. He spent 24 years leading large teams and operations in Las Vegas, Miami, the Midwest and Southern California before becoming a coach. He is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC), has logged more than 2,600 coaching hours and has coached more than 130 leaders. He is also a certified Mindfulness Teacher through the International Mindfulness Association. His approach is practical: you set the goals, he helps you see the patterns that get in the way, and together you build a plan you can use the same week. Most engagements start with a free 30-minute Complimentary Conversation and run three to six months, with sessions by video or in person by arrangement.
Key takeaways
- Credentials: ICF PCC and ACTC, ICF certified since 2020.
- Experience: 24 years leading teams and operations before coaching.
- Track record: 2,600+ coaching hours and 130+ leaders coached.
- Writing: essays on leadership, inner leadership, work and meaning, and human development.
From operating leadership to coaching.
For 24 years, Clifton led large teams and operations in Las Vegas, Miami, the Midwest and Southern California, and saw firsthand how empowered leadership lifts both employee engagement and customer loyalty.
Today he coaches executives and leadership teams to build the self-awareness, compassion, resilience and focus that lasting results depend on. Whether the challenge is stalled performance, team alignment or a difficult career transition, he helps leaders set clear goals and a practical roadmap to reach them, with less stress. His work focuses on the mindset shifts that help leaders not just do more, but be more.
For Clifton, success isn't only about what you achieve, but who you become along the way.
He is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC) from the International Coaching Federation, and a certified Mindfulness Teacher through the International Mindfulness Association. His nonprofit service includes the management board of the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC) in Bloomington, Indiana, founded by the Dalai Lama's brother, and service to two retreat centers.
years leading teams and operations
coaching hours
leaders coached
ICF certified since 2020 · PCC · ACTCWhere outer effectiveness meets inner development.
His work lives at the intersection of outer effectiveness and inner development. He writes about how we lead others, how we lead ourselves, and how we build work that means something: drawing on practical experience, research, reflection and the difficult, ongoing work of becoming more aware and intentional. Here you'll find essays on leadership, meaningful work, human development and the inner life: practical, grounded, and honest about what change actually requires.
“Better leadership begins with awareness: of how we think, how we behave, how we relate, and how we choose.”
“Clifton is a wonderful coach. Very insightful and has lovely positive energy. Highly recommend!”
Mindy Greenberg · Program Manager, Accessibility Engineering at GoogleWhy coaching works: three data points.
- 70%: managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement (Gallup).
- 22.4% vs. 88%: in a public-sector study, management training alone raised productivity by 22.4%; adding eight weeks of one-to-one coaching raised it by 88% (Olivero, Bane and Kopelman, Public Personnel Management, 1997).
- 529%: a MetrixGlobal case study of 43 leaders at a Fortune 500 company estimated a 529% return on executive coaching, before counting retention benefits (ICF Research Portal).
Coaching vs. mentoring, consulting and therapy compared.
Executive coaching is a one-to-one partnership focused on your patterns, choices and goals (see business and executive coaching). Here is how it compares with other kinds of support, from the essay When to Consider Executive Coaching.
| Type of support | Best for |
|---|---|
| Executive coaching | Exploring your patterns, choices, goals and the way you want to show up. |
| Mentoring | Learning from someone with relevant lived experience or career perspective. |
| Consulting | Getting specialist advice, a proven process or a technical solution. |
| Facilitation | Helping a team or group have a productive conversation or make decisions. |
| Therapy | Addressing mental health concerns, trauma, anxiety, depression or deeper emotional distress. |
Frequently asked questions about working with Clifton.
What is Clifton's coaching approach?
Client-led and practical. You set the agenda, he helps you see the patterns behind a challenge that keeps coming back, and each session ends with agreed goals and next steps. The focus is on who you are being as you lead, not only on what you do.
Who does Clifton work with?
Executives, business owners and high-potential leaders, plus leadership teams and organizations that want to build trust, alignment and follow-through. See the five ways to work together.
What credentials does Clifton hold?
He is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC), ICF certified since 2020, and a certified Mindfulness Teacher through the International Mindfulness Association. You can read what the PCC requires on the International Coaching Federation's site.
How do I start working with Clifton?
- Book a free, 30-minute Complimentary Conversation to talk about your goals and whether coaching is a fit.
- If it is, you agree on goals and structure together, including meeting times and any assessments.
- Sessions run 50 to 60 minutes, usually by video, and most engagements last three to six months.
Clifton Carmody at a glance
- Role
- Executive coach, writer and founder of MNDFL LDR
- Credentials
- International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC); certified mindfulness teacher through the International Mindfulness Association
- Experience
- 24 years leading teams and operations before coaching full time
- Coaching record
- More than 2,600 coaching hours and 130+ leaders coached
- Works with
- Executives, founders, business owners, high-potential leaders and leadership teams
- Formats
- One-to-one coaching, team coaching, programs, facilitation and assessments; sessions run 50 to 60 minutes, usually by video
- Based in
- Atlanta, working with leaders everywhere
- First step
- A free, 30-minute Complimentary Conversation
Selected essays by Clifton
Clifton's writing explores the same questions his clients bring to coaching: how to lead yourself, how to lead others, and how to build a meaningful working life. A few places to start:
- The F-Word and Changing Perspectives: on how changing the way you see a situation changes what you can do about it.
- Five Steps to a Better, More Mindful Meeting: practical steps you can try with your team this week.
- When to Consider Executive Coaching: the signs that it may be time to work with a coach, and how to choose one.
- 7 Conscious Leadership Traits to Practice During VUCA Times: habits for leading well when things are volatile and uncertain.
See all essays on the Ideas page.
Work with Clifton
Alongside his writing, Clifton coaches a small number of executives one-to-one. If you'd like to explore working together, start with a Complimentary Conversation.
Learn about coaching →