Experience that brings an unusual depth.
Dr. Melissa Fristrom brings together front-line CEO experience, Harvard Business School training, and advanced psychoanalytic expertise – a rare combination in senior leadership development. For over 25 years, she has partnered with leaders in 87 countries and more than 1,000 boardrooms to help them navigate complexity, understand the deeper forces shaping their leadership, and make thoughtful, lasting change.
Credentials
“When solutions are obvious, clients don’t need me.
But when something beneath the surface is getting in the way,
I help them uncover the hidden dynamics that drive performance.”
Dr. Melissa Fristrom
Melissa’s background is a blend of grounded operating experience with deep behavioral insight. This allows her to help leaders understand the forces shaping how they think, relate, and lead so they can develop clarity, intention, and more effective ways of engaging with the people and systems around them.
Front-line CEO &
Executive Experience
Melissa has held senior leadership roles at General Mills, Hasbro, IBM, Answerthink, and Polaroid. Her experience brings a grounded understanding of executive pressure, team dynamics, and organizational complexity.
UVA & HBS
Academic Networks
Melissa holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. As an inaugural member of the HBS coaching staff, she has worked with more than 2,000 students, alumni, and executives.
Psychoanalytic Training & Behavioral Expertise
Melissa earned her Doctor of Psychoanalysis (Psya.D), focusing on the unconscious limits to success. This work informs her ability to identify deeper behavioral patterns influencing leaders and organizations.
Art & Perspective
Melissa’s collage art and photography appear throughout this site. They echo the core themes of her client work: patterns, layers, structure, and the dynamics beneath the surface. Her art reflects another way of studying complexity – and seeing what others might overlook.
Let’s Talk.
If you’re exploring executive coaching or senior leadership development, schedule a meet-and-greet with Melissa to discuss your goals.
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