Alison McAulay

Alison McAulay is a leadership development theorist and practitioner, executive coach, and trauma-based therapist. Alison helps ambitious leaders transform their toughest challenges and harness difficult transitions for growth and development. Alison is the co-founder of leadership consultancy Switch On and the co-creator of Bio-Transformation®, a cohesive theory and toolset for activating lasting, positive change in individuals, teams, organizations, and systems—underpinned by the latest brain and behavior science integrated with wisdom and practices from the contemplative traditions.

With a BA and advanced training in trauma-informed therapies and yoga, Alison is the lead on practices, wellbeing, resilience, and leadership/learning circles. She works with leaders to deepen their embodied wisdom, master their emotions and felt senses, transcend their inner critic, and transform patterns that are blocking potential—so they can play their fullest part in improving and regenerating the communities, organizations, and systems they lead. Alison has coached individual leaders, and co-led leadership programs, in Europe, China, and the USA (e.g. Zalando, LEGO, Citizen).

A former Team USA elite gymnast— and professional dancer and choreographer in Los Angeles and San Francisco—Alison is a specialist in the power and challenges of bringing feminine, embodiment, and relational intelligences into the workplace—and passionate about building the confidence and consciousness of leaders that identify as women to break into senior, purpose-driven roles.

A former lecturer at UC San Francisco—and empowerment educator in schools and prisons across California (e.g. San Quentin), Alison serves the transformation of leaders and teams through understanding the mind-body connection, developing embodied stability and coherence, and breaking through defense mechanics from adverse experiences. Alison has been featured in a number of podcasts and publications, from 7x7 Bay Area to the Embodiment Show.