Guest Profile

Anita Russell

Anita D Russell, MEd, CPLC, is passionate about personal transformation and doing BIG things—building community, inspiring change, and giving back. She is loves working with people she encounters in everyday life through life coaching, speaking, and writing—women entrepreneurs, and career professionals in particular. Her career and life experiences span multiple disciplines, including pharmaceutical research and development, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, leadership, and volunteer service.

She earned her master's degree in Educational Leadership from Capella University. She is a graduate of the Certified Life Coach Institute, a member of the John Maxwell Team, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She is also a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor through Allegheny Health Choices, Inc. in Pittsburgh PA.

Anita is the Founder and Principal of The Place to SOAR LLC, a social enterprise dedicated to cultivating change through daily growth and personal development for the purpose of unleashing human potential. "SOAR" is an acronym for Step Out and Redesign and is the basis for her work.

She coaches individuals towards becoming the person they aspire to be by examining who they are, and deciding how to move forward in their "becoming space". Using an appreciative coaching and strength-based approach, she activates individuals to identify and disrupt limiting beliefs, empower deep self-knowledge, and challenge assumptions. She developed an activism through coaching model to create a brave space for conversations about racism, personal transformation, and cultivating social change. She serves individuals in one-on-one and group coaching, and companies for employee coaching.

Anita is Global Business Connector for Women Speakers Association, inspiring women entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers to be seen and heard on a global platform. She is the Northeast Regional Vice President for the U.S. Coalition of Black Women Businesses, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading its message of empowerment, hope, and compassion. She is a board member of OMA Pittsburgh Mind, Body, Spirit Center, and VP of Media Relations for the Edna B. McKenzie Pittsburgh Branch of ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History).