Michele Roden, co-founded the coaching and consulting firm BluOpal Consulting, LLC, with Bruce Kawahara over seventeen years ago. She enjoyed a multi-faceted career in Retail and Visual Merchandising for major retailers before she came to the profession of coaching on a dare. Michele has been dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives ever since.
BluOpal wakes leaders and teams up to be better versions of themselves. Clients report becoming more strategic and changing unsuccessful behaviors to have desired impact within their organizations. Michele helps clients draw insight from all parts of their lives and apply learning to what they want to intentionally focus on. With teams, she creates safe space for challenging conversations- particularly with people who have to work together well.
Michele appreciates the journey and individual brilliance to get best results for clients from coaching and consulting. BluOpal has been honored to serve leaders from many industries to be better prepared for the future through strategic planning and the development of people.
Bruce Kawahara, Co-Principal of BluOpal Consulting, LLC, co-founded the coaching and consulting firm with Michele Roden. Bruce’s prior background in several industries was crystallized with a leadership background in organizational development, training and development, service excellence training, and sales training. While serving as a VP of Business Integration for a large bank and financial services firm, he joined the International Coach Federation and soon after began his training to become a professional coach where he then met Ms. Roden.
The partners actually began working together as coaches and consultants in 2003 before formally starting BluOpal Consulting in 2004. Since beginning BluOpal, Bruce has focused on executive, physician, and leadership coaching, helping leaders to develop their skills, relationships, strategic leadership and impact in their organizations. He also leads and facilitates strategic planning for organizations and co-facilitates leadership and team workshops and retreats.
BluOpal has gained a lot of experience in serving the healthcare industry, financial services, insurance, senior living organizations and many trade associations. Bruce is most passionate about serving leaders of organizations who have a mission to better the lives of members and clients.