In workplaces all over the world, the leadership table tells a story. Often, it’s a story of vision and ambition—but too often, it’s also a story of imbalance. Women, despite their qualifications and expertise, remain underrepresented in executive roles. Wendy Tansey, the founder and leadership coach at The People Experts, brings nearly three decades of experience in HR and transformational coaching. Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to empowering leaders—especially women—to break through barriers, build confidence, and lead with a meaningful impact.
Her journey is not just about coaching—it’s about creating a ripple effect of change, one leader at a time. Wendy’s work challenges traditional ideas of leadership and focuses on building a more inclusive and human-centered approach to success.
A Calling Shaped by Experience
Wendy’s career began in a unique and formative setting. She started her professional life working with homeless young people, leading a team of 35 individuals by the age of 21. This experience provided her with invaluable insights into human resilience, the challenges of vulnerability, and the power of support—lessons that would later inform her approach to leadership coaching.
From there, she transitioned into HR, where she worked closely with people at all levels of organizations. Over the years, she witnessed a recurring pattern. While many men climbed the corporate ladder with ease, highly capable women often faced invisible hurdles. They struggled with imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and workplace biases that made it harder for them to claim their place at the leadership table.
These challenges were not abstract to Wendy—they were deeply personal. As a woman in leadership herself, she understood what it felt like to navigate a system that wasn’t designed with everyone in mind. “I knew I wanted to make a change,” Wendy says. “I saw so many talented women holding themselves back, and I realized this was where I could make the biggest difference.”
That realization led her to launch The People Experts, a coaching and consulting practice dedicated to building leadership capability. Wendy’s focus is on helping mid-level female leaders step into their potential, overcome barriers, and rise to the executive level with confidence and purpose.
The Transition to Leadership Coach
Making the shift from a corporate role to entrepreneurship was not without its challenges. Wendy had built a successful career in the C-suite, but stepping into the role of leadership coach required a new mindset. It also gave her a chance to reflect on the most important lessons she had learned as a leader.
One lesson stood out: confidence is essential. “If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will,” Wendy says. She saw firsthand how self-doubt could hold leaders back from making bold decisions and inspiring their teams. Confidence, she realized, is not just a personal trait—it’s a leadership skill that needs to be cultivated.
Another lesson was the value of people. Wendy believes that leadership is fundamentally about investing in others. Whether it’s building a high-performing team or coaching an individual executive, she always keeps people at the center of her approach. “People are your greatest asset,” she explains. “When you focus on developing and supporting them, the whole organization thrives.”
This people-centric approach also necessitates adaptability. Leadership today isn’t about rigid structures; it’s about being agile, embracing change, and leading with emotional intelligence.
Coaching Leaders to Overcome Challenges
In her work with The People Experts, Wendy has identified several common challenges that hold leaders back. One of the most frequent issues is difficulty with communication. Leaders often struggle to have honest conversations about performance, provide constructive feedback, or navigate conflict. Wendy works with her clients to build these skills, helping them approach tough conversations with confidence and clarity.
Another challenge is emotional intelligence—or the lack of it. Wendy believes that self-awareness and empathy are essential for connecting with teams and inspiring trust. Many leaders, however, are not naturally equipped with these skills. Wendy helps them develop emotional agility, guiding them to respond thoughtfully to situations rather than reacting impulsively.
Inclusivity is another area where leaders often fall short. Wendy has seen how unconscious biases and exclusionary practices can limit team performance and innovation. She works with leaders to create environments where diverse voices are heard, valued, and integrated into decision-making processes.
Transforming Teams through Intentional Leadership
For Wendy, leadership is not just about individual success—it’s about creating high-performing teams. A strong team, she believes, is built on trust and psychological safety. “When team members feel safe to speak up and share their ideas, innovation thrives,” she explains.
Wendy also emphasizes the importance of clarity. Teams perform best when roles, goals, and expectations are clearly defined. Misalignment and confusion, on the other hand, can lead to frustration and disengagement.
Diversity and inclusion are other key factors in team success. Wendy works with leaders to embrace different perspectives, recognizing that innovation often comes from the collision of diverse ideas. She also helps them foster a culture of continuous development, where feedback and learning are seen as opportunities for growth rather than criticism.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence
One of Wendy’s core beliefs is that emotional intelligence is the foundation of effective leadership. EQ enhances a leader’s ability to connect with others, manage relationships, and inspire action. Without it, even the most technically skilled leaders can struggle to build trust and drive performance.
Wendy uses EQi 2.0 360 assessments to help her clients gain insight into their emotional strengths and weaknesses. She then works with them to develop their self-awareness, empathy, and emotional agility. This process often leads to significant breakthroughs, as leaders learn to manage their own emotions and respond more effectively to the emotions of others.
Coaching That Drives Real Results
Wendy’s coaching is not about abstract theories—it’s about real-world results. One of her favorite success stories involves a mid-level leader who struggled to communicate effectively with her manager. Despite her expertise, she often felt overlooked, and her ideas failed to gain traction.
Rather than focusing solely on assertiveness, Wendy introduced the DISC framework, which helps individuals understand different communication styles. By analyzing her manager’s preferences, the client was able to adapt her messaging and present her ideas in a way that resonated with him. The results were transformative. She gained alignment with her manager, secured buy-in for her initiatives, and earned a promotion within months.
This experience reinforced Wendy’s belief that leadership is as much about understanding others as it is about understanding oneself. “Leadership isn’t just about what you say—it’s about how you say it and who you’re saying it to,” she explains.
Preparing for the Future of Leadership
As the workplace evolves, Wendy is preparing leaders for the challenges of tomorrow. She sees several trends shaping the future of leadership, including the rise of hybrid work and the increasing importance of emotional intelligence. Leaders, she believes, will need to excel at connecting with their teams in both physical and virtual environments. They will also need to prioritize mental well-being, recognizing that healthy, supported teams perform better.
Wendy’s coaching programs integrate these emerging priorities, helping leaders stay ahead of the curve. She focuses on building skills like remote leadership, mindset coaching, and fostering inclusivity in diverse teams.
Leaving a Legacy
Through her signature program, SheBreaksThru, Wendy is creating a movement to empower women in leadership. Her goal is to build a world where women no longer have to “fight” for a seat at the table—they belong there naturally.
Wendy’s vision extends beyond individual success. She wants to redefine leadership as a space of inclusivity, authenticity, and strength. “When confident, empowered leaders step up, they lift everyone around them,” she says.
Her work is changing the way people think about leadership. By blending emotional intelligence, practical strategies, and a commitment to inclusion, Wendy is helping leaders—and the organizations they serve—thrive.
Wendy Tansey’s journey is one of courage, passion, and purpose. Through her work with The People Experts, she is building a legacy of empowerment, ensuring that leaders feel supported, teams feel inspired, and workplaces become spaces of growth and possibility.
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“We know that when we have equality in leadership, everyone thrives—both women and men—and the organization thrives.”
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