Michelle Szmajda Villatoro
Fun facts
Born:
West Chester, PA
What did you want to become as a child?
Dolphin Trainer
Why did you become a coach?
My passion has always been working with high-potential leaders (especially but not limited to women in hospitality), accelerating results and optimizing performance… and then I found out it was a profession.
Beer, wine or cocktails?
As a certified Sommelier, wine of course.
No #1 Free time activity?
Beach volleyball, beach reading, walking on the beach… you get the idea.
Michelle collaborates with service organizations such as hotels, airlines, and healthcare organizations to accelerate results and independent solutions. As a senior consultant, she has worked with clients to increase productivity and leadership engagement which yields a more engaged and aligned organization. With specialties in hospitality leadership and guest service, Michelle engages individuals and organizations through educating, facilitating, coaching, and training.
Michelle feels just as alive when she’s facilitating to a group as she does in her personal passion which is playing beach volleyball. She also has education and experience with instructional design and content creation and e-learning. In addition to working with organizations, Michelle coaches high potential hospitality leaders that have the desire to accelerate their results through her powerful one-on-one coaching. Through Core Energy Leadership tools & techniques, and using methods that create awareness, Michelle acts as a catalyst to accelerate meaningful results and optimal performance for her clients.
Michelle’s experience and skills came from holding positions most recently as Corporate Director of Operations for BLT Restaurants in New York City where she directed the operations of six restaurants and $25 million in annual revenue. Other positions include leading the Learning & Development function as Director of Training at the iconic Waldorf-Astoria and Regional Training Manager for the ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts on the East Coast and Caribbean. Michelle got her entrepreneurial spirit when she worked for FreemanGroup as the Executive Director of Training Operations responsible for new business development, opening over 10 hotels & resorts, and managing a team of project directors.
