Coach and Owner
JustUs Coaching and Consulting
Donna Justice combines her formal training as a coach with 30 years of leadership in marketing and communications for nonprofits and higher education. She received her coach training from the University of California, Davis, and holds a Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation. She also holds a Master’s degree in English and has spent a great deal of her career directing strategic communications; mentoring and teaching college students and young adults; and coaching professionals.
Read more about my coaching credential from the International Coaching Federation.
The center of my coaching practice is you. I am a guide and champion for clients whose focus is on leadership, interpersonal communications and relationships, work-life balance, self-efficacy, and emotional resilience.
I have always been fascinated by stories. Storytelling is how we humans make sense of the world. I spent my teens and early 20s writing, acting, and dancing—exploring all the different ways I could discover and tell my story. Once I landed at college, I chose to major in English. I fell in love with the Romantics and Victorians, but also fell headfirst in lust with the study of rhetoric.
How do people choose what to tell? What metaphors do they use to convey their innermost truths? What stories do we tell to convince others to see the world the way we do?
As a marketing and communications professional for nearly 30 years, I operationalized answers to these fundamental questions. I learned that we are all the authors of our lives, and as an influencer and leader I understood my responsibility to attend to the stories of others, from college freshmen interns to seasoned executives with a lifetime of stories to tell. When I decided to rewrite my own story, I got serious about coaching. I trained at the University of California, Davis, and I earned a Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation.
Now it is my privilege to listen intently to the stories my clients tell about themselves. Often, I hear stories that have been inherited. Stories that are layered on top of core values and inner truths. Stories that get in the way of people realizing their dreams and their purpose. We all deserve to have someone in our corner who can help us capitalize on our strengths, navigate difficult conversations, and live our purpose. It’s a process, and it begins with my helping clients find the courage to craft their most authentic story.
My Specialties
- Relationships
- Job performance
- Personal and professional development
- Leadership and team building
- Life challenges
- Career and education pathways
- Mental health coaching
My Approach
Coaching is a partnership and a conversation. Clients are in charge, choosing what to talk about and how far they are willing to go in the conversation. As an ICF- credentialed coach, I adhere to a set of principles that values a high level of confidentiality, trust and ethics.
Every conversation is confidential and built on a foundation of trust. No topic, and I mean no topic, is off the table. My approach is to ask opened-ended and probing questions that have the potential to get at the heart of what is keeping you stuck. I believe in providing tools that help you identify your core values, your true needs and strengths, and that align with the way you like to think and learn.
I do not have a prescribed package for all of my clients. We are all different and amazing in our own unique ways, so I follow your lead. I will remind you of the things you have committed to, and I will share with you the underlying themes I hear in the stories you tell about your life. I am your champion.
JustUs 