NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN

Founder & Principal Consultant

Nicole McLaughlin is the founder of Intentional Edge, a consultancy that helps scaling companies navigate the moments that can define their future. Through change management expertise built on lived experience, Nicole guides leadership teams through the chaos without losing what made them successful.

With over 20 years in senior People & Culture roles, including as Chief People Officer, Nicole has been where her clients are now. She's led organizations through strategic pivots when competitors were gaining ground, and guided teams through the difficult transitions.

Nicole's approach is different because it's not theoretical. She's been the exhausted leader managing hope and disappointment through a sale process that didn't close. She's navigated the complexity of keeping teams focused when the future is uncertain, maintained performance standards during divestiture, and led through the human side of business transitions - both successful and unsuccessful.

Nicole knows that surviving major transitions isn't about perfect outcomes - it's about how you lead people through uncertainty and change. Whether you're facing new stakeholder dynamics, pivot resistance, strategic execution challenges, or the difficult reality of business transitions, Nicole helps you maintain leadership credibility and team performance through whatever comes next.

EDUCATION

Master of Personnel & Development
BA in Business Studies
Diploma in Executive Coaching

As a life-long learner, natural developer, bridge builder and optimist, Nicole

believes people's capacity to grow and adapt is limitless.

Her approach is based on the conviction that we all have talents that we want to use in service of something great, and that when leadership is visionary and inclusive, we can achieve amazing things together, even through the most difficult transitions.

CORE VALUES:

Care

Caring deeply for your people, your business, and your clients - isn't weakness.It's what gives you the strength to have the difficult conversations that matter.

Integrity

Doing right by people, especially when it's costly or complicated. Making decisions based on what's right, not what's easy. Being honest about realities while still providing hope and direction

Perseverance

Never giving up on people or situations, even when outcomes are uncertain. How you show up during the difficult times defines your leadership more than the victories.

Creativity

Never being content with "that's how we've always done it." Constantly thinking about how things can be improved for better outcomes, and not afraid to pivot when something else makes more sense.

Authenticity

The freedom and power of being your genuine self as a leader. Not pretending to have all the answers, being vulnerable about uncertainty, and leading from who you really are rather than who you think you should be.