Community Highlights: Meet Carrie Williams of RainShadow Coaching

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Williams.

Hi Carrie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I didn’t start my career as a coach — I began in the high-pressure, high-stakes world of the entertainment industry as a casting director. For over a decade, I honed my ability to read people quickly, spot potential, and help talent show up at their best.

After years of navigating demanding schedules, big personalities, and complex creative teams, I realized the part of my job I loved most wasn’t filling roles — it was helping people step into them with confidence, clarity, and purpose. It was helping people get from “no” to “yes”. That realization led me to pursue coaching.

Fast forward 15+ years, and I’m now a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and Advanced Certified Team Coach (ACTC), one of fewer than 35 coaches in the U.S. to hold both credentials. I’ve had the privilege of working with leaders and teams at Fortune 500 companies, top law firms, bar associations, and entrepreneurial ventures — helping them navigate change, prevent burnout, build high-performing teams, and lead with authenticity.

Along the way, I wrote my Amazon bestselling book Eyes on the Prize, created proprietary frameworks like the ALL IN Mindset™ and Spectrum of Willingness™, and led the International Coaching Federation Los Angeles to win the Chapter of Distinction award during my presidency.

Today, my work is all about helping leaders turn resistance into results, foster trust and accountability, and go ALL IN on the goals that matter most.

More:
I’m originally from Alaska, where I grew up in the kind of environment that shapes you fast. For over two decades, I ran a family fireworks business (Northern Explosure)— the kind where you learn to work hard, get creative, and stay calm when things (literally) blow up. Alaska also taught me self-reliance in the purest sense. I can catch a fish, gut it, fillet it, and smoke it over a fire I built myself. Many of my leadership stories and metaphors come straight from that upbringing — lessons in resilience, patience, and reading the elements, whether it’s weather or human behavior.

Outside of work, I’ve always had a love for travel, cooking, and wine. For years, I co-hosted the Wine Wednesday Podcast, where we interviewed winemakers from around the world. The show was for wine fans, not wine snobs — storytelling over score sheets — and it deepened my appreciation for the craftsmanship, culture, and connection that wine can bring.

In my professional community, I served as the 2022 President of the International Coaching Federation Los Angeles (ICFLA), where I led a 20+ member board and over 60 volunteers. Under my leadership, the chapter earned the prestigious ICF Chapter of Distinction Award. I was honored to be nominated multiple times for the ICF Distinguished Coach Award and the ICF Circle of Distinction Award, recognition that means a great deal because it comes from peers who know the work firsthand.

Today, I speak at summits and conferences across the globe on mindset, willingness, leadership, and the real, human work of change. My sessions aren’t about theory — they’re about practical strategies and the mindset shifts that make them stick. Whether I’m keynoting for a corporate audience, facilitating a retreat, or running a leadership workshop, I bring the same blend of candor, humor, and real-world insight that’s been my hallmark from Alaska to boardrooms worldwide.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Short answer: no, it hasn’t been smooth—worth it, yes; linear, not even close.

I started in entertainment as a casting director, which meant long hours, high stakes, big personalities, and constant pivots. It taught me how to read people quickly and hold firm boundaries, but it also introduced me to burnout before burnout was trendy. Transitioning from that world into building a coaching business was humbling. I went from having a clear lane to being a one-woman startup: sales, marketing, bookkeeping, product development, all while serving clients at a high level.

Specific bumps:

Saying yes to everything. Early on I tried to be all things to all people. It diluted my impact and my energy. Learning to niche—legal and corporate leaders, team dynamics, and high-stakes growth—changed everything.

Scaling without losing the “human.” As demand grew, I had to design programs and systems (like my Eyes on the Prize Leadership Development Program) that were repeatable and deeply personal. That took time, iteration, and a few messy drafts. Scaling also meant building a team of amazing coaches and colleagues and shifting from a solo practitioner to running a business. That required new skills, trust, and a whole new leadership mindset.

Riding the feast-or-famine cycle. Entrepreneurship has seasons. I had to build sustainable pipelines, create thought leadership, and practice what I coach—especially during the quiet weeks.

Leading through real life. Clients don’t press pause when life happens. Neither do I. I’ve coached through layoffs, mergers, health scares, and family emergencies—mine and theirs. The pandemic was one of the biggest pivots. In the span of a week, I lost a dozen speaking engagements and 60% of my clients when I chose to let people opt out of their contracts because it felt like the kind and human thing to do. I decided to use that unexpected white space to earn my master’s in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University so I could better serve my clients when the world started moving again.

Owning my frameworks. The Spectrum of Willingness™, the ALL IN Mindset™, and G.R.E.A.T. Goals™ didn’t arrive fully formed. They came from thousands of coaching hours, failed approaches, and the courage to name what I was actually seeing in leaders and teams.

What helped me through: mentors who told me the truth, a bias toward action, evidence-based practice, and a commitment to being both kind and candid—with my clients and myself. Real change is messy. That’s not a flaw in the system; it is the system. And it’s where the magic happens.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m the founder of RainShadow Coaching, an executive and team coaching firm that works with high-performing leaders, partners, and teams in high-stakes environments — from Am Law 100 firms and bar associations to Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Disney, Microsoft, TikTok, and EY.

We specialize in executive coaching, team coaching, leadership development, workshops, and retreat facilitation that actually stick — no cookie-cutter programs or surface-level motivation. My work blends evidence-based coaching with real-world leadership experience, so every engagement is as practical as it is transformational.

I’m best known for creating proprietary frameworks and programs that help leaders and teams navigate change, build trust, and sustain high performance:

The ALL IN Mindset™ — a high-performance approach to leadership that builds resilience, momentum, and intentional action

The Spectrum of Willingness™ — a tool for understanding and shifting human commitment and engagement

G.R.E.A.T. Goals™ — a modern goal-setting method that drives meaningful results

Eyes on the Prize Leadership Development Program for Legal Professionals — a tailored program designed to help attorneys and legal leaders thrive under pressure while driving results

What sets us apart is how deeply we tailor our work to the people in the room. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all leadership development — I believe in designing experiences that meet leaders where they are, challenge them to think bigger, and give them tools they can use immediately.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the reputation RainShadow has for being both kind and candid. My clients know they can trust me to cheer them on, tell them the truth, and stay laser-focused on the results that matter most to them.

At the end of the day, my work is about helping leaders go ALL IN — on their growth, their teams, and the impact they want to make — and building organizations where people can truly thrive.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
For me, the single most important quality has been mindset — specifically, the willingness to stay curious, adaptable, and committed no matter what shows up.

I coach my clients on the ALL IN Mindset™, and I live it myself. It’s about moving from hesitation or half-commitment into full ownership of your goals, even when the path is messy or uncertain. That mindset has carried me through building my business, weathering big industry shifts, and creating my own leadership frameworks.

Mindset is what keeps me from getting stuck in perfectionism or fear. It’s what allows me to pivot when plans fall apart, to see setbacks as data instead of failure, and to stay focused on the bigger vision while working through the day-to-day challenges.

I believe skills, strategy, and experience matter — but it’s mindset that determines whether you can actually use them when it counts.

Here are a few other qualities I found essential in my journey: 1. Resilience
Growing up in Alaska, running a family fireworks business, and building a coaching practice through economic shifts and a pandemic taught me how to adapt, recover, and keep going when things get messy. Resilience is what keeps you in the game long enough to make a real impact.

2. Curiosity
I’m endlessly curious about people, systems, and what makes them work (or not work). That curiosity drives me to ask better questions, see more angles, and uncover solutions that others might miss.

3. Courage
It takes courage to speak the truth to leaders, to challenge ingrained habits, to say no when something isn’t a fit, and to keep showing up for the work even when the outcome isn’t certain.

4. Kindness with Candor
My clients know I will cheer them on and tell them the hard truths they need to hear. That balance builds trust and creates the conditions for real change.

5. Strategic Vision
I see the big picture and the moving parts at the same time — whether I’m working with a leader on long-term growth, designing a retreat, or guiding a team through change.

6. Commitment to Mastery
From earning both the MCC and ACTC (which only a handful of coaches worldwide hold) to completing my Master’s in Organizational Leadership, I’m committed to deepening my expertise so I can better serve my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rainshadowcoaching.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrie.r.williams
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriewilliamscoach
• Other: https://www.eyesontheprizebook.com