About Iris Grimm
On the surface, leadership can look clear and controlled.
In reality, it often feels more layered than that.
The way I see leadership today wasn’t shaped in one place or one role.
It developed over time, through different experiences that changed how I observe, think, and respond.
I work with leaders, founders, and senior professionals who carry a lot.
What I bring is not just experience, but a way of seeing what often isn’t obvious when you’re in the middle of it.
Where This Perspective Began
I grew up in East Germany. In a system where structure was strong, freedom was limited, and you learned quickly to pay attention.
You noticed how people behaved.
What was said. What wasn’t said.
How decisions were made, and how people adapted.
At the same time, it created a deep appreciation for something else.
Freedom.
Freedom to think for yourself.
To express yourself.
To take responsibility for how you show up, not just what you do.
That combination, awareness, responsibility, and the importance of relationships, still shapes how I see leadership. Not just as what you do, but how you show up.
What Shaped My Work
Over the past 25+ years, I’ve worked with leaders, founders, and professionals across industries. What defines my work is observing how people actually think and respond in real situations, especially under pressure. Not in theory. In the middle of decisions, conversations, and complexity.
And in a place that surprised even me: Working with dogs.
Training my own dogs, competing with them, and volunteering as a foster with rescue organizations, created situations where behavior becomes very clear, very quickly.
Dogs don’t respond to titles or intentions. They respond to how you show up.
Your clarity.
Your consistency.
Your emotional state.
It reinforced something I had been seeing in leadership all along: Behavior drives response.
This perspective eventually became part of my TEDx talk, where I explored how leadership shows up in ways we often overlook.
The Deeper Layer
My own personal development shapes how I work, not as something separate, but as the foundation. It’s where I practice first.
Learning to observe rather than react.
To slow down instead of pushing through.
To recognize patterns in my own thinking before helping others see theirs.
Practices like meditation, including extended silent retreats, have deepened that awareness over time. And just as important, staying connected to nature, through time with dogs, hiking, and being outdoors, keeps me grounded.
Because leadership, at its core, requires that same groundedness.
Why This Matters for You
All of this shapes how I work with clients. I don’t bring a single-industry perspective. I bring a way of seeing patterns, habits, and ways of thinking that are often invisible when you’re in the middle of it.
Most of what gets in the way isn’t visible on the surface. It’s happening in how you experience and respond to what’s in front of you. That’s where we work. That’s where clarity opens up, and where meaningful shifts begin.
Background & Training
- 25+ years in executive and leadership coaching
- Certified Personal & Corporate Coach (Coach Inc.)
- Certified Corporate Coaching Facilitator (Coach Inc.)
- Certified in Conversational Intelligence
- Positive Intelligence Training
- Emotional Intelligence Training
- Certified Xchange Facilitator
- Ongoing study in human behavior, awareness, and leadership
- TEDx speaker on leadership and behavior
Start a Conversation
The leaders I work with are thoughtful, capable, and committed. They’re not looking for more to do. They’re looking for clarity, steadiness, and a way to lead without carrying unnecessary weight.
If you recognize yourself in this, we can start there, with a conversation.