Meet the Coach

CARA MCDANIEL
Executive Coach & Advisor

As an Executive Coach at CxO Coaching, Cara brings more than 25 years of experience leading enterprise-wide talent and organizational transformation initiatives. A results-driven executive coach and human resources transformation expert, she has a proven record of success across succession planning, incentive compensation, employee engagement, talent development, compliance, start-ups, turnarounds, and mergers and acquisitions. 

Widely recognized for building “dream teams” both within her own areas of responsibility and across entire institutions, Cara is a trusted advisor to senior leaders and boards. She is known for translating business strategy into integrated talent solutions that strengthen organizational capability, accelerate performance, and drive profitability. As a strategic change agent and analytical problem-solver, she rapidly assesses complex environments, applies data-informed insights, and executes pragmatic, high-impact solutions. 

Deeply committed to leadership excellence, Cara partners with executives to clarify and achieve their career objectives while building high-performing, collaborative leadership teams that deliver sustainable, measurable results.

FUNCTIONAL EXPTERTISE

  • Executive Leadership

  • Finance & Accounting

  • Human Resources & Talent Acquisition

  • Business Consulting

COACHING AREAS

  • Behavioral Coaching

  • Emotional Intelligence

  • Communications

  • Executive Coaching

  • Leadership Development

  • Transition Coaching

  • Executive Presence

  • Succession Planning

COACHING APPROACH

Cara’s coaching style is rooted in curiosity and active listening, enabling her to quickly understand both the executive and the broader organizational context. Through thoughtful, probing questions, she designs customized development plans that align individual strengths and goals with business realities—driving focused, practical, and sustainable leadership growth.

She believes an executive is only as strong as the teams they build around them. Advancing to the next level requires building succession strength within your current role, ensuring long-term impact, organizational resilience, and sustained leadership effectiveness.