When I first met Novelette, these things were clear:

1. I had a lot of ideas and dreams but couldn’t distill what was truly important to me

2. I was feeling very uncertain

3. My confidence was low

4. I was unwilling to take the time for necessary self-reflection and calibration

Novelette embodied all the traits of a transformative and adaptive coach. She provided careful and appropriately nurturing guidance, space for self-reflection, and encouragement to set and achieve goals. Novelette is a deep thinker who handles complexity easily and is knowledgeable about all facets of community and professional life. Through her relatable, practical, and personal manner, she puts suggestions into context and is a “total package” coach!

Throughout our journey, Novelette was a constant presence, offering profound insights and reflections that allowed me to see my situation more clearly. Her compassionate yet powerful questions led me on a path of self-discovery. Novelette’s provision of resources and tools added an extra layer of educational value. She celebrated my achievements at every significant milestone, a gesture I will always be grateful for.

When we began, I shared that I wanted to write a book, have an independent professional practice, deepen my knowledge of the work that I do, and gain more clarity about my choices. If I set the intention to write more, I wanted to do that. If I wrote more frequently, I wanted to see it in a measurable way. Novelette set milestones and assignments that gave me the confidence to “get started.” I completed them because Novelette played the role of an accountability partner with integrity. She helped me feel human by never judging me or making me feel wrong. Instead, Novelette provided the needed validation and affirmation, which was empowering. 

At this point in our coaching journey, I now notice my:

1. consistent morning writing practice

2. courage in clarifying and taking on transformative community work as a racial equity practitioner and executive coach

3. confidence in applying to a doctoral program, was accepted, and am currently taking classes –to fulfill a dream I have held for a long time.

I have greatly benefited from having a coach who listens deeply, exercises discernment and grace, and provides powerful support and guidance so that I can become the best version of myself. 

I’ve worked with Novelette DeMercado for a decade - and what a difference it has made; it has been transformative. Once a quarter we’d meet for a 30-minute coaching session, which was laser-focused on the areas of my well-being that were most important to me.

Novelette helped me systematically discover basic ingredients of well-being relevant to my daily life. As a busy professional, managing a medical department, ensuring my talent had the necessary tools to succeed during a merger, presenting at conferences, and making sure to dedicate time to family and friends, having targeted sessions allowed me to make necessary lifestyle adaptations.

With her gentle, funny, and always positive way of introducing opportunity for action, Novelette motivated me to enact real, sustained change, such as sleep hygiene, the pursuit of weight management, and exercise goals. This helped me establish accountability for myself, for my own well-being; I think it was a very effective and enjoyable way of getting to the better place I am now.

I highly recommend Novelette to anyone interested in becoming a better version of themselves.

In my opinion Novelette DeMercado is an extraordinary coach. She really takes the time to get to know you as a person. Novelette incorporates effective listening in her practice to find out what is most important to you. Novelette helps you to set goals and be accountable and cheers you on the way to success. As a coach Novelette cares for and treats the whole person. She is the best coach ever!

Novelette is a passionate contributor to the DEI change process, curating learning experience to stretch participants' cognitive shorts cuts. A communication and thought partner, she demonstrates genuine commitment in supporting organizational change. An advocate, partner, and influencer who provides practical strategies that cultivate inclusive transformational cultures.

Novelette was very instrumental in successfully integrating Web Industries’ existing wellness program with its employee assistance provider, with Web maintaining a 90% engagement rate among its more than 350 employees located in 6 geographically dispersed manufacturing plants. She has coached employees at every level of the organization to formulate and achieve positive and healthful SMART outcomes. Through Novelette’s masterful coaching, Web’s wellness program reduced 5 high risk categories, including smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and high blood pressure.

I had the good fortune to work with Novelette DeMercado for fifteen months. I initially sought coaching to help me focus on weight loss and to provide a level of accountability.

Novelette supported me, as well as provided kind, insightful, and always honest reflection and advice. More importantly, her guidance helped reveal to me the inter connectivity between my weight loss and health goals with other parts of my life. This enabled the real work, the deep work I needed to do.

She never simply provided answers or solutions, rather, she helped me to discover my own answers and new perspectives by providing reflection and questions that enabled me to look deeper.

Novelette is insightful, wise, kind, and attentive. She also has a wonderful sense of humor and an equally wonderful laugh. Working with her has helped me “level up” in my life.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Novelette, and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, helpful, and easy-to-talk-to coach. She helped me to determine realistic goals that I could both achieve and build upon.

For the past three years, Novelette and I worked together on improving my personal health and fitness. She took the time to build a strong professional relationship, as well as gain an in-depth understanding of my health goals and some of the roadblocks I faced in trying to achieve them.

Novelette was thorough, extremely professional, polite, and always left me with a sense of purpose in resuming my desire to live a healthier life. During our quarterly sessions, she would recap our previous session and review goals that were set. And, at the end of each session, Novelette would repeat back three or four goals we had agreed upon, for my undertaking.

Although clear in her recommendations, Novelette oftentimes, helped me to find the solutions and articulate my goals; she was careful not to prescribe — enabling me to own my goals.

Enrolling in coaching was the best decision I made last year! Novelette and I, together, worked on achieving my goals throughout the year and I deemed it a success. We talked on the phone monthly at first, and then every two months thereafter. She educated me in the areas where I was most concerned — cholesterol, high blood pressure, and creating a variety of healthy meals with food that I like. It was a very rewarding experience for me and now I can maintain a healthy lifestyle thanks to the knowledge I gained by working with Novelette.