ABOUT ME

Coaching is in my DNA.

Growing up in a lake community in northern New Jersey, I spent many summers in the pool, doing laps with my teammates. I was never the fastest swimmer on the team, but I enjoyed the challenge of besting my times at every meet.

My father enjoyed those summers as much as I did. The minute the race began, he would exhort me from the sidelines to “pull,” with a voice so deep that it carried across the water. If I swam well, he would exult in my accomplishment; if I swam poorly, he would encourage me not to give up with the confident assertion I would do better next time. His unwavering belief in me, even when I was struggling to believe in myself, is the foundation of my coaching approach.

From my earliest days advising students in the Georgetown MBA Program to my most recent experience of coaching directors in PwC’s Tax practice, I have found enormous satisfaction in helping others achieve their professional and personal goals. I do this by listening deeply to my clients and by tailoring my coaching to fit their needs. My coaching is not a one-size fits all endeavor; each engagement proceeds and flexes according to the individual’s goals.

My qualifications include:

  • Over 35 years of experience as a leadership coach, HR business partner, academic advisor, and professor working in both university and corporate settings
  • Conception, design, and execution of a leadership coaching program in PwC’s Tax practice.
  • A Leadership Coaching certificate from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.
  • A Professional Coaching Certification (PCC) from the International Coach Federation.
  • The Leadership Circle Profile​ certification, enabling me to administer and interpret the Leadership Circle 360 feedback instrument.
  • Honors for my professional contributions including: The Ronald L. Smith Distinguished Service Award while working at Georgetown University and a Chairman’s Award from PwC.
  • A Master’s degree in English and over 20 years of experience as a playwright equipping me to coach my clients on the art of storytelling.

I consider coaching to be a privilege and hope that we will have the chance to work together.

Marty

Martha King De Silva

Photo by Jon Meadows

 

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."

--William Shakespeare

 

MY SERVICES

I work with clients who hope to:

  • Take their careers to the next level
  • Achieve an appropriate balance of work and life
  • Become more efficient in the execution of their work
  • Gain insight about their brand from their key stakeholders
  • Improve their professional confidence
  • Hone their executive presence
  • Tell their story
  • Build their network
  • Manage their time more effectively
  • Inspire excellent performance from their teams

Although a typical coaching engagement lasts a minimum of six months with meetings held on a bi-weekly basis, I am happy to design a program that best suits your needs. I am based in Washington, DC, but am available to work with individuals across the United States.

I invite all prospective clients to contact me for a free 30 minute introductory meeting by completing the contact questionnaire on this website. If you determine that you do not want to move forward with our coaching, I would be happy to refer you to other qualified coaches.

I look forward to speaking with you!

 

TESTIMONIALS

  • Michael R., Tax Partner
    “Marty is great at getting you to open up and be real with her, and more importantly, yourself.  She is willing to reveal and share things about herself that let you know holding back and avoiding personal truths is only going to waste time on the journey of where you are trying to go together.   She was totally invested in my professional development and she had no real ability to hide it.  I felt like we were a team and we shared common goals. Marty is a strategic communicator.  She talks just enough to get you to start talking and then hears you out.  She is great at parsing through what you are saying and getting to the crux of it.  I believe that without Marty's investment there is a high likelihood I would not have made partner at my firm, or, at least, not as soon as I did.”
    Michael R., Tax Partner
  • Traci H., Tax Director
    “Marty is extremely easy to talk to about anything.  More importantly, she creates an undeniable sense of trust and I always felt that she had my best interests as her top priority.  As a leadership coach, Marty is always engaged, remembers exactly where we left off and stays in the moment.  She managed to keep our discussions focused, but balanced my emotional aspects with our desire to stay focused on progress.  She is extremely respectful of my time and comes prepared to every meeting so that our work is efficient and productive.  My coaching sessions with Marty were always about me and my career (and even my personal life) and we only deviated from that topic at my request or initiation.”
    Traci H., Tax Director
  • Meghan S., HC Director
    “Marty has the unique ability to blend business acumen into her executive coaching and customize her approach to hone in on the right developmental areas that will accelerate the progression of professionals into leadership positions. She immediately builds trust with her coachees and colleagues and is creative in guiding us to help ourselves!!  She is one of the most authentic professionals that I have been fortunate to work with and I continue to recommend her to friends and colleagues as an executive coach who can tap into inner strengths that often we didn't even know we had!”
    Meghan S., HC Director
  • Smitha K., Tax Director
    “Marty is a fabulous coach and I was very lucky to have been able to work with her at this stage in my career. She really helped me become more self-aware, reflect on many areas I otherwise may have overlooked, and in the process, gain a lot more confidence.  She always brought great perspective and very relevant (and often funny) examples that always made our coaching sessions fun and also something that I always looked forward to.”
    Smitha K., Tax Director
  • Bruce D., Tax Director
    “One of Marty’s greatest strengths is that she reads people very well and is intuitive about a person’s tendencies.  I believe this has led to her success as a coach.  Prior to participating in the Coaching Leadership Program with Marty, I was hesitant to express my desire to advance within the firm as I was concerned with being perceived as too pushy.  In our initial meetings, Marty picked up on this very quickly.  Had she not exhibited these strong intuitive skills, I do not believe that I would have made the career progression that I have made and been promoted.”
    Bruce D., Tax Director
  • Simona V., Tax Director
    "Marty is an amazing coach. I had been lucky to work with Marty during one of my most stressful periods of my career. With great questioning and listening skills and while putting herself in my shoes, Marty helped me find multiple solutions and options for my difficult situations which allowed me to pick the best path forward. One of the most unforgettable moments experienced during my coaching sessions with Marty was when she and I did a role-play. In mirroring my behavior she enabled me to see how I was interacting with others in a very constructive way. This exercise generated deep awareness on specific behaviors that potentially were holding me back and allowed me to change for the better. I am glad I had Marty in my life and I can only hope that her great coaching will touch as many people as possible."
    Simona V., Tax Director
  • Jennifer S., Tax Director
    “Marty had an amazing ability to tease out of our conversations underlying concerns and issues I faced, and together we tackled them and developed effective strategies.  After coaching with Marty, I felt inspired to pursue my career goals with confidence.”
    Jennifer S., Tax Director

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