Katy Hansell
Katy Hansell is a Chicago-based executive coach, strategic advisor, and podcast creator known for her work helping leaders and organizations clarify and achieve meaningful impact. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with additional certifications in high-performance and professional coaching. Her early career began in management consulting at Boston Consulting Group, followed by roles in commercial banking and as Director of Strategy at Bayer, where she worked on global transformation, biotechnology, and strategic partnerships.
Over the course of more than 25 years across three continents, she transitioned from corporate strategy into coaching and advisory work, ultimately building a practice that has supported more than 500 clients. Her experience spans executive leadership coaching, career transitions, organizational strategy, and founder advisory work across sectors including business, nonprofits, and social impact organizations. She has also served in board and advisory roles, including with United Planet, and has contributed to professional development initiatives through academic and industry organizations.
She is the creator and host of the podcast Katy Hansell: The Impact Whisperer™, an independent media platform that features global voices discussing leadership, purpose, and social impact. Through her coaching and media work, she focuses on helping individuals and organizations define the impact they want to make and translate it into action. Her approach emphasizes clarity of purpose, sustainable performance, and expanding influence in ways that align with personal and organizational values.
• Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
• Certified High Performance Coach (CHPC)
• Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
• Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ): Positive Thinking. Shirzad Charmine. Completed 8 week Coach Grant Training
• Co-Active Training Institute Trained: Completed Co-Active Coach Training Program (In Certification Program)
• Forbes Executive Coaches Council Member (2016-ongoing)
• RISE Leadership Training for Women
• Brendon Burchard's Experts Academy
• Certified Quantum Leap Coach
• Certified Accelerator Coach
• Certified Professional Coach
• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management - M.B.A.
• Top 10 Global Coach
• Top 15 Impact Expert
• Top 15 Visionary Entrepreneur
• Top Executive Coach
• Top Women's Empowerment Coach
• Top 15 Chicago Executive Coach
• Powerful Woman
• Executive Board of Fast Company
• SaaS Company Executive Board
• Board of Directors at United Planet
• Patron of TWIN (The World's Innovation Network)
• Career Redesign Task Force of Duke University
• Kellogg Alumni Council
• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
• 1871
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If I were advising young women entering my industry, I would encourage them to pursue their ambitions thoughtfully by first taking steps to reduce risk before fully committing time, energy, and financial resources. This means clearly identifying their target audience, understanding the competitive landscape, and assessing the overall market opportunity, while also defining what makes their product or service unique and how defensible that advantage is. I strongly believe in applying design thinking principles—rapidly prototyping ideas, testing them early, and using feedback to refine or pivot before making significant investments. While I fully support following your dreams, I also believe success is strongest when vision is paired with discipline and intentionality in how resources are managed.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity in my field right now is scaling impact by expanding into independent media to amplify leaders and broaden the reach of social-impact narratives. Platforms such as podcasts create space to elevate voices, share meaningful stories, and extend influence beyond traditional channels. This approach allows ideas to reach wider audiences and generate ripple effects that can inspire awareness, engagement, and action in ways that were not previously possible.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are a commitment to meaningful impact and long-term legacy, as well as the disciplined stewardship of my time, energy, and resources. I am also deeply guided by service—specifically using my work to uplift others and amplify voices that can drive positive change. Ultimately, I value creating outcomes that extend beyond myself and contribute to improving the lives of others.
Locations
Katy Hansell Impact Partners LLC
1282 hasbury ave, Winnetka, IL 60093