S. Leigh Thompson

25+ years of

values-driven Facilitation

Coaching & consulting

workshops | leadership development | organizational transformation | speaking

S. Leigh Thompson gesturing towards the audience, holding a microphone and speaking on stage

Hi, I’m Leigh.

I’m a strategist, expert facilitator, professional coach and organizational development consultant. I work solo and with a team of collaborators to help organizations and leaders build stronger, more cohesive cultures and values-driven work.

Rooted in critical analysis, meaningful relationships, creative problem-solving, and transformative change, I work with clients to develop thoughtful and strategic approaches to help you meet your goals while not compromising your values. Together, I help you

Do Good Work—BETTER.

Let’s be in touch!

Let’s Talk about strategic Empathy.

I had the great opportunity to join Lee Bonvissuto on their Empathetic Presence podcast, a space dedicated to freeing our voices from silencing systems, overthinking, and fear of being fully seen.

Hear us talk about creativity and empathy as strategic approaches to creating meaningful change for individuals and organizations.

Featured
Fractal Futures Lab: Strategic Care, Compassion and Empathy
Sep 20
Fractal Futures Lab: Strategic Care, Compassion and Empathy

This workshop is a dynamic practice space where we’ll explore how our relationships and connections can become powerful forces for action.

Together, we’ll engage in embodied, creative, and collaborative practices that cultivate interdependence, build resilience, and spark radical joy. It’s a space to imagine and practice the fractal ways our individual and collective work can ripple outward into transformed futures.

  • Facilitation

    Supporting complex dialogue and learning through emergent, participatory facilitation. Strategically scaffolded interactive and embodied engagement that supports growth, movement and joy.

  • Coaching

    Values-centered coaching to support you to meet your professional goals, respond to conflict, grow your confidence, hone your leadership skills or manage through crisis.

  • Consulting

    Guiding organizations toward sustainable, values-driven change through organizational assessments, strategic planning, campaign design, or devising effective approaches and messaging.

  • Cultural Advising

    Develop and implement thoughtful and humanizing processes that tend to the full humanity of all subjects, talent and participants and respond to systemic and historic inequities through script review, audience engagement, harm reduction, training, talent and crew support and more.

THE IMPACT

For over 20 years, I’ve worked with over 100 client organizations, guiding teams and individuals through complex challenges, supporting substantive learning, and helping them build workplace practices and cultures that truly work for the better.

  • “Leigh's approach encouraged us to push boundaries, explore new ideas and co-design thoughtfully together.”

    Gloria Walton, The Solutions Project

  • "A gifted facilitator, trainer and problem solver, Leigh set us on the right path to help us advance our mission."

    Oliver Bernstein, Steady Hand PR


  • "This work is hard. There are no clear answers. As a coach, Leigh helped me with the strategies I needed to give myself space and grace."

    Michele M.

  • "Leigh is thoughtful, methodical, and extremely knowledgeable."

    Sarah Hodgdon, The Management Center


  • “the changes I have been able to make in my organization would not have been possible without Leigh's initial support.”

    Dr Charles Beale, New York City Gay Men's Chorus 

  • “Leigh's knowledge and care showed through as he helped us craft a workshop that was powerful and relevant."

    Joanna Gurin, BewilderArts


  • "As consultant, Leigh has helped guide PTO toward an expansion of its constituency while demanding that the organization remain responsive and flexible."

    Mark Weinberg, PTO

  • "Leigh has moved the needle on our conversations farther than I thought was possible."

    Maya Gutierrez, Colin Powell School CCNY

  • "His empathy and patience were part of the alchemy that led to a revelatory and inclusive conversation."

    Karen Bornarth, Hot Bread Kitchen

  • "You will leave the room vastly more prepared to be a problem-posing troublemaker in a world that needs more people shaking things up.”

    Bobby Gordon, UCLA Art & Global Health Center

  • "I find Leigh's work to be complex, participatory, transformative and hugely inspirational."

    Nayantara Sen, Race Forward

NonProfit

ART & Culture

My Clients

  • Sierra Club

  • Florida Immigrants Coalition

  • Hot Bread Kitchen

  • The Solutions Project

  • International Rescue Committee

  • Lincoln Center

  • Disclosure (the film)

  • Heightened Scrutiny (the film)

  • Roundabout Theatre

  • New York Theatre Workshop

BUSINESS

SCHOOLS

  • Ralph Lauren

  • Conde Nast

  • Mount Sinai

  • Global Strategy Group

  • HR&A Advisors

  • Kingston City School District

  • Georgetown University

  • Montclair Cooperative

  • Columbia University

  • Washington University

Listen Up

let’s chat.

All great work starts with a conversation. You'll learn more about me and I'll learn more about you and your work and offer you some ideas of what's possible.

leigh@sleighthompson.com