About – Nurete Brenner

Meet Nurete

I’m a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach with a PhD in Organizational Behavior, and I help people step into lives that feel deeply aligned—with who they are, and who they’re becoming.

My own path has taken me across worlds: from academia to entrepreneurship, from the private sector to nonprofit leadership. I’ve experienced the tension of living a life that looks successful on the outside but feels disconnected on the inside—and I’ve walked the journey of realignment myself.

Now, I support others who feel called to something deeper. Many of my clients are in transition—ready to move beyond traditional roles into more purposeful, values-driven lives. Together, we clarify your mission, define your vision, and reconnect you to your authentic voice and unique gifts.

My work blends evidence-based insight with spiritual depth, creating space for clarity, courage, and real transformation. If you’re ready to move from obligation to intention, I’m here to walk with you.

Who I Work With & What I Help You Do

I help you reconnect with your inner compass so you can navigate life’s challenges with clarity and steadiness. Together, we explore who you truly are and what you ultimately want, because your identity shapes how you move through the world—your choices, your work, your priorities. When you can influence a situation, I help you create a plan for meaningful change; when you can’t, we turn toward acceptance and grounded resilience. You won’t always have all the answers, but when your next steps are aligned with your deepest values, you can meet even difficult moments with purpose, confidence, and calm.

People at a Crossroads in Their Lives

You’ve outgrown your current role or field, and you know it. You’re not looking for a motivational poster—you want clarity, a realistic plan, and support as you navigate into what’s next.

Emerging & Mid-career Leaders

You’re stepping into more responsibility—managing people, leading teams, or building something new—and you want to lead with integrity, not burnout and performative leadership.

Purpose-driven, eco-conscious changemakers

You care about climate, community, justice, and the systems we live in. You want to make grounded moves, aligned with your spiritual foundation. You seek coaching that honors your values and understands the complexity of our times.

Why I Coach

I grew up moving between cultures—Israeli and American, Jewish and secular, Middle East and Midwest. These transitions taught me how complex the concepts of identity, belonging, and community can be.

Professionally, I spent years in academia and nonprofit leadership, studying how people learn, lead, and change. My PhD research focused on inter-ethnic dialogue and what it takes to build real understanding amidst conflict and across divides.

Over time, I realized my real work wasn’t just writing about change—it was sitting with people at their own turning points: career crossroads, big decisions, spiritual questions, and the “I can’t live like this anymore” moments.

I’ve lived through major transitions – the end of a marriage, a career that didn’t unfold the way I originally planned, and the unraveling of an identity that no longer fit. In retrospect, everything that once felt like loss, revealed itself over time as a transition into something truer.

Endings are not failures. They are thresholds.

I discovered that nothing essential was lost. Once I shed all the illusions, I was finally able to see clearly the core of who I really was. Having gone through this process alone, I now offer myself as a companion or guide to others in what can be a challenging and sometimes painful but ultimately liberating process

We’re living in a time of profound instability — social, political, economic, and personal.

Old structures are unraveling faster than new ones can take shape, leaving many people disoriented about who they are and how to move forward. Business as usual is breaking down and job descriptions are being re-written faster than we can catch our breath.

The same patterns we see on the world stage show up in our own lives.

The upheaval we’re witnessing globally were mirrored in my personal life. I learned to see the big picture and understand that these are the times we are living in. Now, through my coaching, I help others emerge from a spiral of self-blame and shame when life loses stability. We’re in it together.

How I work with my clients

I help you reconnect with your inner compass so you can navigate life’s challenges. Together, we explore who you truly are and what you ultimately want, because your identity shapes how you move through the world—your choices, your work, your priorities. When you can influence a situation, I help you create a plan for meaningful change; when you can’t, we turn toward acceptance and grounded resilience. You won’t always have all the answers, but when your next steps are aligned with your deepest values, you can meet even difficult moments with purpose, confidence, and calm.

Listening

I give you undivided attention and hear you without judging. I listen for the complete message, including the underlying meaning and not just the words themselves. My role is to offer you a calm, grounded space where you feel fully heard.

Mirroring

I reflect back what I see and hear in a way that helps you recognize your own wisdom more clearly. Through gentle mirroring, you begin to understand your patterns, strengths, and desires with new clarity and compassion.

Focusing

I teach you how to turn inward and connect with the felt sense – the inner knowing that lives in your body. When we identify the emotion that lives in our body, we tune into the body’s wisdom and the next steps become clearer.

A quick look at my background

Coaching & leadership

Certified Maxwell Leadership Coach (2025)
20+ years mentoring students, professionals, and emerging leaders in academic and nonprofit settings

Education

PhD in Organizational Behavior, Case Western Reserve University
MBA (Distinction), University of Derby
MA & BA in English Literature and Middle Eastern History

Leadership roles

Executive Director, Lake Erie Institute – ecological leadership and learning programs
Executive Director, Business School at Ursuline College – founded a socially-conscious MBA program
Chief Operating Officer, Bankshot Sports – led modernizing operations and growing sales