“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
– Maya Angelou
Learn about our history and what makes us stand out!
Coaching Courage History
Coaching Courage, LLC is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). The company was founded in 2019 to empower leaders to embrace their courage as they transform into their best selves. Coaching Courage works with leaders, teams, and organizations to reframe the way they see themselves. Visualization opens their aperture to see themselves and their leadership through a new lens, creating awareness and an opportunity for self-reflection. Coaching Courage works to inspire and motivate leaders to become the best version of themselves through its services. Its services include leadership, career, & mentor coaching, strategic communications consulting, facilitation, and motivational speaking,
Meet The Coaching Courage Founder and Owner


Shannon Cochran-Yzquierdo is the founder and owner of Coaching Courage, LLC. She is passionate about inspiring and motivating leaders to embrace their courage as they transition into their best selves. Her clients build and strengthen their ‘courage muscle’ and find increased awareness of their own behaviors, which supports their journey of transformation into courageous leaders. Shannon’s use of situational role-playing and direct communication are her key strengths.
Shannon’s Hispanic/Caucasian heritage and LGBTQ+ life experience provide a unique lens to see the world. She supports, empowers, and strengthens the leadership capacity of women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. She coaches middle managers to senior leaders across various industries infusing courage into every interaction. She provides tools, techniques, and skills that clients can utilize well after the engagement ends. Shannon’s warm, welcoming, and friendly demeanor allows for connection with people at any leadership level.
She is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, an active volunteer with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, where she voluntarily shaves her head annually to raise money and awareness for children’s cancer research. She is also the Marketing Chair for the Georgetown ITL Network Board of Directors.
Shannon’s leadership, collaboration and relationship-building expertise, flexibility, and teamwork make her a sought-after resource. She is a connector, who motivates and inspires others. She is known for her candor, direct communication, strategic thinking, program coordination, organization, and execution. In addition, speaking ‘truth to power’ is a gift she offers leaders. While being gentle and straightforward, she challenges boundaries clients place on themselves. She respects client fears and helps them embrace their courage as they face those fears and experience growth.
Her professional journey includes many pivot points which provide her with a unique lens to support each client on their personal and professional journey. Her journey includes navigation from High School Science Teacher & Head Volleyball Coach; FBI New Agent Trainee to Intelligence Analyst; Government Contractor supporting multiple organizations within the United States Intelligence Community (USIC) to Executive Leadership Coach.
She created Courageous Leadership in Action: No One Said It Would Be Easy, offered through Georgetown University, to build and support leaders in their courageous leadership growth. The workshop can be tailored to any audience.
Shannon earned a B.S in Biology Education and a M.S. in Forensic Science. She received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2016 from the Project Management Institute and an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching in 2020 from Georgetown University. She is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC).
Shannon’s Specialties: Coaching Services, Consulting Services, Motivational Speaking, Workshop