The (UN)word Effect™
The words leaders use often reveal more than they intend. Beneath a familiar phrase may be an assumption, emotion, experience, or unresolved decision shaping how a leader thinks and how an organization moves.
The (UN)word Effect is Unconvention’s signature methodology for examining what language makes visible, what it leaves unsaid, and what may need to change. We use it to move beyond surface-level symptoms and clarify the real leadership, cultural, and organizational constraint.
When the right thing is named, leaders can make better decisions, have more honest conversations, and design strategies that people can actually carry forward.
(un)coaching™
Are you leading with purpose?
Are you making decisions that align with your values?
Are you prioritizing your health, well-being, and personal clarity, or simply surviving?
Are you navigating complexity with confidence or hiding behind uncertainty?
If you’re asking yourself these hard questions, you’re on the path to real transformation. We help you confront the tough truths and move from self-awareness to meaningful action.
Whether you're looking to gain more clarity, energy, and purpose in your personal life, sustain peak performance without burnout, or lead through complexity with confidence, we meet you at the intersection of strategy, self-awareness, and resilience.
Ready to disrupt the status quo? We help leaders, teams, boards transform—both personally and professionally—by cutting through the complexity and driving real results.
We begin with a customized assessment to understand your goals and ensure our unconventional process is the perfect fit for you.
Then, we get to work, collaborating to set clear, actionable goals and create a step-by-step plan that delivers results.
Our (un)coaching services Include:
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Executive, Corporate & Leadership Coaching: Make smarter decisions, amplify your influence, and lead high-performance teams. We’ll help you make bold, strategic moves and achieve real impact.
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Personal & Life Coaching: Align your personal and professional life for true fulfillment. We’ll ensure your leadership outside of work is as strong as inside.
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Health & Wellness Coaching: Fuel your body and mind to prevent burnout and sustain peak performance. We help you build habits that keep you at your best.
(un)consulting™
Are you an CXO, board, entrepreneur, founder or a distinguished leader striving to elevate your strategic decision-making and navigate the complexities of change and crisis with confidence?
Do you seek to cultivate a mindset that embraces bold and unconventional thinking, while also fostering a workplace culture that reflects these transformative qualities?
Are you dedicated to enhancing diversity and promoting intercultural understanding within your organization to drive innovation and collaboration?
Are you ready for expert assistance in strategically onboarding and facilitating the integration of executives, boards, teams, or individuals to ensure their long-term success and alignment with your organizational goals?
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Our first step will be to utilize our proprietary assessment process to establish your reasons for seeking our consulting services (and—based upon our experience—sometimes those reasons may be different, or at least broader, than what you may even understand them to be).
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We will analyze (and at all times align with) your all-important mission, values and vision—and assess how these are truly represented and perceived within your organization, as well as communicated externally.
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Once your goals are clarified, we will identify and address any root causes of challenges or stagnation hindering your progress and work to foster a culture of high performance, innovation, and continuous learning.
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As we move forward, we provide ongoing support and feedback—and welcome yours—to ensure we consistently meet your specific needs.
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We will hold each other accountable, delivering actionable and measurable results.
(un)conversations®
(un)conversations is a leadership podcast and growing platform for candid conversations with CxOs, senior executives, founders, and influential industry pioneers who have made bold, unconventional decisions that shaped their lives, organizations, and impact.
Hosted by Dr. Alison L. Schmidt, each episode moves beyond the polished success story. Guests explore the doubts, risks, setbacks, identity shifts, and pivotal decisions that changed how they lead. They share the private, behind-the-scenes realities of leadership, including the late-night questions, difficult choices, unexpected lessons, and moments that are rarely discussed in public.
Through these (un)conversations, accomplished leaders examine what they had to unlearn, what they had to confront, and what became possible when they were willing to see their leadership, work, and lives differently.
Let’s make space for what needs to be said.
At the heart of every (un)conversation is The (UN)word Effect™—Dr. Alison’s signature methodology for moving beyond the words leaders use to describe their challenges and uncovering what’s really happening beneath them.
The (UN)word Effect invites leaders to ask a deeper question: What does this word actually mean in my life, leadership, relationships, or organizational?
By exploring the assumptions, emotions, and experiences behind familiar words, leaders gain clarity, uncover what’s been difficult to see, and take more intentional action.
The methodology helps leaders feel:
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Seen: My reality is understood.
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Unburdened: I don’t have to lead alone.
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Clear: I know what matters next.
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Connected: I have trusted people who understand the stakes.
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Equipped: I leave with practical insight and a path forward.
Join us as we explore unconventional excellence—not as a formula, but as an ongoing practice of courage, reflection, connection, and purposeful action.
CxOs/executives, founders/entrepreneurs, and industry leaders are under more pressure than ever—navigating high-stakes decisions with eyes on them from every direction. From boards and investors to employees, customers, and the public, the weight of accountability is constant—and unforgiving. The success or failure of an entire organization often rests on the clarity, performance, and resilience of its top leaders.
Just like you’re told on a plane: secure your own oxygen mask first. Executives must invest in their own growth, clarity, and leadership edge in order to lead others effectively. Because when you operate at peak performance, so does your company.
This isn’t optional. It’s foundational.