Her Story
About Sue
Sue Schwartz is a leadership coach based in Dallas, Texas. With 30 years of corporate experience behind her, she entered the coaching profession in 2011 and has focused on leadership development for the past six years. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan between 1988 and 1992 and later completed an MBA at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Schwartz is an ICF certified coach and holds certification as a Systemic Team Coach through Peter Hawkins. She serves executives, teams, and students, including through her work with the Doerr Institute of Leadership at Rice University. Schwartz maintains active memberships in the International Coach Federation, its North Texas chapter, and Coaching.com. She attributes her success to surrounding herself with strong mentors and family, maintaining a commitment to continuous learning, and developing her BeNew framework to stay adaptable. Her core values include authenticity, respect expressed through conversation, curiosity, trust, morality, and flexibility. Schwartz advises approaching new challenges by doing them messy and afraid rather than waiting for perfection, and she emphasizes serving others while investing in strong conversation skills, especially in an era of AI and digital communication.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sue
01What do you attribute your success to?
I surround myself with really good people who tell me what I need to hear, amazing mentors, my husband and children, and my faith. I constantly learn through podcasts and content, and I developed the BeNew framework to remain updatable and humble. I reflect weekly on what went well and what to shift, always iterating.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do it messy and do it afraid. Don't wait for it to be neat and tidy. Make the other part be messy if you know 50-85% of the way. Don't wait for confidence or 100% certainty because there's always uncertainty.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Serve the group instead of trying to impress. Do it messy and do it afraid. Let go of perfectionism to get certified by coaching others before you're seasoned. Invest in conversation skills because it lives in conversation. Be authentic and name what's going on to stay in integrity.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI and screens are making conversation skills more critical. We must remain human-centered, focus on healthy conversations especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha who are digital natives. Over-index on conversation skills because what AI can't do is real human conversation.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity - be real and honest. Respect expressed through conversation. Curiosity to avoid looking through a keyhole. Trust building. Morality and ethics, staying grounded in right and wrong. Flexibility and openness to other ideas.
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