Her Story
About Yvette
Yvette Golla is the President of Guardiant Group Inc. and a seasoned leadership coach with over two decades of experience in sales and business development. She began her career the hardest way possible — cold calling door to door, selling Yellow Pages advertising before the internet was a household concept. That early foundation of hustle and resilience carried her through a 20+ year career in the staffing and federal contracting space, where she managed $30 million in federal accounts, led global partnerships, and earned five Presidents Club wins along the way. A Jay Shetty Certified Coach, Tony Robbins Certified Practitioner, and NLP Certified professional, Yvette has since channeled that real-world expertise into building a coaching practice dedicated to helping executives, veterans, and emerging professionals unlock their full potential.
What sets Yvette apart is the depth of experience she brings to every client relationship. Having navigated the highest levels of corporate leadership as the only woman at the table in a $2 billion company, she understands firsthand what it takes to find your voice, command a room, and feel truly valued in demanding environments. That lived experience shapes her approach — one that is empathetic, direct, and grounded in genuine understanding rather than theory. She works closely with veterans transitioning to civilian careers, sales leaders looking to level up, and executives ready to lead with greater clarity and purpose. Her ability to see potential in people before they see it in themselves is not just a philosophy — it is the driving force behind everything she does.
Named to the 2026 edition of Influential Women, Yvette founded Guardiant Group to address a gap she witnessed repeatedly throughout her career: talented, capable people staying stuck not from lack of ability, but from lack of direction. Her coaching style is solution-oriented and deeply personal — she combines strategic insight with a calm, reflective approach that helps clients cut through noise, build confidence, and take decisive action. Whether working with a college student stepping into their first career, a veteran finding their footing after service, or a seasoned leader ready for their next chapter, Yvette's message is consistent: your potential is already there — she is simply the one who helps you see it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yvette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to seeing potential in other people before they see it in themselves. When I work with someone and walk them through a process, and they finally get to see what I knew was there all along — that's like winning Olympic gold to me. It's more than money, more than anything, because when they achieve something they didn't think they could do, it shows the capability that we all have. We make a lot of excuses, but watching someone open their eyes, realize they can get to that point, and then finally achieve it — that to me is the ultimate success. It's like, holy smokes, you did it. And they're just in awe because they finally did.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it definitely helps to have experience because you're more relatable and you can truly understand what those worlds are like. I was in a $2 billion company and I was the only woman at that table — it was a different world, and it's hard for women. When you understand that world and have navigated through it yourself, you're a lot more empathetic because you've been in it. You know what it feels like to speak up, to feel valued, to get your message across. Understanding that world and having been through it yourself makes you so much more capable of helping others, because you get it — you know what that feels like.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Creating memories and reflection are incredibly important to me — I feel like that's what life is about. Every time you reflect, you've created something. When you look back on those memories, like remembering standing in front of the Colosseum in Rome, those stories mean everything. In my work, I focus on not overreacting and looking at situations from a different angle. When challenges come up, I ask myself how I'm going to solve this problem, and then I move on. I write things down a lot — what I want to achieve — and I do a lot of reflection and changing my state. It's about having a solution-oriented approach and just not letting things overwhelm you.
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