The Taylor Center is piloting coaching services to support our changemaking community. In Spring 2026, Rebecca Otten, Sienna Abdulahad, and Julia Lang will offer complimentary, professional coaching to support personal growth, leadership development, and impact effectiveness for members of our community while completing their Associate Certified Coach (ACC) training through the International Coaching Federation.
Coaching Explained
Professional coaching is a collaborative partnership that helps you clarify goals, overcome obstacles, and take meaningful action. Unlike mentoring or consulting, coaching focuses on drawing out your own insights and solutions through powerful questions, active listening, and structured reflection. Through coaching, you can:
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- Gain clarity on your personal and professional goals
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- Navigate transitions and challenges with greater ease
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- Develop leadership skills and confidence
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- Enhance self-awareness and emotional intelligence
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- Design accountability systems to achieve your goals
Program Details
Members of our changemaker community can review the bios of our three available coaches and enroll in a complimentary package that includes six one-hour coaching sessions scheduled over 3-4 months. All six sessions must be completed by August 1, 2026.
Our coaches can support career & life design coaching, social impact coaching, and leadership coaching at this time. Sessions can be held virtually via Zoom or in-person in the Greater New Orleans area, depending on participant preference and coach availability.
Eligibility
This pilot program is available to Taylor Center program alumni and members of the Tulane and New Orleans changemaker communities, including:
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- Tulane undergraduate and graduate students
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- Tulane faculty, staff, and alumni
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- New Orleans community members and leaders
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- Members of community-based organizations and social enterprises
Getting Started
Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Complete these two simple steps to participate:
1. Review our coach bios below to identify which coach feels like the best fit for your goals and coaching needs this spring.
2. Schedule an initial consultation using your chosen coach’s scheduling link. The scheduling process will include a brief intake questionnaire to help us understand your coaching goals and prepare for our first conversation.
For almost two decades Sienna has transformed organizations through equity-driven leadership that delivers measurable impact in higher education. She is a leadership strategist and coach with experience in equity‑driven organizational transformation. She supports emerging professionals and career‑changers in identifying their strengths, translating their skills, and navigating new opportunities with clarity and confidence. she brings a grounded, relational coaching practice shaped by years of guiding individuals and teams toward meaningful growth.
Schedule with Sienna by emailing her to set up an initial consultation call at sabdulahad@tulane.edu
Julia Lang is an educator and consultant with 17+ years of experience supporting individuals, particularly graduate students, university leaders, and entrepreneurs, through growth, transition, and leadership development. Lang has supported over 130 budding social entrepreneurs and consulted with university leaders across the USA and abroad. Lang brings deep expertise in life design through her work creating and scaling an internationally adopted curriculum that has reached over 18,000 learners across 40+ institutions. Julia currently splits her time as a Professor of Practice at Tulane University and a Principal Advisor at Frontier Design, where she works with mission-driven organizations across higher education, philanthropy, nonprofits, and the public sector to strengthen leadership capacity, align strategy and culture, and design learning systems that support meaningful, sustained impact. Julia’s coaching style is action-oriented and reflective, emphasizing goal setting, active experimentation, and iterative learning. As a certified VISIONS Multicultural Facilitator with professional experience in nine countries, she brings strong multicultural awareness to her coaching, helping clients explore identity, power, and context with care and curiosity while helping to build self-trust, explore new pathways, and lead with greater intention and confidence.
Schedule with Julia by emailing her to set up an initial consultation call at julia@fdg-llc.com.
Rebecca Otten brings 15+ years of experience in social innovation, systems thinking, and organizational leadership to her coaching practice. As Director of Strategy & Engagement at the Taylor Center and Board Chair of a thriving local nonprofit, she understands the complexities of leading through transitions and sustaining impact over time. Her reflective, strengths-based coaching can help clients navigate leadership challenges, design sustainable systems for maximizing their impact amid real-life constraints, and explore how their identities shape their work and relationships.
Schedule with Rebecca: Scheduling Link
Questions?
For more information about this coaching pilot program, please contact Rebecca Otten at rotten@tulane.edu.