Cathy Maday

About Cathy

Growing up in northern Wisconsin on the Bad River Indian Reservation was a gift I didn’t fully come to appreciate until I was in my late 20’s.  I realized then (and continue to appreciate now) how valuable it was to develop resourcefulness, personal responsibility and taking healthy risks.  It was incredibly liberating to learn that I could create options for myself by working.  Doing chores or odd jobs, babysitting to earn a few bucks and then earning my first actual (paper) paycheck when I was 12 working a summer job on the res.  I haven’t stopped since.  Like most business owners, my ultra-high level of personal ownership can tip over into workaholic territory.

Thanks to my friend Akif, I changed my major in college from accounting to MIS.  He helped me get a job on campus in the computer lab and then I added two more jobs–programmer and PC technician.  I loved working with all the staff, faculty and students as I helped them fix their computers, troubleshoot their Cobol code or log onto the internet for the first time!  Years working in technology systems implementation, systems security and training afforded me tremendous experience in supporting large groups of people through high pressure change.  More and more I realized that a greater focus on communication and behavior was far more effective than a focus on the technical components.

In 2003, I founded Wingspan Coaching Corporation® working with leaders around the world to develop their leadership and management performance.  Naturally with my technical background and experience, I began working with many professionals who are highly technical and who want to be more effective on the “people side” of things.  After a few years, we rebranded to Wingspan Performance® to better reflect our focus on people and business performance.  I created the Wingspan Performance System™– your most comprehensive system for building healthy high performance and creating a culture of leader behavior and communication.  I continue to feel tremendously fulfilled and entrusted when clients share their personal stories about the remarkable results and relationships they’re creating with the help of Wingspan.

When I’m not working, I love to get out in the woods with Ivan and the pups, practice yoga, get out on my bike, and my new adventure of learning to ride my motorcycle!  I also love to cook and have friends over for dinner or brunch, travel to new places, and I work hard at not killing the beautiful plants I’ve brought into our home.  Thoughts and prayers plants.

I look forward to hearing your story and learning about your pursuits and passions.  Isn’t it amazing that we’re all in this together?!