Meet Marisa, CEO and Founder

Marisa Santoro, is a former Wall Street IT executive with a 21-year corporate career and the CEO of In Our Shoes. She is a corporate leadership trainer, TED  speaker, career coach and business author with McGraw Hill with a purpose-driven team of facilitators and coaches.

Her expertise in leadership and professional development, as well as effective business communication, has been brought in to support business leaders across industries at organizations such as Fiserv, Pfizer, Merck, American Express, UBS, Anheuser-Busch, Allianz Global Investors, Sony Music, S&P Global, State Farm, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), New York Council of Nonprofits, Women in Tech International (WITI), Aetna Healthcare, New York University (NYU), NYU Langone Medical Center, New York and New Jersey municipalities and many more.

 She is also an honoree of the Woman of Influence award from New York Business Journal and BizWomen.com for her years of mentoring and coaching midcareer leaders, executives, healthcare professionals, and sales leaders to achieve higher levels of influence.

 She writes a career column for American City Business Journals, covering their how-to career and business strategy sections, with articles published across 44 cities in the United States.

Marisa is a Success Principles trainer of Jack Canfield, the global bestselling author of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' and 'The Success Principles' books. 

"I passionately believe that when you lead from your gut, you will own your authority every time, remain intentional to your values, build better teams and self-qualify as a leader in your field.

Mindful intuitive leadership is a paradigm shift in doing business, where professionals take an inside-out self-leadership approach to leading authentically and from their gut to drive change and deliver their best results. 

This is about moving past limiting beliefs and negative environment, and increasing your mental game, health and relationships." 

- Marisa Santoro

Marisa's TED talk, “Speaking Without Apology,” guides on how to detach from language that feeds into the “Sorry Syndrome” and make subtle tweaks in your speech to springboard you from diluting your value to spotlighting your assets immediately.

She guides professionals how to reclaim their confidence, tap into their instincts and embrace their inner dialogue using proven tactical tools, and strategies in proven step-by-step career leadership programs coaching on ways to authentically build trust as leaders and advance in their careers.

Meet our facilitators and coaches

Bill has led the Leadership Edge program for JPMorgan Chase's global Executive Director leaders. He is an NYU certified Executive and ICF Certified Coach with 25 years of solid business experience in financial services. He is also a former line of business Relationship Manager with over 13 years of experience in all areas of Organizational Development and Employee Training. Bill’s particular passion is helping people to achieve career prosperity that contribute to dazzling business results. His skills include facilitation, needs assessment, instructional design, performance management.

Linda is an experienced executive coach who brings a supportive, practical, and results-driven approach to leadership growth and behavioral change. With a foundation in psychology and decades of applied experience, she partners with individuals to identify their unique development needs and craft personalized coaching plans that balance structure with flexibility.
Her coaching style is collaborative, authentic, and insight-driven—designed to empower leaders to gain clarity, expand capability, and perform at their highest level.

A former Global Supply Chain and Procurement leader, Camille is a facilitator and consultant with expertise in
change management, strategic planning, operational efficiency, risk management and people leadership.  She facilitates executive round tables and coaches mid-career leaders and executives through transition, burnout and the path to promotion. Camille is a dynamic, engaging leadership speaker focused on Procurement and Supply Chain audiences.

Rachel has over 35 years of experience in learning, leadership and team development and has worked across industries. She  brings a deep background in business in her work as an executive coach and corporate trainer. Her focus is on setting and achieving goals and ensuring that progress is both seen and able to be measured. She is a certified Executive Coach from the NeuroLeadership Institute and in StrengthsFinder, Everything DiSC, Hogan and MBTI.  She works with high potential leaders looking to get to the next level as well as executives and teams.

Arya is a Supply Chain professional with a background in HR operations and leadership. He is has  trained engineers, project managers, executive leadership, and operators on how to navigate the procurement process. Having worked across 28 manufacturing sites in North America, he enjoys educating stakeholders, helping them to understand contract terms, approval processes, and on how best to use web tools for ERP & Contract management. He has spent his career formally training and supporting internal customers on usage of tools and business processes, drawing on his time as an HR Generalist.

Robyn is a dynamic leadership facilitator, Gallup Strengths Coach, DiSC facilitator and Myers Briggs instructor. Her background is in executive leadership, organizational and talent development, team effectiveness and change management. She has worked for 20 years in different landscapes of leadership development, polishing potential in those she serves from college students to global C-suite executives. She loves working with clients to hone high performance and enhance team effectiveness. Robyn is driven to build self-awareness and leadership efficacy, unleash unrealized potential, and cultivate confidence in others so they can reflect, grow, and thrive.

A seasoned executive coach, organizational development consultant and business executive in the healthcare industry. Lisa also facilitates leadership training programs. She has led Leader as Coach, Crucial Conversations, Navigating Conflict, Emotional Intelligence, Performance Management, and Psychological Safety.  She is certified in the Hogan Leadership Series and EQi 2.0 assessment tools. She also conducts 360 debriefs with clinical and non-clinical leaders.

Sabina has built a career centered on empowering professionals at all levels to grow and excel. She has led workshops for workforce development and has helped individuals navigate career transitions with confidence. Her expertise in leadership development was honed through executive roles, including serving as Director of Workplace Learning & Development at George Washington University and as Head of Learning & Development for AstraZeneca’s Biologics Region. She has also worked in the federal government as a learning strategist for a division of the Department of HHS and consulted with the United Nations.

A former corporate IT leader, Samantha has supported global organizations through large transitions for over two decades. Her focus was technology and innovation in banking, hedge funds and biotech-pharma industries. She has worked across many cultures and has been based out of New York City, Singapore, London and Charlotte. One of our AI facilitators and Executive Coaches, Samantha is a  Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and  a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO).

A Claude Cowork expert, Shara consults with commercial businesses and nonprofits on integrating AI into their products and workflows. She has been a product manager for a wide variety of domains including Fintech, Telecom, Healthcare, and Education. She also teaches kids to code in Los Angeles and has hosted more than fifty events at companies such as Google, Disney, Microsoft, Sony, and IdeaLab. She has built a foundational AI infrastructure for Africa — powering intelligence, finance, and digital services for over a billion people who deserve AI built for them, not adapted to them.

Alla is an AI Facilitator, Instructional Designer and Training Project Manager with a passion for creating engaging, accessible learning experiences. With dual Master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology and Education, she brings a deep understanding of behavior, pedagogy, and learner motivation to every project. Alla designs multimedia training resources, creates self-paced modules, facilitates learning sessions, and collaborates with subject matter experts to ensure clarity and impact. Her work is driven by curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to helping learners grow with confidence. She has designed and delivered 100+ training solutions, including interactive courses, how-to videos, live sessions, and visual job aids.

 A former Fortune 500 leader and MIT facilitator, Miyelmi is a leadership coach with 20+ years of experience helping senior leaders navigate growth and change with clarity, confidence, and purpose. She partners closely with C-suite executives and high-potential leaders to strengthen their executive presence, decision-making, and influence, thereby elevating performance and building impact. She is also bilingual in Spanish.

Adam has coached Fortune 500 executives as well as  formerly incarcerated individuals, people in recovery, politicians, athletes,  and leaders at every level of organizations.  Over the last 30+ years, his work has expanded from sports into leadership, communication, and human development, supporting individuals and teams through some of the most challenging and important conversations of their lives.

Adam's work helps people find the courage, clarity, and self-awareness to say what needs to be said, and take responsibility for what happens next. He holds certifications from the Co-Active Training Institute, International Coaching Federation, and has  a Master's Degree in Spiritual Psychology.

Ann is a strategic people and talent leader with a track record of transforming organizations through people, culture, and data-driven talent systems. Known for architecting high-performance cultures, redesigning organizational structures, and guiding executives through complex change, integrations, and global workforce challenges. Adept at translating business strategy into scalable talent frameworks that elevate leadership capability, strengthen engagement, and drive measurable business results. Ann is a trusted advisor to CEOs and senior leaders across public, private, and private-equity environments.

Kate is an engaging and energetic facilitator who captivates learners with her passion and enthusiasm. A dynamic communications professional and certified DiSC facilitator with a proven track record of facilitating leadership development training programs and creating engaging learning experiences. She is also holds a Development Dimensions International (DDI) certification. When facilitating leadership development programs, she creates safe learning environments with a focus on trust, inclusion and communication. 

Pharah is an AI strategist and facilitator with 20+ years in Fortune 500 learning and development senior leader roles. She specializes in designing and delivering curriculum across AI platforms like Claude and Claude Co-work, productivity tools like Notion, and a range of other AI platforms — with a particular focus on vibe coding for non-developers — alongside prompt engineering, human-centered AI adoption for L&D and HR leaders, and leadership development for managers and teams. She builds original, research-backed training from scratch so teams learn on programs shaped around how they actually work. She has led engagements for corporate teams, and entrepreneurs nationwide, and holds active certifications directly from Anthropic.

Michael is an experienced L&D Facilitator with 10+ years of leading global training rollouts, CRM onboarding, and instructional design across the U.S., Europe, and APAC. He has spearheaded training for 700+ staff across 17 sites, improving KPIs by 20% and reducing invoice reversals, generating $200K+ in annual savings. He has led upskilling workshops on Office M365  and  has supported the NYC Department of Education’s statewide SESIS training system for 170,000+ end users—one of the largest public education systems in the U.S.  Experienced coaching international teams, Michael has led a team of 10 instructors and designed training modules using Rise and Storyline.

Audrey has facilitated over 100 face-to-face workshops for Facebook and designed and delivered engaging team and leadership development programs by creating a psychologically safe space for adult learners to share. She has trained on conflict resolution, feedback, team culture, and additional
leadership skills that lead to concrete individual, team and organizational results. Both her in-person and virtual leadership development workshops have driven change initiatives. She
has also led cohorts of emerging managers and facilitates rapid sessions for managers to drive HR change initiatives.  She's passionate about achieving rapid, values-driven cultural outcomes with collective joy.

Municipal government facilitator, Project Manager and Software trainer, Wes has trained vendors and staff on new business processes, created technical user manuals and end-user documentation and led IT implementations and data visualization projects. His tech background spans from developing UX design interfaces to developing training and promotional videos.

Carmen is a Prosci® Change Management Practitioner, facilitator and leadership coach. She  has coached over 700 executives, mid-career and early career professionals and delivers professional and leadership training to corporate, government, and nonprofit managers. Her consulting has also included diversity, equity, and inclusion assessments and she is a former Rutgers Business School instructor. Carmen is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Jay is a former First Vice President of Corporate Learning and Development in Financial Services and has lead all aspects of talent and leadership development. He is also a former talent leader with JPMorgan Chase’s Leadership Edge management development team.

Passionate about leadership development, he believes that better managers drive employee retention and job satisfaction. Jay has over 20 years of experience in executive leadership and  knows that having the right people, at the right time, in the right roles makes all the difference in an organization’s success. Having spent a large portion of his professional career working with leaders in Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations, Jay has helped change the function, culture, and impact of HR. His focus on supporting business goals and strategies as well as the needs and aspirations of employees has been his guiding principle.

Addie is an experienced software trainer with experience working in the information technology, retail, finance, medical and services industries. She is also an AI facilitator and a Prosci Certified enablement expert with 15+ years of experience in change management, training, communications and content management. She is proficient in Agile, Prosci and ADKAR change management methodologies and processes. 

Addie has experience across multiple industries including government, technology, education, banking and the Non-Profit sector. 
Her training expertise includes conducting needs analysis, delivering live and virtual training, content management for various systems, creating e-learning on Demand modules, training documentation, assessments, and company wide training communications.

Julissa specializes in leadership coaching, instructional design, developing effective learning materials, building team-building workshops and leadership development sessions for groups. Through her expertise in Content Creation she has developed e-learning modules, facilitator guides, and job aids tailored to both employee training and leadership development. She brings a deep understanding of team dynamics through her passion for growth and backed by years of hands-on experience in Organizational Development and Learning and Development initiatives.

Cathy is an Executive Leadership, Facilitator and Career Coach with 20+ years of coaching experience. Skilled in coaching individuals at all levels and functions with deep expertise working with executives and individuals with technical backgrounds. An ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Cathy is known for her direct yet positive approach and has a reputation for being empathetic without being soft, challenging and enabling clients by holding them accountable for their actions in support of career goals.

Jeanette is our Operations Manager and Customer Care liaison. Her focus is on providing top-level client support, systematizing our workstreams and assisting in all things behind the scenes for program design and delivery. 

Our Mission

To empower and motivate professionals to advance in leadership and embrace their fullest potential.

In Our Shoes is a corporate leadership development training provider and learning partner. 

We deliver curated, content-rich, experiential programs that help professionals lead confidently with clear, concise communication to increase their impact at work and in their careers.

Proud to be a Woman Owned WOSB, WBE and DBE Diverse Supplier!

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In Our Shoes LLC ® is a professional development and career workplace training and career leadership coaching practice based in the New York City tri-state region.  We deliver management and staff development training, team development training, keynote speakers for women's leadership events, career coaching services, career leadership coaching, career coaching programs,  resume services, leadership training, communication skills training, soft skills training, people skills training, career leadership skills, presentation skill training, people-skills, career counseling, leadership classroom workshops, career seminars, leadership webinars, women's leadership keynote events, diversity and inclusion programs, Disc assessments, networking events, keynote speakers, Wiley Everything DiSC assessments, facilitated trainings and certifications. We are an authorized partner of Wiley Everything DiSC.
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