Today we’d like to introduce you to Cora Lonning.
Hi Cora , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My career path has not been a straight line, but every step has contributed to the work I do today. I started in the restaurant and hospitality industry, which provided exceptional training in adapting to differences, staying focused under pressure, and being effecient in my work; and managing the balance between driving revenue and managing costs. This experience led to a role in a food service distributing company. Within the corporate environment, holding a few entry level roles in accounting departments, helped me to understand the corporate environment. I developed a deeper understanding of business – what drives costs and what pricing is based on- and the way organizations get structured to get the work done. While working I also experiemented with a few entreprenuarial adventures such as vending machine sales, a housekeeping service, and selling Avon. The drive for self-employment really hit at 26, so I pursued my real estate license and held it for 12 years. Of course I learned alot about the market, finance, and changing conditions. I also learned the power of emotions, communication, and relationships. Understanding these three things were the key to my being a top producing agent in my office. I attribute alot of my pofessional success and growth to what I learned by returning to school. My initial goa was to earn a law degree and becoming a real estate attorney. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree in communication, however, I gained a clearer understanding of my natural strengths, values, and interests. That self-discovery led me in an entirely different—and much more fulfilling—direction.
I earned an associate degree in conflict resolution and had the opportunity to intern at a community mediation center. Watching people move past months of frustration and conflict to developing their own solutions in a two-hour meeting was transformational for me. I became fascinated by the power of effective communication, thoughtful questions, and environments that allow people to think critically and take ownership of their choices. In addition, I earned an associates degree in adult learning, laying the foundation for how people develop these crucial skills.
I ultimately earned an MBA in Organizational Effectiveness and from there built a career in organizational development, leadership development, change management, and talent strategy. For more than 25 years, I have worked with people at every level of the organization—from the front line to the C-suite—helping leaders and teams strengthen communication, navigate change, resolve conflict, build relatioships; and connect people development to business outcomes.
My approach was also deeply influenced by my father, an accomplished behavioralist who taught me the importance of growth and development over simple compliance. He believed in helping people understand their choices, recognize cause and effect, and take responsibility for their outcomes. This bank of knowledge contributes to experiencing a real sense of pride. A healthy self-effacy and confidence are borne of pride in one’s self- knowing they can. That philosophy continues to shape my work today. I focus on providing tools, language, and meaningful questions to empower, rather than providing the direction or action for them.
Today, through CCL Ventures, I serve as a talent strategist, learning architect, leadership coach, and organizational development consultant. I help organizations grow by developing the people within them. Whether I am coaching an individual, facilitating a leadership team, designing a development program, or supporting a major change initiative, my work begins with purpose: What are we trying to accomplish, why does it matter, and what must people be able to do differently to achieve it?
At the heart of my journey is a simple belief: organizations grow when their people grow. My role is often to work quietly in the background, helping leaders create the clarity, confidence, accountability, and conditions that allow people—and the organization—to become their best.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been a smooth road. One of my greatest challenges has been learning that having knowledge is not the same as being able to share it effectively.
Earlier in my career, I often believed that if I could clearly see the problem, understand the solution, and explain the logic, others would naturally see it too. What I learned is that people do not receive information simply because it is accurate. They receive it when it is communicated in a way that connects with their experience, their readiness, their values, and what matters most to them.
That required me to move beyond simply delivering information and become much more intentional about how I communicate. I had to learn to listen before offering answers, ask questions before making assumptions, and understand that timing, trust, language, and relationships all influence whether a message can truly be heard.
I also had to let go of the need to immediately solve problems for others. Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is create the space for someone to think out loud, sort through the “word soup,” and arrive at their own understanding. People are far more likely to act on an insight they helped discover than on an answer they were simply given.
That has become one of the greatest lessons of my career: information tells people what you know, but wisdom helps you understand what they are ready to hear and how they need to receive it. My work today is not just about transferring knowledge. It is about translating knowledge into clarity, confidence, ownership, and action.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
CCL Ventures is an organizational development and leadership consulting practice focused on helping organizations grow through the intentional development of their people. I partner with leaders and teams to strengthen leadership capability, improve communication, navigate change, build healthier cultures, and connect talent development directly to business priorities.
What sets my business apart is that I do not approach development as a series of disconnected events or the “soup of the day.” A workshop may create energy, but lasting change requires reinforcement, accountability, practical application, and a trusted resource who understands the organization over time. My goal is to build long-term partnerships that allow me to understand the business, its people, its challenges, and its aspirations deeply enough to provide meaningful support when it is needed most.
My work can include leadership and team development, executive and career coaching, change management, conflict resolution, talent strategy, facilitated planning, competency development, and customized learning programs. While the services vary, the focus remains consistent: creating practical solutions that strengthen both individual performance and organizational effectiveness.
I am known for making complex people challenges easier to understand and address. I help leaders find the language for difficult conversations, create clarity during change, and develop the people they lead without over-directing or rescuing them. I bring structure to the work, but I also recognize that people and relationships are often messy. My role is to help clients move through that complexity with purpose, curiosity, accountability, and compassion.
What I am most proud of is the long-term client base I have built and the high percentage of my business that comes through referrals and returning clients. To me, that is the strongest reflection of the brand. It means clients do not simply value a single session or program; they see me as a trusted partner and ongoing resource.
I want readers to know that CCL Ventures is not built around selling a prepackaged solution. It is built around relationships, measurable growth, and helping organizations create development practices that continue long after I leave the room. My success is reflected in the leaders who become more effective, the teams that function at a higher level, and the clients who continue to invite me back.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have never viewed my success as something I created alone. My career and business have been shaped by family members, mentors, colleagues, students, educators, and clients who offered guidance, opened doors, challenged my thinking, and trusted me with meaningful work.
My father deserves tremendous credit for shaping the foundation of my leadership philosophy. As an accomplished behavioralist, he taught me that real development comes through choice, accountability, and understanding—not simple compliance. He modeled the importance of seeing potential in people and helping them think critically about their decisions and impact. Those lessons continue to influence how I coach, facilitate, and partner with leaders today.
I have also been fortunate to learn from mentors and colleagues throughout my career. Some helped me recognize strengths I had not yet learned to name. Others shared their experience, challenged my assumptions, gave honest feedback, or encouraged me to step into opportunities before I felt completely ready. Their guidance helped me grow not only in knowledge, but also in the wisdom required to apply that knowledge in ways others can hear and use.
For 11 years, I also served as an adjunct college professor, teaching business, leadership, communication, adult learning, and conflict resolution. That experience had a profound influence on my development. Working alongside people who were conducting research, questioning established ideas, and learning in real time strengthened my ability to separate knowledge from opinion, evaluate information more carefully, and make better-informed decisions. Teaching also required me to understand the “why” behind the “what.” It was not enough to know a concept; I had to understand its foundation, its relevance, and how to communicate it in a way that different learners could receive and apply. My students challenged me to remain curious, continue learning, and become more thoughtful about how knowledge is translated into practical action.
My clients have played an equally important role in building the business. They trusted me with their people, their challenges, and often some of their most important organizational priorities. Long-term clients have allowed me to grow alongside their organizations, deepen my understanding of their needs, and refine my work through real-world application. Their continued trust, referrals, and willingness to invite me back have been among the greatest contributors to the success of CCL Ventures.
My family has also provided the encouragement, patience, and support required to build and sustain a consulting practice. Entrepreneurship can be rewarding, but it requires resilience, flexibility, and a willingness to keep moving through uncertainty. Having people who believed in both me and the purpose behind my work made that journey possible.
Ultimately, my business has been built through relationships. Every mentor who offered guidance, every colleague who shared insight, every student who challenged my thinking, every family member who provided encouragement, and every client who placed their trust in me has contributed to where I am today. I am deeply grateful for each of them.
Pricing:
- Engagements are customized based on organizational goals, scope, number of participants, assessments, and follow-through needs. Workshops, coaching packages, facilitated sessions, and long-term consulting partnerships are available through customized proposals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coachcora.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachcora
