Scaling 14ers and beyond to help organizations
do more with HHART-first foundations
At the Transcend Leadership Collective, we believe that the best mountaintops are reached with the right foundations. How we communicate, express ourselves, and show up with others matters every step of the journey. We help people within organizations accomplish their biggest goals by putting people first.
We’ve implemented groundbreaking work in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors working through initiatives like the Agricultural Leadership Program at Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. We are also proud to be an active part of the Heritage@Work initiative, through Heritage University, bringing Communication for Leaders to hundreds of leaders in those same spaces.
And we continue to be at the forefront of transforming interorganizational communication and developing the interpersonal skills of leaders, executives, and team members to increase efficiency, energy, and impact.
The HHART-first framework
All of our coaching, workshops, and annual and quarterly planning sessions are performed with a HHART-first focus.
Results
Reach your greatest mountaintops yet when your team is equipped with the hard and soft skills for impactful and honest communication and collaboration.
Shared understanding of accountability
Go farther than before when one person is accountable for each major outcome. When everyone is responsible for everything, no one is accountable for anything. Develop a shared understanding of accountability to reduce energy leakages and improve efficiency.
Clarity of vision and purpose
Improve collaboration and increase motivation by clarifying what your team’s mountaintop looks like and why it matters to them. Tap into the power of a collective vision by identifying your purpose and connecting your people to a greater why.
Healthy conflict and honesty, acceptance, respect, and trust
Most companies spend the majority of their energy on the top three tiers. But the real work begins here at basecamp where we acclimate teams to healthy conflict, honest communication, and a culture of acceptance, respect, and trust. This is the foundation of the HHART-first framework that’s revolutionized organizational leadership and frameworks.
"I’ve worked with plenty of facilitators, coaches and team builders over the years and Layci from Transcend is top notch! She is full of energy and wisdom and has helped our team work through interpersonal issues and become stronger and more effective. I highly recommend Layci and her team!"
-John Erb, COO Roy Farms
Meet our team
Director of Workshops, Education, & Training
Karelys Davis
For decades, Karelys has taught one-on-one and led group workshops to help people find their way back to themselves or each other. Her zone of genius lies in supporting people along the journey of finding the tiny puzzle pieces that complete the whole picture and connecting the bigger parts, so they flow harmoniously.
Karelys works with individuals who are determined to create something new and break negative generational patterns. She is a connector of people and obsessed with finding the difference that makes the difference. In the same way that some people constantly make art, Karelys creates social structures where people feel safe, seen, and truly heard to experience the transformational power of human connection.
Founder & President
Layci Nelson
In 2015, Layci founded the Transcend Leadership Collective on the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to go to work and be engaged, motivated and inspired, while every leader deserves to know how to make that happen.
She excels at bringing leadership theory to life in practical ways that can be implemented immediately. She coaches leaders to higher levels of clarity and self-awareness and has developed multiple frameworks to organize their expertise.
Layci has trained thousands of leaders, managers, and executives in traditional corporate settings, as well as in the agriculture, manufacturing, nonprofits, start-ups and small businesses.
As a first-generation college graduate, Layci has leveraged her BA in social work and minors in psychology and sociology to coach leaders, build proprietary frameworks, facilitate strategic planning and run world class workshops for groups like HLA, Washington Fruit, Gilbert Orchards, Building Industry Association of Washington, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Central Washington Home Builders Association, RGI Events, Tamarack Industries and many more.
Born and raised in Union Gap Washington, she is mom to 2 boys and married to your friendly neighborhood pharmacist.
Layci is 99% sure her family is known as the loudest house on the block.
Between front yard, trumpet duets with the howling dogs, a steady stream of teens in and out of her front door and pantry, and being the weird mom who shamelessly sings Taylor Swift songs while working out in the driveway, let's just say her home is equal parts chaos and love.
Director of Operations
Dana Hillman
Dana is a process workflow geek and has spent more than a decade working professionally in Training & Development, either as a computer tech tutor, IT support analyst, or T & D program coordinator. As a fractional Director of Operations for small businesses, she gets to let the geek shine!
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When her brain is not trying to figure out what’s the best way to integrate several applications into one workflow, she likes to read and dreams of conquering…scratch that, traveling the world.
Podcast Producer Extraordinaire
Mary Skop
Mary Skop brings her unique organizational, artistry, and communication skills together as the podcast producer for Confessions of a Terrible Leader, a leadership podcast hosted by Layci Nelson.
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Mary and her partner in all things, Leif Olsen, are the owners and founders of Fixation Point Productions, an audio editing and production service.
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Mary has been an active piano instructor, accompanist, and performer in southeastern Wisconsin for the past 25 years. She is also the co-founder of the art rock duo “The Number of Months.” When she’s not researching guests, recording podcasts, or working on music with Leif, she’s taking long walks on the shores of Lake Michigan, reading, baking, and mothering six wonderful humans.
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Creative Director
Kathy Macheras
Kathy is a watercolor artist in the great Pacific Northwest. She supports the work of refusing the limits of average leadership by bringing an eye for detail and beauty that keeps the Transcend Leadership Collective aesthetically pleasing and always on brand. She studied psychology and studio art in college and has a deep love for people and creativity.
When not creating websites, documents, slides, and all the visual materials Transcend Leadership Collective might need, you can find her painting, reading, or spending time with her four children and husband. Some of her favorite things are the invention of texting, dancing, books, creativity in various forms, and of course, naps and snacks!
Legendary Agribusiness Advisor
Dr. John Reeves
John Reeves has a heart to serve those working in the agricultural field and the extensive knowledge and education to back it up. He knows first hand the challenges the industry faces and is excited to help bring our HHART first leadership model to equip the leaders of the future.
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John received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in botany/zoology and a minor in chemistry from Southern Illinois University, a Master’s degree in plant ecology from Eastern Illinois University, and was awarded a PhD for molecular virology from Purdue University. During his time at Purdue, he was a T.A. for Pre-med biology. John was a senior scientist at Frito Lay’s Potato Breeding program, developed a virus detection program that is done in the field for six viruses and one viroid. He was a Senior Manager at Anheuser Busch that managed a large team for developing raw materials, new products, as well as potato and barley field programs.
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He was the vice president of the Earth Grains research program that developed raw materials and new products. During his time at each of these companies, he developed process improvement programs that helped with the development of products and reduced financial waste. This included training cross-functional teams, which increased productivity. John utilized this expertise in process improvement during his time as the Chief Operating Officer at Roy Farms. He was on the Board of Directors at Heritage University, where he championed the Workforce Development program to get started.
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When John is not hanging out with his family, as the AgriBusiness Director for Transcend Leadership Collective, he brings his breadth of knowledge and real world experience, as well as a healthy dose of humor and humility, to continue uplifting the workforce.