About us

Who we are

Leadership by Design™ is a leadership collective of strategists, coaches, and innovators who have led transformation inside global brands, creative industries, and high-growth companies. Together, we bring decades of applied expertise in design thinking, leadership development, and organizational change.

Learn from the best

Our team of experts doesn’t teach theory—we teach what we’ve lived. Learn directly from leaders who have built brands, led teams, and shaped culture across companies like BMW, FOX Sports, and Apex.AI. Every lesson is grounded in real-world experience and designed to help you think, decide, and lead with creative intelligence.

Our mission

To equip leaders of innovation and change with the creative thinking skills, strengths awareness, and strategic mindset to turn vision into action—and ideas into lasting impact.

Meet our team

Nicole Pavelka — Founder, Leadership by Design™
Visionary Thinker. Brand Strategist. Leadership Designer.

Nicole Pavelka is a brand strategist, design thinker, and executive coach who has spent her career at the intersection of innovation, business, and human development. She currently serves as Vice President of Brand and Marketing at Apex.AI, where she leads global brand strategy for a Silicon Valley software company advancing autonomous systems.


Prior to Apex.AI, Nicole spent nearly two decades with the BMW Group, working across BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, as well as with other Fortune 500 companies. She developed deep expertise in design strategy, creative leadership, and organizational change. Nicole is a Certified Professional Coach (iPEC) and Gallup-Certified StrengthsFinder Coach, and the author of the bestselling book Supercharged: How I Transformed Exhaustion into Vitality.

Leadership by Design™ is the culmination of her experience—a structured learning system that develops the thinking skills, strengths, and self-awareness needed to lead innovation and change.

Joshua Schneeloch — Head of Partnerships & Growth
Connector. Negotiator. Builder of Strategic Relationships.

Joshua Schneeloch brings more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, sales, and strategic growth. As founder and CEO of White Wing Insurance Services, he was recognized with the Outstanding Leadership Award from Money 2.0 for innovation and thought leadership in business transformation.


At Leadership by Design™, Joshua leads business growth and partnership strategy, connecting organizations with the Academy’s unique approach to creative leadership and change. His experience in building scalable, service-oriented businesses brings a practical, results-driven perspective to how leaders activate new ideas and translate learning into real-world outcomes.

Lisa Gillette — Executive Coach & Strengths Facilitator
Leadership Catalyst. Strategic Coach. Champion of Women in Leadership.

Lisa Gillette is a certified executive coach (iPEC, PCC) and Gallup-trained StrengthsFinder facilitator who helps leaders translate self-awareness into performance. She draws on more than a decade in senior leadership at FOX Sports, where she served as Senior Vice President of On-Air Planning and Operations, leading a $50M division responsible for multi-platform broadcast strategy across the NFL, MLB, and Formula 1.

At Leadership by Design™, Lisa facilitates strengths-based workshops, helping learners apply the Academy’s frameworks through their own leadership style.
Her background blends strategic execution with a deep commitment to developing inclusive, high-performing cultures.

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