CHRISTINE MIDDLETON
FOUNDER, GROWTH STRATEGIST + COACH
Solopreneur, brand/reputation advisor, growth strategist and coach with 25 years experience in top agencies, corporations, associations and serving at the C-level. My entire career has been supporting individuals, executives, entrepreneurs and notable brands expand what's possible.
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Through the Gokotta Group, I am partnering with top talent I've worked alongside. Together with our clients, we envision the future on and offline in ways that build value for the people who matter most.
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Because change is a part of this work (and today's reality), all of us - brands, executives, individuals -- must learn to use it to our advantages. As a result, most of my work involves helping clients tap into their inner creative (and wiser) self to step into what's possible.
Master's in leadership from Georgetown, McDonough School of Business.
ICF-certified transformational coach (a combination of life and executive coaching).
THE NETWORK
Diverse Talent With A Global Reach
The Gokotta Group is a talented network of people-focused experts who can help organizations, brands, teams and/or individuals reposition, launch and thrive.
We customize teams based on your needs. We don't reuse plans or sell out of the box concepts. As a result, our collective skills represent the type of expertise needed to bolster reputations, foster growth and ensure lasting impact internally and externally:
Brand + business strategy with emphasis on customer/member/stakeholder experience (CX) as key to success
Research (internal assessments to external positioning, messaging, audience/persona)
Operations, change management strategy, digital transformation
Executive + transformational leadership coaching
Fundraising + campaign development
Web design/development (UX, UI), marketing, communications
Diverse audience/generational engagement, including employees, partners, members/customers
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Most of us met at one of those big agencies (Booz Allen, Fleishman-Hillard, Edelman) so we know how to think big, build practically, manage effectively, and most importantly, make things happen.
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Our network spans different time zones so virtual working is not new to us. We've been doing it for years so we can integrate with your team seamlessly and hit the ground running.
Also worth pointing out: because we're all solopreuneurs and/or small businesses so you're not covering expensive overhead, golden parachutes, or real estate behind what big firms charge -- only for the experienced talent who will bring their best every time.
FEATURED NETWORK PARTNERS
VISCERAL
Web Design/Development + Partners in Crime
All things digital experience, strategy and design, Matthew Billingsley and Jay Buys lead this socially conscious team who have been 'doing digital' before it was even mainstream.
WHAT DOES GOKOTTA MEAN?
(pronounced zho-'kOt-tah)
Verb: the act of rising early to greet the dawn, listen to birds, and to see the sun rising.
When asked why I use this as a company name, I often joke it means the early bird gets the worm. While this is true of the passion and dedication I have uncovering a client's potential, the concept of gokotta represents so much more.
For me, it's a philosophy, discipline and lifestyle I've come to hold as important: intentionally carving out time to be in nature, invest in wellness and connect within. Doing so keeps me connected to my inner wisdom and creative genius, handy for creating, doing, supporting, giving to others, managing, and 'becoming.'
This intention is really about living in alignment with my core self rather than at the whims, dysfunctions, false narratives of others -- after all, if we lack our own visions for ourselves, we are likely to be living our lives according to someone else's ideas of what's best. Personally, I've never been one to go with the masses. That's a choice of average and false sense of safety. Instead, I choose to strengthen my relationship with a higher self. In doing so, I am able to live with clarity, energy, and open heart even when things get tough, are unclear and/or in overdrive.
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While the concept of taking 'time out' is not new in fostering creativity, it is often skipped over in context of business strategy, innovation and effective leadership. Research shows that time invested in reflection, retreat, restoration leads to accessing new insights just below the surface of our consciousness. I say, now more than ever, 'gokotta-ing' is a strategic necessity.
Since COVID-19 is gifting us with the need to step into our futures, why not use this time to your advantage? Get out in nature and step into silence. Reconnect to yourself beyond what's in your busy brain (or on the to-do lists). Instead, breathe deeply and soak in the sun. Slow down and start noticing what's alive within. Find an objective sounding board to stretch your vantage point and champion the best in you. It's only when we invest in ourselves this way can we truly begin to attract, influence and make a bigger impact... at home, work and in the world at large.
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If you want to start expanding what's possible, I say, 'Happy Gokotta-ing!'
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-- Christine Middleton, founder
BIG THANKS
To all my clients for your trust. To my partners for your genius-ness and friendship. Friends and colleagues for your input and support. The talented photographers on pexels.com: Jopwell, fauxels, ekaterina bolovtsova, christina morillo, ketut subiyanto, cottonbro, and countless others.