Irene E. Bradford, PhD

I am a licensed psychologist and author. I coach senior executives in start-ups and technology related industries on how to use their unique strengths, character, and intention to lead themselves and others.

I am currently seeking an agent to publish my book, The Way of Love on the Road To True Self. This book offers a new paradigm for love and a way to find your true self. I share the method I used to find my true self and cultivate love as a state of being. My intention is for you to break free of others’ expectations for your lives and live the life you want to live rather than the life you have been told you should live. One of our deepest human longings is to love and be loved. The definition of love I offer and the method to become love is behavioral, measurable, and achievable. This book will give you the courage to live from your true self as love.

If you are looking for coaching, I can say that I, most likely, have been where you are now. There is a growth curve in leadership where you don’t know what you don’t know, to knowing what you don’t know, to mastering what you don’t know. You can actually be in all three places at once, depending on how many plates you have spinning in the air. In coaching, I offer you space to step back and work through the fears, the politics, the opportunities, and the challenges. I can help you break down your responsibilities into manageable tasks that you can master step by step.

I help you identify your strengths (and not over-rely on the power of your position) to create a pattern of success. When you feel confident in who you are, you are more authentic as a leader and more willing to try novel approaches to leadership, strategy and talent development.

Today, I work primarily with technology and technology related startups. I consult on leadership issues including executive presence, working through others, navigating the political landscape, strategy issues and creating intentional cultures.

Regardless of the issues that bring you to coaching, you can uncover many facets of who you are to reflect more of your light into the world—whether it is in business, at home or within. I draw upon systems, psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychology theories, as well as Eastern philosophies of Taoism and Buddhism in my practice.

I received my B.A. from Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts in Economics, a M.A. from the University of New Hampshire in Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA.

My business experience began in estate planning with the Bank of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts where I worked with high-net-worth clients and business owners.  Nine years later, I left to pursue a doctorate in psychology. After earning my Ph.D., I began a small clinical private practice in San Francisco and returned to the business world as a leadership consultant. I trained with an international consulting firm and became the Managing Director of the San Francisco office before leaving to start my own firm, Castelot Consulting Group in 2002. In 2004, I co-founded the Bradford Leadership Group with my (now retired) husband, Bob Bradford, where I continue to coach today. We consulted to senior executives in Fortune 500 companies based in the U.S. as well as Europe, South America and Asia Pacific.

I am a member of the American Psychological Association, a member of the Founders Society at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, and a Hospice Volunteer.

I live in Charlottesville, Virginia with my husband, Bob Bradford.