About Lisa
Hi, I’m Lisa Waltuch. I help people and teams discover who they are, find their direction, and move forward with a plan they believe in.
I’m a coach, facilitator, speaker, and artist. I work with individuals and organizations using storytelling, creative practice, and design thinking to help people lead — and live — with a clear sense of direction.
My Story:
It started in college when I was an RA and our resident fellows taught our small staff something I’ve never forgotten — how to communicate honestly, how to be vulnerable in a group, and what happens when people feel safe enough to say what they actually think. It bonded us in a way that’s lasted to this day. I was twenty years old and completely hooked.
That fascination shaped everything that followed — my graduate thesis on collaboration at RISD, my early jobs where I learned (sometimes the hard way) that I cared deeply about how people work together, and eventually leading creative teams at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Discovery Channel, and Walmart. Big, complicated organizations where I learned to build consensus and make something meaningful under real pressure. But the part I loved most was always developing the people on my team.
Throughout all of it, I kept my own creative practice going — making one-of-a-kind pieces that told people’s stories through art. Text and storytelling were woven into every project. It turns out I’ve always been doing the same thing, just in different forms.
When my family moved to Costa Rica for three years, and I produced a Moth-style storytelling event series, coaching people to tell their real stories on stage. People were honest and vulnerable, and it gave our community a deeper sense of empathy and understanding for each other.
Coming back was its own transition — moving across the country during the pandemic, thinking hard about what I wanted and what would be ultimately satisfying. I trained at the Co-Active Institute, started coaching. I always say that if you know what you want to achieve, you can do it. This was the beginning of that journey, and I couldn’t be happier to be doing this work.
With my family
Painting on silk in my Studio in Costa Rica
Hiking in Idaho
What I Believe:
Everyone is creative, resourceful, and whole.
You can train yourself to be lucky.
Experimenting is everything — there's nothing better than meeting someone face-to-face or trying something out in the real world.
If you can identify what you want, you can get it.
Collaborating with others is deeply powerful.
Who I Work With:
Organizations & Teams — I facilitate workshops that help teams connect, lead with creativity, understand each other, and work more effectively.
Events & Conferences — I speak on storytelling as a culture-building tool, design thinking, the power of asking the right questions, and how to shift your perspective.
Individuals — I coach people one-on-one through transitions at every stage: long careers making a shift, young people just starting out, and mid-career professionals looking for clarity.
Boards — I help board members build real collaborative skills, align around a shared vision, and have the honest conversations that make a board effective.
My Credentials:
Creative leadership at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Discovery Channel, and Walmart
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with over 500 hours of coaching and facilitation
BA, Stanford University
MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
Creator of Path to Purpose, built on Stanford’s Design Your Life methodology
Two decades running a studio practice in commissioned art and storytelling
Public Art Commissioner, City of Palo Alto