Generate More From Every Moment, Every Time
Be Generative is the culmination of a quarter-century spent helping leaders experience the most defining chapter in their careers. Our practitioners have witnessed the transformative power of leadership development, but also the frustrating reality that traditional programs fail to deliver lasting results.
We're different, our programs are built to stick, and built to drive lasting results.
The Leadership Development Dilemma
The return on investment for leadership development is significant - $7 for every $1 invested (BetterManager). Yet, a significant gap exists between investment and effectiveness.
$70 billion
spent on leadership development annually (Reaserch.com)
Only 11%
of executives feel their programs are effective (McKinsey & Company)
Only 40%
of companies report having high-quality leaders (DDI)
Up to 80%
of leadership development ends up as "scrap learning" (Training Industry)
Be Generative is led by highly experienced facilitators focused on one core principle: making the art of becoming a great leader a lifelong practice. Our collection of advanced leadership and listening programs are proven to equip leaders for the complex reality of being responsible for the performance of their organizations, as well as the well-being of themselves and their teams.
Be Generative helps leaders accomplish more than they imagine. Rather than focus solely on what you do, our goal is to also understand how you be, so we can help you apply your energy with greater intention. If you’re ready for a more fulfilling leadership and life experience, let’s talk.
“Leaders today need to act in the face of the unknown. It’s in the space that we help them thrive.”
Brent Robertson, Founder Be Generative
The Be Generative Team:
Leaders Who Guide Leaders
Our team at Be Generative understands the challenges of leadership firsthand. Each member brings a wealth of experience from their own successful careers, having held executive positions in large corporations or founded thriving businesses. They have navigated the challenges and triumphs that come with being at the forefront of leadership.
But their journeys don't end there. Every team member has gone on to build successful practices dedicated to empowering others. These are authors, Keynote and TEDx speakers, master facilitators, and renowned coaches – individuals who have achieved significant successes in their own right.
What brought them together? Their transformative experiences with Be Generative programming. Now, they're passionate about sharing this powerful approach with you.
Brent Robertson
Ellen Palmer
Darrin Tulley
Brent Robertson is a TEDx speaker, has delivered keynotes at universities such as Yale and UCONN, inspired crowds at industry events for the American Institute of Architects and IndustryWeek, and designed and emceed record-breaking events for Keep America Beautiful and The Society for Marketing Professionals (SMPS). Vistage, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization, has named Brent as a top speaker. Brent is also a successful entrepreneur who has launched a series of successful businesses, including consulting firm Fathom and the renowned leadership development program LFG. To experience Brent is to be left with a powerful message and an incredible experience that you will reflect on long after the interaction is over. He is passionate about working with people who are committed to step into their potential, and who are open to provocative ideas and shifts in perspective that encourage radical growth. Brent has been gifted from mentorship by, and collaboration with, many legends in Organizational and Leadership Development. This list includes Alpesh Bhatt, Wendy Appel, Daryl Conner, Judy Neil, and longtime collaborator Mel Toomey, creator of the first ever Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership graduate program and co-author (with Judy Neil) of the renowned book, “Integrating Change”. When not at work, Brent can be found spending time with his three children, and out in the wilderness hiking local trails or summiting the New Hampshire 48 4000’+ mountains in every season.
Darrin Tulley is a former Fortune 100 executive with over twenty-five years of experience in various leadership and coaching roles in Corporate America. As the Business Transformation and Culture Officer of a 1,700-person organization, Darrin was a practitioner of Be-Generative Practices. He led a culture revitalization that moved its culture rating score up from a third-quartile industry rating to the top decile in just over 12 months, with significant business results that followed. Darrin's approach to guiding organizations is to co-create and realize endless possibilities. He leverages a diverse set of experiences, including his firsthand understanding of the challenges leaders face. Darrin's ability to meet leaders where they are and ignite what is possible has led to a proven track record of transforming organizational structures and enabling turnaround situations that experience significant top—and bottom-line business value. His use of vulnerable stories and relatable real-life examples inspires leaders to take purposeful pauses and intentionally activate steps in their daily routines. Darrin's commitment to igniting leaders is driven by his passion for creating spaces where people thrive. As a bestselling author of 'Live Your Possible ', a motivational speaker, culture coach, podcast host, and the founder of a positive management consulting group, Ignite Happy, Darrin is on a mission to transform business cultures. His goal is to shift cultures from being result-oriented to people-first cultures rooted in joyful involvement, leading to unprecedented results. On a personal note, Darrin is also a foster parent of seeing guide dogs, a husband to a psychotherapist, a father of two thriving teenagers, and a former coach of 30 youth sports teams.
Ellen Palmer is a passionate leader with over 20 years of experience igniting transformation. She is the Founder of Ellen Palmer Wellness, an award-winning Certified Holistic Wellness Coach and a Corporate Wellness Specialist where she empowers individuals, teams, schools and organizations to optimize their health, mindset, and success. As a National Speaker, Ellen has delivered impactful keynote presentations to Fortune 500 companies like Google and United Technologies and colleges such as University of Connecticut and Pear School of Design. She has coached over 3,000 clients from seven year-olds to CEOs and has appeared regularly on Fox 61 News, and other media outlets and podcasts. As Co-Founder and former COO of Healing Meals Community Project, Ellen spearheaded strategic growth, operationalized systems, and led corporate engagement which helped create a sustainable organization with a diverse and committed donor and volunteer base. Ellen’s true love was helping youth volunteers develop the confidence and social emotional skills that will help shape their bright futures. She was also instrumental in developing educational programming which created multi-generational learning opportunities and a thriving culture of purpose and belonging at a time when we all needed it most. Throughout her career, Ellen has pursued unique opportunities to break through the status quo to create lasting and measurable change whether it was a first of it’s kind subsidiary at Cigna Healthcare, consulting at WebMd’s start up or returning to school to learn functional nutrition for healing lifelong health challenges, Ellen believes there is always a way to create anything we want and when we do it collaboratively, the impact is even greater. Mountain tops, the trails that lead to them with friends and spending time with her sons bring her great joy.
Kirsten K. L. Yurich
Stefani Calvano-Schwartz
Kirsten K. L. Yurich is a nationally recognized expert in equipping leaders and teams to thrive amidst the complexities of driving organizational performance while nurturing human potential in multi-generational workplaces. Her multi-disciplinary expertise integrates cutting-edge leadership development methodologies with advanced models of behavior analysis, human performance, and personal optimization. As an executive coach and facilitator with Vistage Worldwide, Kirsten guides and empowers senior leaders and business owners through transformational breakthroughs to elevate their ability to navigate uncertainty, foster psychological safety, and catalyze cohesive high-performing teams. She is a certified trainer of crucial conversations, integral facilitation, generative listening, top gun teamwork, performance thinkingâ, and has completed certificate courses in psychological safety and inclusive leadership. Kirsten’s background as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, spanning over 20 years in clinical and executive leadership roles, allows her to integrate behavioral science and advanced leadership practices. Her unique multi-dimensional approach enhances leaders' skills in both the science of leadership: strategy execution, stakeholder engagement, group dynamics, and creating a culture of accountability as well as the art of leadership: complex reality of being responsible for the performance of their organizations, reflective and personal growth practices, as well as the well-being of themselves and their teams. A prolific speaker and author, Kirsten has delivered keynotes, workshops, and trainings for corporations, nonprofits, and community groups. Her coaching and insights equip modern leaders to build thriving organizations of the future - ones that prioritize human potential as a catalyst for sustainable high performance and help them unleash their personal potential without living in overwhelm. When Kirsten is not coaching or speaking Kirsten is spending time with her family near Hershey, PA where is she raising four children, two dogs, two cats, and nine chickens in near-perfect harmony.
Stefani Calvano-Schwartz has been leading organizations for the past 20 years, in both finance and operations roles where she has methodically brought those companies to success through the means of implementing operating systems to allow for the creation of structure and process development, but most importantly by building culture and creating people focused environments that reflect the ongoing, ever-present needs for people to be seen and heard. Upon satisfying her social norm of working in organizational leadership, Stefani felt the need to expand her reach and transitioned from her traditional leadership roles to that of being a full-time teacher, coach and facilitator where she now gets to use her decades long leadership experience to help entrepreneurs and their leadership teams not only strengthen their businesses through implementing a proven operating system, more importantly, she gets to help listen teams’ dreams and visions into reality all while developing today’s leaders to be more heart centered, inspired and mission driven individuals. When not working with her clients, Stefani loves spending time with her husband and their uniquely talented blended family of five emerging adults, being submersed in nature, mentoring young women and sitting on the boards of several not for profit organizations to help them realize their beautiful visions of growth and healing for the masses.