Nicole Barbano | Coaching for the Work That Moves You Forward


Strategic coaching for professionals navigating growth, leadership, and change.

Meet Nicole Barbano

Welcome to Nicole Barbano Executive & Corporate Coaching — a focused practice within Hunter Ambrose International, dedicated to high-performing professionals, founders, and executives.


Rooted in nearly two decades of leadership strategy and executive search, this coaching approach brings clarity, accountability, and forward momentum to individuals and teams navigating growth and transformation.


Whether you're stepping into greater leadership, building a legacy, or realigning your work with your values — this is coaching built to move you forward.

Welcome — I’m Glad You’re Here.I

I work with people who are smart, capable, and often stretched thin. People who carry the weight of decision-making, the pace of growth, and the quiet pressure to always be “on.”

If that’s you, welcome.

I’m Nicole Barbano, Founder of Hunter Ambrose International and Executive Coach to leaders, founders, and high-performing professionals who are ready to think more clearly, lead more effectively, and create space for what matters next.

Over the last two decades, I’ve built and sold businesses, placed thousands of executive leaders across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and supported organizations through seasons of growth, transition, and reinvention. My coaching is grounded in real-world strategy and designed to deliver clarity, traction, and lasting results.

I believe the most powerful shift happens when you rediscover your agency—the clarity that sparks excitement and the discipline that turns ideas into momentum. That’s the work we’ll do together: identifying what matters, building toward it with purpose, and leading from a place of alignment.

A little about me: I’m originally from California and have lived in vibrant cities across North America—from San Francisco and Chicago to Seattle, San Diego, and Puerto Vallarta. I now live in Kansas City, Missouri, with my husband.

We have three grown children who are pursuing their paths.

This work isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about reconnecting with your vision, your conviction, and your next level of leadership.

I can’t wait to meet you and get started. Let’s raise the bar. Let’s get to work.

– Nicole Barbano

Testimonials and Client Comments

  • “What’s a session like? Come prepared, be honest, bring some humor—and always do your homework. Nicole doesn’t waste a minute, and neither should you.”

    Samantha K., VP of Talent & Culture

  • “She has a broad network of experts she draws upon, is constantly learning, and shares that knowledge in real time to help you drive your goals forward.”

    Anthony W., Chief Financial Officer

  • “Her corporate coaching style is invaluable—grounded, strategic, and outcome-focused. Nicole helps you lead with confidence, not chaos.”

    Claire H., Regional President

  • “Five sessions in, I renegotiated my compensation package, restructured my team, and started sleeping again. Worth it.”

    Josh E., Healthcare Executive

  • She doesn't do fluff. Nicole tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear—and it works.”

    Melinda C., Chief of Staff

  • “I’ve had other coaches. None of them pushed me like Nicole did—with kindness, clarity, and a bias for action.”

    Rafael M., VP of Sales

  • She is obsessed with ensuring earning growth for her clients. I didn’t just make better decisions—I made more money, too.”

    Leslie F., Tech Founder

  • “Nicole sees the patterns you can’t—and once she points them out, you’ll never look at your work the same way again.”

    Tariq D., COO

  • “Be prepared for every aspect of your life to shift. Nicole doesn’t separate leadership from life—she elevates both.”

    – Louise G., VP of Operations

  • “Nicole is not the coach to hire if you want to stay comfortable. She’ll challenge your thinking, push your limits, and make sure you finally live up to your earning potential.”

    Marcus L., Senior Creative Director

  • Visit Nicole's LinkedIn page for more testimonials

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Let’s Talk About Executive Coaching. What is it?


Executive coaching is a focused, results-driven partnership that helps leaders gain clarity, enhance performance, and move forward with purpose. Whether you're stepping into a new leadership role, building something of your own, or navigating what’s next — coaching provides structure, insight, and lasting momentum.

While executive and corporate coaching is not life coaching, Nicole understands that personal alignment drives professional success. She created the 4F Method — Putting Yourself First to Better Serve Others: Finances, Fitness, and Family to help leaders reconnect with their foundation.

When these elements are aligned, clarity sharpens, resilience builds, and professional goals become achievable and sustainable.

With nearly two decades of experience in executive search and leadership strategy, Nicole delivers sharp, pragmatic coaching that meets leaders where they are — and helps them move forward with focus and intention.

Start Here: The 4F Method

Before we build anything professionally, we start with you. The 4F Method — Putting Yourself First through Fitness, Finances, and Family — is the foundation of my coaching work. It’s designed to help you take inventory of what supports you, what drains you, and what needs to evolve in order to lead well and live well.

This isn’t about work-life balance in theory — it’s about real alignment. When your foundation is strong, your clarity sharpens. When you’re clear, you lead with conviction. We use the 4F Method to ground your goals in the realities of your life, so you can pursue the next chapter of your career, growth, or leadership journey without burning out or losing sight of what matters.

If you're serious about moving forward, we start here.

The 4F Method is the foundation of Nicole’s coaching practice. Successful, sustainable professional growth is short-term without a 4F approach.


First, Fitness, Finances, and Family.

It’s how we align what matters personally with where you’re going professionally — so you’re not just growing, you’re thriving.

First - Putting yourself first isn’t selfish. It’s the most responsible thing you can do to show up, engage fully, and perform consistently — for your team, your family, and your future. And often, putting yourself first means doing the things we’d rather avoid: getting enough sleep, setting boundaries, organizing your environment, and taking ownership of your life instead of letting it run you over.

Fitness comes next — not as a number on a scale, but as a foundation of presence, energy, and clarity. How you move your body in the first ten minutes of your day, how you nourish it, and how you tend to your emotional health — these choices don’t just impact your health. They impact how you lead, think, and recover.

Finances come before family because you can’t be present for the people you love if you’re quietly distracted or overwhelmed by money. Most adults don’t know their basic numbers — bank balances, available credit, debt-to-income ratio, and retirement savings. That lack of clarity robs us of time, presence, and power. Financial awareness isn’t about wealth. It’s about stability, ownership, and choice. Imagine taking a trip with your family, knowing everything was saved, planned, and prepared — and knowing you won’t dread the bill when you get back. That’s peace of mind. That’s leadership at home.

And finally, Family. The people we love, raise, support, or choose — they’re the reason we show up. When your health is aligned, your finances are steady, and your focus is clear, the time you spend with your family becomes richer, deeper, and more intentional. This is what it means to lead a life on purpose.

And to achieve the professional goals you dream of, and have the determination to achieve.

Nicole’s purpose?
To create extraordinary experiences and opportunities for herself and the people she cares about. That starts here.