“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts.”
—Henry David Thoreau
The Art of Great Leadership
Greater Awareness. Greater Presence. Greater Impact.
Leadership is more than strategy and results. It is a deeply human practice. Every conversation, every decision, every reaction, and every act of courage shapes the culture of an organization and the experience of those we lead.
I create confidential thinking and feeling environments where leaders can pause, reflect, challenge assumptions, expand their awareness, and reconnect with what matters most. From that place, clearer thinking, wiser decisions, stronger relationships, and more meaningful leadership naturally emerge.
Whether you are leading through complexity, stepping into a new chapter, navigating uncertainty, or simply sensing that your current way of leading no longer feels fully aligned, coaching offers a trusted space to think more deeply, feel more honestly, and grow.
This is not about becoming someone different.
It is about becoming more fully yourself as a leader.
“Working with Raphaela has been one of the most meaningful investments I've made in myself. She brings genuine curiosity to understanding who I am as a whole person: my ambitions, my fears, what I’m protecting, what I’m reaching for.
Our conversations go beyond career strategy. She holds space for big dreams and takes them seriously, while staying grounded in the realities that shape all of us, whether family, finances, or just the nature of finite time. That combination unlocks something. I leave sessions feeling expanded, not unmoored.”
Blair L., Senior Director of Product Management, leading AI lending marketplace
My work as Executive Director of three different art museums, The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kentucky’s flagship art museum, the Speed Art Museum, was frequently featured in national media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Art in America, Artforum, Hyperallergic, Die Presse (Vienna), Der Standard (Vienna); Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany); Fohla de S.Paulo; O Estado de S. Paulo.
Why I Do This Work
For more than two decades, I led internationally respected museums—places where art invites us to pause, question our assumptions, feel deeply, and encounter the world through a different lens. The moments that stayed with me most were those that expanded perspective, deepened our understanding of ourselves and others, and revealed new possibilities.
Looking back, I realize I wasn't simply leading museums. I was creating environments where people could think more deeply, feel more honestly, and expand their awareness beyond their current perspectives. Over time, I came to see that leadership calls us to the very same kind of expansion.
Throughout my career, I partnered with boards and leadership teams to shape shared vision, develop strategy, build high-performing teams, cultivate cultures of belonging, and guide organizations through significant change. I learned that while strategy and execution are essential, lasting impact ultimately depends on the people who bring them to life—their awareness of themselves, others, and the systems in which they lead.
Today, I bring that same purpose to executive coaching. I don't define the vision for my clients or prescribe the path forward. Instead, I create the conditions for leaders to think more clearly, reflect more deeply, feel more honestly, and expand their awareness so they can lead with greater presence, intention, courage, and humanity.
I believe the quality of our outer leadership is inseparable from the quality of our inner awareness.
Services
-
1:1 Executive & Leadership Coaching
Confidential, one-to-one coaching partnerships that help leaders deepen their awareness, expand their perspective, and navigate complexity with greater clarity, presence, and intention. Together, we cultivate the inner capacity that enables wiser decisions, stronger relationships, integrated leadership, and lasting organizational impact.
-
CEO Peer Advisory Groups
Through Vistage, the world's largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization, I bring together curious leaders in confidential peer advisory groups who are committed to growing as people and as leaders. Together, we expand our perspective, challenge one another's thinking, and navigate complexity with greater wisdom, courage, and intention.
In a trusted community built on confidentiality, curiosity, and accountability, members gain the insight, support, and relationships that enable them to make better decisions, lead healthier organizations, and live more fulfilling lives.
-
Creative Leadership
Partnering with artists, creative professionals, and cultural leaders to integrate creative vision with authentic leadership, building practices and organizations that are aligned, sustainable, and deeply rooted in purpose.
Book Our Introductory Conversation Here
Every coaching relationship begins with a conversation. I invite you to schedule an introductory meeting where we can explore your leadership, what matters most to you, and how I might best support your growth.
About the Practice
R. Platow Coaching partners with executives, founders, nonprofit leaders, creative professionals, and leadership teams to navigate complexity with greater awareness, expanded perspective, and purposeful action. Together, we cultivate the inner capacities that strengthen leadership, deepen relationships, and create the conditions for people, organizations, and communities to flourish.
Grounded in decades of executive leadership, internationally recognized coaching methodologies, and a commitment to lifelong learning, every coaching engagement is thoughtfully tailored to the individual and the context in which they lead. As the world continues to evolve, so too must our capacity to learn, adapt, and imagine new possibilities.
The goal is not simply to achieve better results. It is to lead with greater clarity, courage, and intention—bringing vision to life in ways that are both deeply human and strategically effective.