Sharon Pope
Sharon Pope (She/Her) is a Leadership / Executive Coach, a seasoned marketing executive and bestselling author. With over 30 years of experience leading teams, guiding organizations through change, and coaching thousands of people through high-stakes decisions, Sharon helps founders and senior leaders become grounded, confident, and effective leaders who build aligned, resilient organizations.
She also partners with a small number of companies as a Fractional CMO, leveraging her background as a corporate marketing executive and CEO to support founders in clarity, growth strategy, and cross-functional alignment.
As the Founder and CEO of Sharon Pope LLC, she has built a 7-figure business from the ground up, combining deep coaching expertise with entrepreneurial agility. She combines that with more than 20 years in corporate marketing and executive leadership positions at major organizations including 2Checkout and JPMorgan Chase.
Beyond her executive work, Sharon is the author of nine books—seven of which have achieved international bestseller status—and hosts The Loving Truth Podcast, which reaches over 15,000 monthly listeners. A trusted advisor and thought leader, Sharon is passionate about helping founders and senior leaders lead with courage and communicate with clarity. She is based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Certified Martha Beck Master Life Coach
• Ashland University
• Ohio University
What do you attribute your success to?
The absolute most important skill I have is my ability to have hard conversations. For the last 12 years through my relationship coaching practice, I've been teaching people how to have difficult conversations when they don’t see eye-to-eye on an emotionally-charged topic. This is happening every day in business as well (or at least it should be). Unfortunately too many of us avoid difficult conversations, delay them, or stumble through them in ways that create unnecessary tension. As leaders, having the hard conversations is part of the job; saying it well is what sets great leaders apart.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Pick one thing. The fastest growing companies obsess over one metric. Go all in. Watch how everyone on the team then knows exactly where you’re headed.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to learn as much as you possibly can and grow to love the inevitable hard work in the journey. That hard work and the wisdom gained through the experience (not just in the successes, but especially the wisdom gained through the failures) is something no one can ever take from you. It will help you to believe in yourself and trust your gut, and that can take you further than you probably realize.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges—and opportunities—in leadership today is the rapid pace of change. New technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and evolving platforms require constant adaptation. While it can be demanding to keep up, it also creates incredible opportunities for innovation, creativity, and staying ahead of the curve if you’re willing to stay agile and keep learning.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me both personally and professionally are truth and personal responsibility. I believe in being honest—with myself and others—and owning my choices. When I take total responsibility for my life, I have 100% agency over my results. Outside of work, I’m passionate about travel, love spending quality time with my husband and friends that I consider to be family, yoga and I’m an avid reader of self-help books and memoirs. These values and interests keep me grounded, curious, and continuously growing.
Milestone Moments
When I was featured in the New York Times