When the hardest part of leadership isn't the work, it's the people.
One‑to‑one coaching for new leaders learning to manage the human dynamics that make or break a team.
- 400+Leaders coached through some of their biggest challenges
- 10 yrsCoaching senior and emerging leaders and teams
- Tier-1Research and academic medical institution conflict management experience
Our mission
Catalyst Associates helps new leaders manage the team drama so they can achieve their strategic goals with less friction.
Who we work with
Whether you are a leader who knows they want coaching, or you run an organization that needs support for a team, we start with a free consultation.
For the New Leader
You're new to leading and the communication challenges and team friction is more than you bargained on.
— Promoted in the last 12 - 18 months, or about to be.
— Managing a team of 2 - 25, including peers, former peers, or senior ICs.
— You're concerned that anything you try might backfire and make it worse.
— You feel stuck despite everything you've tried.
— You want a thought partner to support you in developing a path forward.
— Promoted in the last 12 - 18 months, or about to be.
— Managing a team of 2 - 25, including peers, former peers, or senior ICs.
— You're concerned that anything you try might backfire and make it worse.
— You feel stuck despite everything you've tried.
— You want a thought partner to support you in developing a path forward.
For Organizations
You're developing a leader or a team that your organization is counting on.
— A high‑potential leader stepping into bigger scope or more challenging team dynamics.
— A team showing the early signs of dysfunction — silence, side‑channels, attrition.
— You want a coach who can catalyze expert-level emotional intelligence and communication skills.
— You need a cohesive, high-performance team that transforms challenges into your greatest competitive advantage.
— A high‑potential leader stepping into bigger scope or more challenging team dynamics.
— A team showing the early signs of dysfunction — silence, side‑channels, attrition.
— You want a coach who can catalyze expert-level emotional intelligence and communication skills.
— You need a cohesive, high-performance team that transforms challenges into your greatest competitive advantage.
The coach
Lindsey Ensor
Strategic leadership coach & conflict management expert.
Strategic leadership coach & conflict management expert.
In high-stakes environments, the greatest cost isn’t competition, it’s internal friction. Lindsey Ensor is a strategic leadership coach and conflict management expert who helps leaders and high-growth teams navigate the complexities of human dynamics.
With a Master’s in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and 7 years of experience as a conflict management expert at a major research and academic medical institution, she has coached hundreds of leaders to navigate complex and challenging professional dynamics with more success and less stress. Lindsey works with leaders and teams to de-escalate toxic team dynamics, bridge challenging transitions, and build cultures of psychological safety.
Lindsey's approach is data-driven, grounded in both practical skill building and attuned support, and focused on one goal: building resilient leaders who can lead through any storm.
With a Master’s in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and 7 years of experience as a conflict management expert at a major research and academic medical institution, she has coached hundreds of leaders to navigate complex and challenging professional dynamics with more success and less stress. Lindsey works with leaders and teams to de-escalate toxic team dynamics, bridge challenging transitions, and build cultures of psychological safety.
Lindsey's approach is data-driven, grounded in both practical skill building and attuned support, and focused on one goal: building resilient leaders who can lead through any storm.
The method
Most engagements involve weekly or bi-weekly calls and on‑call support between sessions when challenges come up. We work together in a dynamic and customized approach to achieve your specific goals, broadly moving through four phases.
Identify the dynamics
We spend the initial sessions mapping the people, the tension points, and the opportunities to engage with strategic and effective leadership practices.
Build the communication toolkit
We identify and prepare for important conversations, such as disagreements and conflict, feedback, and change initiatives. We plan and practice them until they stop feeling impossible or doomed. Each session results in at least one thing to try, and then we debrief after your hard conversation.
De-escalate in real time
When things go sideways, whether it's a heated conversation, a complaint, or a breakdown in teamwork, we work with it live. This is where the conflict management background does the heaviest lifting.
Solidify the gains
We codify the approaches that worked into your ongoing leadership, from your 1:1s to your team meetings to your communication with your leadership chain, so the gains compound after coaching ends.
What our clients say
Working with Lindsey always leaves me inspired, seen, and more curious than when we began - she has an extraordinary gift for holding space, listening deeply, and helping me uncover new perspectives without ever feeling judged. I’ve watched her bring together her training - especially in Roger Schwarz’s methods of communication - with warmth, professionalism, and clarity, and the way she does that is rare. After speaking with her, I feel more grounded, more capable of asking the hard questions, and excited about the possibilities ahead.
Common Questions
A few things people usually want to know before the first call. If your question isn't here, let's discuss it in a consultation call.
6-12 months with weekly or bi-weekly sessions and on‑call support between sessions when challenges come up. When a leader is going through a major transition (for example, with a scope change or a hard restructure), it might extend to a year.
Yes, many engagements are funded by the leader's organization with the coaching relationship itself held confidentially between coach and client. I provide organizations with a brief scoping conversation and an outcomes framework before starting.
A 1:1 coaching approach is where the deepest work happens. When the team itself needs to shift, we can consider layering in team sessions inside the engagement. Other kinds of team approaches can be considered, so let us know what you have in mind.
Coaching is forward‑looking and focused on leadership behaviors. We work on the effectiveness of a leader's engagement in specific situations, from ad hoc conversations to team meetings to strategic decisions. Therapy is a different and valuable practice.
We'll meet for 1 hour and discuss the situation you're interested in working on. We'll talk through a few questions, and then we both decide whether there is alignment. If there is, we'll reconvene to share a proposed engagement structure and pricing. If not, we can refer you to someone better matched.
Engagements are priced as a fixed scope for comprehensive supportive coaching container, not by the session. Since the price depends on a variety of factors, including the length of the engagement, potential team sessions and others, I'll walk through pricing in a direct consultation call.
Schedule a consultation
Reach out to discuss how we can partner to meet your unique needs.
