About Coach Ana
Meet Ana Versaggi
Background
I had been in the corporate world for 25+ years starting my career in engineering and moving into business focused roles (Product Management, Product Marketing, Strategic Planning and Sales Leadership). Having always been an over-achiever, I pushed myself to be the best and succeeded, rising up the corporate ladder and shifting to new companies as opportunities presented themselves.
Family
Within this timeframe, I also got married and had three amazing sons. Juggling all the responsibilities of career and home were challenging. At a certain point, I realized that being successful in my career (getting the promotion, or getting the raise) was not providing the personal satisfaction that I expected and hoped for. I decided to quit my job, take time off and rethink what I wanted to do with my life.
Getting Involved with Coaching
Over the years, I had moved up into leadership roles and found that my favorite part of managing people was building a relationship with them and coaching them toward their ultimate goals. In the end, I found that when employees are happy, they are more likely to reach their business targets and ultimately the organization succeeds. For weekly status update meetings, some team members would joke and state that they were going into “…my therapy session with Ana…”. This was the beginning of the seed that would grow into my desire to go into professional coaching.
"...My favorite part about managing people was building a relationship with them and coaching them toward their ultimate goals..."
Values
These are the values which are important to me and represent who I am.
- Empathy – a desire to help others in a positive, supportive way.
- Honesty & Candor – truth can be hard to hear but needs to be addressed to move forward.
- Continuous Learning – knowledge is power and being a life-long learner is important to understanding the ever changing world around us.
- Drive to help and improve – search for ways to address problems. Set goals and strive to achieve optimal outcomes.
- Change – one must be open to the only thing that is consistent in life.
My Coaching Approach
- It is important that we begin with getting to know one another. We have to ensure that we are comfortable working together. I will be honest if it looks like your goals may be more aligned with another coach – ie. I may not be the right coach for you.
- Although many people have similar challenges and goals, every individual is different and has had different experiences. I actively listen and try to understand your perspective without making any assumptions or judgements.
- Whether I have had similar experiences or not, I will take an empathetic and supportive approach to try to help you through your situation.
- I will be honest and direct. This means that I will call you on your BS or confront you with candid feedback. Sometimes having another perspective helps you get clarity with potential approaches to moving forward.
- Accountability is important in your journey towards progress. I will hold you accountable to the actions and follow up which you have decided to pursue at the end of your coaching session.
Experience
- 25+ Years in Corporate Environment with a large percentage at Fortune 500 companies
- 11+ years in Leadership roles managing people – Experienced team builder, results oriented decision maker, and cross-functional team motivator.
- International – 5.5 years in the Netherlands working with global markets. Experienced with the complexity of multicultural environments.
- Product Management and Strategic Planning of premium hardware, software, and professional services. Steered product life cycle and P&L management, established key partnerships with suppliers, and collaborated cross functionally for global new product launches.
- Product Marketing – Created successful marketing programs, lead generation campaigns, promotions, and pricing initiatives. Optimized sales funnel conversion.
- Business Development – Consistently exceeded targeted sales growth for multi-million dollar businesses. Proven success with direct and indirect channel sales structures.
Education
- Professional Coaching Training and Certification – CLCI, ICF Certified Training
- Masters of Business Administration – Depaul University Kelstadt School of Business, Chicago, IL
- Bachelors of Science, Industrial Engineering – University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Hobbies
- Amateur Gourmet Cook – with world renowned chocolate chip cookies
- Voracious reader
- Jewelry making
- Music and photography (many of the images on this website are mine)
- Travel, history, and gardening
“Ana has a unique ability to listen with empathy to the situation at hand, and leverage the specific dynamics to challenge me to realize that it is within my power to flip the script and overcome whatever obstacle is in the way.”
Steve