CEO Reinvention & Executive Leadership

CEO Reinvention & Executive Development

Pain and Wellness Solutions of the Carolinas

Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder

International Montessori School

Let strategic development and growth of a language immersion school serving families' of many Duke and UNC physicians and faculty as well as Triangle area executives and entrepreneurs. Manage the Board of Directors to create and execute the 5-year strategic plan, which includes increasing the enrollment, a strategic fundraising initiative and future campus expansion plan. Consult on risk management, financial, and strategic decision-making. Head of a School reports directly to Chair; and the Chair serves as lead contact to the Board. Implemented regular dashboard metrics and supporting reports to monitor and track strategic goals and progress.

Co-developed and launched the first Annual Fundraising Gala in 2012, which raised $15,000 the first year compared to $500 from the previous year. Co-founded and developed the structure of the Parent's Association, created to increase satisfaction and engagement of our enrollees and community. Conducted national search to hire several key faculty and administrators to oversee operations, growth, and develop curriculum across the institution.

Chair and Senior Board Member

Marketing and Healthcare Consulting

Analyzed market and competitive landscape to identify target consumers and improve branding and sales for specialty products within food & beverage industry, financial services and international carbon-emissions reduction category. Developed comprehensive marketing strategy recommendations for implementation. 

Served as healthcare regulations and operations-knowledge lead for marketing firm seeking new business in allied health and private healthcare clients. 

Provided operations efficiency and brand development recommendations for private practice physicians' practices.

Business Strategy Consultant

Emory Healthcare

Analyzed system needs to identify, create and implement customized programs to recruit and retain nurses in a highly competitive environment. Led focus groups, qualitative research, and data analysis to improve retention and satisfaction. This includes implementing a mentorship program and executing a system-wide Gallup survey to increase employee engagement.

Director of Talent Acquisition

University of Illinois Chicago

Recruited by Chief Ambulatory Officer to develop communication strategy and manage key initiatives for strategic plan; led research and development of best practices for multi-million dollar, multi-specialty physician practice facility with over 30,000 visits per month. Developed tracking metrics scorecard across the 40+ Outpatient Care Center and monitored strategic  process improvement plans to consistently improve efficiency month over month.

Associate Director

How would you rate your Executive confidence and skills to back it up? 

I work with CEOs and companies to improve their leadership skills & system for measurable outcomes. 

71% of CEOs feel “imposter syndrome”,  hurting their career & company. 

✔️ Do you work constantly and feel stress & anxiety?

✔️ Is your team performing at their best? 

✔️ Do you wish you could increase your Executive influence? 

Working harder or long hours will never increase the bottom line exponentially. 

Working on the RIGHT things with the RIGHT skills to build a better culture and company will grow your company exponentially in the shortest time. 

You must take smart risks and make big decisions with confidence. 

I help ambitious CEOs, Founders & Executives: 

Lead the BEST team.
Forge powerful relationships. 
Revamp operations for streamlined growth. 
Negotiate and win big deals.
Remove pressure with a supportive system.

My proven Leadership Blueprint helps you achieve better m results rapidly, so you can enjoy your life and fuel exponential success.

No more:

❌ 60+ hour work weeks without desired results.

❌ Frustrating, never-ending, & confusing meetings

❌ Underperforming teams and processes.

What you'll finally do:

✅ Solve conflict & strategic problems quickly.

✅ Communicate clearly and directly.

✅ Create strategic partnerships.

✅ Smart, stress-free leadership with my 25-Hour CEO Method.

I worked directly with  CEOs and executives for over 20 years in healthcare, retail, and corporate to create strategy and increase the bottom line. 

I offer 12-week private coaching for Executives and organizations to transform performance and achieve great results.

Book a call in the Featured Section to get better skills and fill the gaps to skyrocket your company & success. 

The CEO who told me, "I'm scared of presenting to him," changed how I coach leaders.


She ran her own flourishing company. Growing leadership team. Big partnership meetings.

From the outside? Everything was coming together.

In our private session? Different story.

"I wake up at 4 am, wondering if I'm going to say the right thing. My team looks to me to make the right decisions. It all falls on me. It’s a lot.”

Working with accomplished CEOs and leadership teams has taught me something:

Fear doesn't go away just because you're at the top.
It gets louder.

The stakes are higher.

There’s more responsibility.

Fewer people who understand what you're going through.

But the leaders who thrive?

They don't eliminate fear.

They change their relationship with it.

Three shifts that you can apply today:

✅ Name it specifically. "I'm scared" is paralyzing. "I'm worried I'll blow it or won't say the right thing to land the deal" gives you something to solve for.

✅ Build your decision framework. Fear spikes when you're winging it. Create criteria and values to filter big calls. Trust your process, not your panic.

✅ Get real support. Not cheerleaders. People you can trust on your team to add value and take the weight off you.

Six months later, the CEO I mentioned wasn't waking up in a panic at 4 am anymore. She had a clear plan and felt more courageous sharing her perspective as a strategic partner.

Not to prove herself.

Or get approval.

Now she has tools that work for her. A framework to guide her.

Fear is there. She's just not letting it take over anymore.

That's the difference between leaders who burn out and leaders who build something lasting.

👋 I’m Niha Wunnava, MHSA, Fellow ACHE, Leadership Strategist & Coach for CEOs & Executives. I help high-achieving professionals lead smart confidence for exponential, measured growth. 

🔔 Follow for insights on calm, confident, and sustainable leadership.

Niha Wunnava, MHSA, Fellow ACHE

CEO Advisory System for CEOs & Founders | Speaker, Coach & Strategist | Executive Presence & CEO Confidence | Reserve Your CEO Up level Today | Healthcare, STEM & Law 🔥

3 things changing about leadership advancement right now that you can control.


If you're planning your 2026 career moves, the old playbook won't work anymore.

Here's what's shifting:

1. Leadership hierarchy is flattening
The ladder you've been climbing is disappearing. Organizations are removing middle management layers.

Fewer rungs means fewer promotions to chase, and the tricky part is that there was already a broken rung for women and women of color.

Gartner forecasts that by 2026, 20% of organizations will use AI to eliminate more than half of middle management positions. And it's working. S&P 500 net margins have expanded to 12.8% as companies flatten.

2. Influence matters more than authority
In flat organizations, your title means less than your ability to move people without formal power or authority.

Your skill, finesse, and HOW you communicate are weighted heavily.

The leaders winning right now:
→ Build cross-functional relationships BEFORE they need them
→ Share knowledge that makes OTHERS successful
→ Solve problems outside their job description
→ Elevate visibility through thought leadership

When there's no VP title to chase, the person who can rally 5 departments around an idea has more power than someone with "Senior" in their title.

3. Breadth beats climbing
Lateral moves are the new promotions. With 71% of leaders under stress and 40% considering leaving, smart companies are keeping talent by offering sideways growth.

What to do before 2026:
Map and magnify your influence, not your title.

Who trusts you?
Who asks your opinion?
That's your real power base.

The volatility isn't ending. But influence-based leadership works in any market.

We are accepting new clients and will begin next week.

Map out your success, go higher, and work less to end 2025 on a high note and start 2026 with more confidence, leverage, and control.

👋 I’m Niha Wunnava, MHSA, Fellow ACHE, Leadership Strategist & Coach for CEOs & Executives. I help high-achieving professionals lead smart confidence for exponential, measured growth. 

🔔 Follow for insights on calm, confident, and sustainable leadership.

Six months ago, my client was paralyzed by a single piece of feedback and didn't realize the damage that comment had done.

A senior leader told her she "wasn't a strong leader," almost in passing.

That remark hit her confidence hard.

She slowly started second-guessing every decision, without even noticing.

She started avoiding that leader and his entire team.

She began questioning her abilities and whether she had the talent to succeed.

She was working 60-hour weeks but felt like she was going backwards.

When we started working together, I asked her one question: "What examples did he provide?"

He didn't provide any.

Then I asked if she agreed with his assessment.

She had never even considered her own perspective.

And she emphatically disagreed with the strategy and provided me with examples that showed she was a strong leader.

Once she realized this, we could move forward rapidly.

We built her decision-making framework to speed up her results. Quick wins and confidence boosters.

She refocused on 1 clear goal and made decisions she hadn't even considered before we met.

She also stopped running her decisions by others, communicated the next steps directly, and delegated clearly.

She trusted herself again.

Her division's revenue doubled within months.

Not because she worked harder. But because she decided with clarity.

She's forging relationships with executives who now see her as a strategic partner.

She's working 40-hour weeks.

And she's enjoying the holidays with her family.

Most leaders think they need more skills. They don't.

They need to make sharper decisions with speed.

➕ Follow Niha Wunnava, MHSA, Fellow ACHE, Leadership Strategist & Coach for CEOs. I help leaders build smart, confident growth.

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