2024 Staff Coaches

Capture Your Success

Permanent Staff Coaches, 2024

Stephanie Alston
Coach Highlight - MK Chavez
MK Chavez
Carla Hass
Carla Hass
McLarening Coaching | 2023 Coaching Staff | Matt Stark
Matt Stark

Assistant Staff Coaches, 2024

McLaren Coaching | Joan Allen
Joan Virginia Allen
McLaren Coaching | Emily Bennington
Emily Bennington
McLaren Coaching | Alexis Bernard
Alexis Bernard
Paul Briley
Piper Hightower
McLaren Coaching | Casey Lipka
Casey Lipka
McLaren Coaching | Kelly J Mobeck
Kelly Mobeck
Austin Skelton
McLaren Coaching | Evelyn Solorzano
Evelyn “Rose” Solorzano
Stephanie Alston
Stephanie Alston is a mom of 3 humans and an Alaskan Husky, dark chocolate fanatic and lover of the outdoors. Professionally she is a Yoga Teacher, Studio Owner of Santosha Yoga Collective in Loomis, and Coach to leaders and wellness professionals. She is trauma-informed and Yin certified and currently studying in an advanced training for foundations in Yoga Therapy. Steph dreams of becoming a death doula and definitely has the purpose and vision for it. She once said she was “never going to be a life coach”, and here we are. Speaking directly as a Staff Coach for TCE 2024-2025 my intention is to be a resource to you as a trainee, a support to see you through to the end, to be a challenger, and take a stand for you to see possibility in yourself as Coach.
Coach Highlight - MK Chavez
MK CHavez

MK Chavez is a dynamic Afro-Latinx coach, author, and educator, deeply rooted in social justice, DEIA, and nonprofit sectors for over three decades.

Her work is guided by the values of equity, inclusion, and belonging, and she centers these principles in all her work.

MK’s coaching practice is characterized by its visionary, eclectic, and healing-centered approach, grounded in the belief that everyone possesses the innate capacity for transformative growth. She finds profound joy working with individuals and teams, especially during critical junctures such as the inception or completion of creative projects, major life changes, and significant organizational shifts.

Engaging with MK means entering a partnership that values authenticity, strength, and compassion. She is committed to exploring the boundaries of comfort zones, identifying barriers to progress, and, with consent, holding individuals accountable for their ambitions.

MK Chavez believes in a life filled with magic, purpose, and passion.

Carla Hass
2024 Staff Coaches

Carla Hass is a boy mom, Certified Professional Coach, communications expert, and sports nut. She’s an avid music lover, foodie and dedicated life-lover, no matter what. She is a proud graduate of Transformative Coaching Essentials and is side-hustling her coaching skills until she retires from her “job” and transitions full-time to her “purpose”: challenging all to see and believe in what’s within to achieve what they desire.

Carla’s approach to all things in life – whether personal or professional – is stepped in the values of service to others, compassion, humor, trust, honesty, and drive. She believes completely in the power of positivity and that every single person has a purpose for being. She’s eager and committed to safely empower others to find and live that purpose, even when it’s challenging…maybe especially when it’s challenging!

She looks forward to challenging others to learn one of the best lessons she did: let go of what you “know” in order to discover what is possible.

McLarening Coaching | 2023 Coaching Staff | Matt Stark
Matt Stark

Matt graduated TCE in 2022 and is a full time certified professional coach. His purpose is to be fully present and to share his true self with others so that they feel safe and comfortable sharing themselves with the world.

With a background in sales, management and small business consulting, he has spent years collaborating and partnering with people to foster insights, growth and change. Matt brings this experience into his coaching along with a combination of direct honesty and nurturing support that cuts right to the heart of matter. His willingness and commitment to dive in and explore without limits, empowers and challenges his clients to achieve and experience meaningful breakthroughs and measurable results.

Matt’s belief in the magic that lives in the heart of us all, radiates out into his coaching, his life, and those around him.

Joan Virginia Allen

Joan Virginia Allen graduated from the inaugural class of McLaren Coach Training – Transformative Coaching Essentials 2019. This is her second year as a staff coach for the training. She is a certified professional dynamic aging life coach. Her purpose is to explore, inspire and empower.

Joan is a retired elder law and estate planning attorney. She founded and coordinated three county-wide multidisciplinary teams in California to facilitate services to victims of financial elder abuse. She is a Nutritious Movement(r) certified Restorative Exercise Specialist and has taught these practices since 2009.

She is the co-author of the book Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Whole-Body Mobility, and the creator and primary author of the blog Dynamic Aging 4 Life. To learn more about Joan and her successful Coaching Dynamic Aging practice, click here.

McLaren Coaching | Emily Bennington
Emily Bennington

Emily Bennington is a Certified Career Empowerment Coach! One of my biggest passions is supporting working professionals in taking a stand for themselves. Witnessing that stand is so powerful and I get such a kick out of being a part of others’ journeys. One of my favorite parts of being a coach is acknowledging my clients and celebrating them at the end of our time together! I graduated from McLaren Coaching’s TCE program in 2022 and look forward to supporting the next cohort of coaches – it’s really exciting stuff!

In addition to my ‘Incredibly Emily’ career coaching business, I am employed as a Human Resources Business Partner for a large healthcare insurance company. I have spent the last 11 years in the HR field, growing progressively in my career and working in a handful of industries. I have had extensive experience in the job search realm – interviewing for jobs, negotiating my salary, utilizing my network, and revamping my resume to the different types of jobs I was looking for. I have also been a hiring manager, so I have seen boat loads of resumes and know what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. I love how my career as an HR professional and a certified coach have blended together into something where I get to live my life more purposefully.

I spent most of my life in the Northern Virginia area with my younger sister and parents. In late 2013, I took a leap into the uncomfortable and moved across the country to San Diego, CA where I currently reside with my partner and pup child, Cali. When I’m not working, I enjoy being outdoors and active – I play beach volleyball, floor hockey, practice Buti yoga, and run with my friend and fellow coach, Megan Moore. I love having a good time, laughing, and bringing fun to any interaction!

Alexis Bernard

Alexis Bernard is the founder and owner of Intentionally Me! A coaching practice dedicated to empowering women so that they can create a life that is intentional, value-driven, and filled with passion and joy. Alexis envisions a world in which every human has access to the resources they need to live their best life.

Alexis is a Certified Personal Coach and has an MS in Organizational Leadership and an MA in Counseling Psychology. She received her certification from McLaren Coaching’s Transformative Coaching Essentials (TCE) and graduated with the inaugural class in 2019. In 2020, Alexis served as a Staff Coach for TCE supporting the second group of coach trainees as they went through the program. Alexis sees coaching as an incredibly important tool to support both organizations and individuals with moving forward and achieving their stated outcomes.

In addition to her coaching practice, Alexis has spent the past twenty years working for a non-profit providing mental health services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness and living with a severe and persistent mental illness. She is currently working towards licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Paul Briley

I leverage my 25+ years of experience in learning, leadership, consulting and coaching to help you bring your vision to life. My career was built on consultative thought leadership focused on creating impact on people, culture and results.

Throughout my career, I have helped people get moving. I’m known for helping people assess their current state, define goals and outcomes, then build plans and move to action. My approach helps build custom solutions based on your unique needs and experiences.

When the pandemic and racial reckonings happened in 2020, I found myself sitting on a comma (along with the rest of the world). Through observation, asking questions, listening and challenging, my horizons expanded and my values shifted. By 2021, I realized that getting myself off the comma meant helping others do the same. Off the Comma™ was born.

While doing my own inner work, I also decided to end my relationship with alcohol in 2021. Now that I’m alcohol free (AF), I offer support to people who are sober curious and looking to change their own relationship with alcohol. Being alcohol free is an important part of achieving the clarity you need to create the life you want.

I build relationships based on a sense of purpose, action-orientation and having fun in the process. It’s all about helping you through your journey, while challenging you to tap into the wisdom you carry inside. For all my sites and social media, find me on linktree at PaulBriley.

Casey Lipka

Casey Lipka, coach and creative musician, brings a unique blend of experience in the business world to this work with you. She has been coaching individuals and small groups in the areas of personal and professional development, helping people utilize who they are authentically as creatives to build sustainable, profitable and fulfilling results in their lives.

She brings a thoughtful blend of professionalism, coaching expertise, musical experience, collaboration, connection, a sense of humor and the ability to relate to real-life situations, while challenging you both personally and professionally.

Kelly Mobeck

Hi, my name is Kelly Mobeck aka Coach Kelly. I am a Certified Performance and Leadership Coach, a Certified Facilitator, and NLP Practitioner. I have been coaching and training, leaders, entrepreneurs, and businesses in the areas of leadership, personal and professional development, with a dash of “Let’s Go & You’ve Got This” for 18 plus years, I love my job, my clients, and all the people I have had the honor to support and work with.

In 2020 I launched the podcast “Let’s Be Honest Before We Start Pretending” where you get to take the lead in your life with me every single week and it is so much fun.

Also, in 2020 I founded LIFt, the Leadership Impact Forum Training & Coaching Program where we get to work with the most amazing people tapping into who they are authentically as leaders and make an impact in their lives and the lives of others, truly EPIC!

I live in the Los Angeles area of California, love spending time with my family & friends and four dogs. Meaningful conversations and belly laughs are musts because life is short, and we get to live fully every single day.

Evelyn “Rose” Solorzano

Evelyn “Rose” Solorzano is an advocate for transformation and social change. She is delighted to have a long history of uplifting people to redesign their own inner and outer relationship cultures and develop attitudes of kinship for all. Through a variety of settings, her view on kinship has touched the lives of thousands to open themselves in ways that transcend painful bindings toward peace and harmony. Her skills have been lovingly referred to as “The Velvet Hammer” hitting hard with wisdom and truth yet landing softly with respect and joy. Her services include, coaching, counseling, courses and consulting.

  • Awarded 3 professional certifications as a Performance, Relationship, and Family Coach
  • Awarded 2 professional certifications as a Transformative Facilitator
  • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
  • Doctoral Student, Transformative Organizational Leadership, Meridian University