We all deserve time and space to ponder the possibilities of tomorrow
Why I launched Port Liz
Long before I started coaching in any official capacity, I had the ability to connect dots and process information quickly. By the time I was 19 I started developing those soft skills and learning how to adapt in an everchanging world without losing myself. I navigated becoming a wife and mother, and managed to earn two degrees, with a third underway now. All of this cultivated an internal practice grounded in understanding the past, embracing the present, and preparing for the future.
Throughout my life I helped students, colleagues, friends, sorors, and family who were navigating challenges and trying to achieve their goals. I would help them zoom out and consider what they were facing from multiple perspectives. Then I would help them zoom in and create a plan. Through the highs and lows I tried to help them uncover their truth about the world and how they were going to navigate their journey. I also knew my desire for them to achieve their goals could never exceed their own. That was the moment I realized I wanted to become a professional coach.
I have spent my career inside institutions that shape the lives of thousands of people. I’ve seen those institutions at their best, when they truly invest in their people, create real pathways for growth, and become exactly what they promised to be, which is refreshing for any leader.
And I have experienced what happens when they don’t.
I know what it feels like when an organization cannot see the full range of what you bring. I know the frustration of the hitting glass ceilings and dealing with failing systems that claim to reward merit. I have been the person who delivered measurable impact, built real community, and led with integrity, only to find myself looking for a new direction, not because I failed, but because I outgrew what the organization could offer.
That experience did not diminish me. It provided clarity.
It showed me that the clients I’m meant to serve are not just the ones climbing institutional ladders. It includes the leaders who have reached a moment where the ladder no longer leads anywhere meaningful. The leader who has been passed over one too many times and knows they are worthy of advancement. The professional navigating an AI-transformed workplace that no longer looks like the one they spent years and tens of thousands of dollars preparing for.
The systems that failed me became the clearest signal I had ever received about my value as a professional and a human being. It was time for something more.
That is when Port Liz Coaching came to be.
“I named this practice for the women who came before me. They didn’t wait for permission to change course. They charted their own pathways when they were teens. They built families and led beautiful lives. These women lit up every room they went into. And they instilled this in me through generational cultural wealth. Their legacy informs my practice.”
I coach from the inside out.
I bring authenticity, truth, and care to every coaching relationship. These aren't just buzzwords to me; they are my lived professional practice. I understand organizational culture, the spoken rules and the unspoken ones. The political landscape. The invisible ceilings. I know the way institutions can simultaneously celebrate and constrain the people inside them.
I bring that understanding into our coaching sessions. I use it to ask precise questions, to see more clearly what is actually happening beneath the surface, and to hold space for the kind of honest conversation most workplaces will never make room for.