Meet the Team

The people who make shift happen.

Behind our methodology are people who genuinely love this work, and the people we do it with.

Meet everyone ↓
Why we do this work
An organization moves only as fast as its people can absorb change and lead it. We equip leaders at every level to set that pace.
Kristy Braden and Brad Smith, co-founders
Our story

We’ve sat in the chair our clients sit in.

Kristy Braden and Brad Smith founded Inflection Point Leadership in 2019 on that conviction, and it still shapes every engagement.

Every one of us has led from inside organizations before partnering with them from the outside. We bring advanced degrees, deep functional experience, and certifications in William Bridges’ Transition Model, Immunity to Change, the Leadership Circle Profile and DiSC. What you’ll notice first, though, is how much we enjoy the work itself, and each other.

Brad Smith, Kristy Braden and Libby Cervantes
Founders

The partners you’ll work with.

Brad and Kristy lead IPL’s engagements and work directly with every client, from the first conversation to the final results.

Brad Smith

Brad Smith

Co-Founder and Principal
Architect of the Shift Leadership Framework™

Practitioner at heart; working alongside leaders to equip their people to lead change rather than endure it.

Change is hard work, and I’ve learned that people do it better when the work also holds some genuine joy. I treat every meeting and project as an experience, not just a deliverable. Getting to know clients personally builds the trust that carries us when the work gets hard, so we can take the work seriously, partner toward a common outcome, and never take ourselves too seriously along the way.

LinkedIn
Kristy Braden

Kristy Braden

Co-Founder and Principal
Two decades in organizational effectiveness and leadership development

Educator at heart; two decades turning learning into measurable leadership growth.

My first passion was education — I discovered it “playing school” with my younger brother, trying to teach him to read. After teaching high school and then adult GED classes, I realized I love working with adult learners most of all. I’m now in my dream job: harnessing the power of education to help clients grow and thrive.

LinkedIn
Supporting the work

Alongside every engagement.

Libby keeps each engagement running smoothly behind the scenes. Our affiliate coaches join when an engagement includes individual leadership coaching.

Libby Cervantes

Libby Cervantes

Business Manager
Contracting, invoicing and logistics

Makes working with IPL effortless: your go-to for contracting, invoicing, and every detail in between.

LinkedIn
Kevin Adler

Kevin Adler

Affiliate Senior Consultant
Individual leadership coaching

My passion is helping people connect to the best version of themselves so they can show up as the best version of themselves at work, at home and in their community. Being in nature, and specifically the mountains, fuels me, as does being with fellow heart-centered, growth-minded people.

LinkedIn
Norio Suzuki

Norio Suzuki

Affiliate Senior Consultant
Individual leadership coaching

As a coach, consultant and educator, I help clients renew their drive to explore and experiment, and realize the possibilities they have within themselves.

Let’s make shift happen

We’d love to hear about the shift you’re in.

A 30-minute discovery call, no prep needed. You’ll talk with one of our founders.

Why IPL