Helping Individuals & Organizations Thrive While Navigating Opportunities & Challenges

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Hi, I’m Andria L. Yates, PhD
Advisor. Consultant. Educator.

Everywhere I’ve worked—engineering, manufacturing, startups, consulting, small business ownership, higher education—I’ve seen the same truth:
when individuals thrive, the entire system thrives.

Today, I bring a cross-industry lens to the individuals, leaders, teams, and organizations I support, helping them strengthen communication, navigate change, and build healthier cultures, regardless of the size of the system.

At the center of all my work is a simple guiding belief: When people understand themselves and each other, they create systems—at work, at home, and in community—where everyone has the capacity to thrive.

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Listening. Supporting. Advising.

Where My Work Shows Up

 At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I have served as part-time faculty for over twenty years, I am a leadership coach in the Executive MBA programs in the Haslam College of Business, as well as a startup coach for the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. I am faculty of record for undergraduate courses in the College of Arts & Sciences Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and in the College of Emerging & Collaborative Studies, and I  continue to enjoy leading summer Faculty-led abroad programs to Italy focusing on Cultural Psychology. Previously, I served as a past executive-in-residence for the UT Research Foundation.

With private clients, I help individuals and organizations navigate challenges, explore options, and seize opportunities to thrive. With degrees in engineering (BE Vanderbilt University) and psychology (doctorate UTK), I know I am not alone in supporting both the Vols and the Dores. As a former employee, I progressed from entry-level engineering roles to EVP positions in organizations ranging from large manufacturing in East Tennessee to greenfield internet startups in the Bay Area. I’ve also managed my late husband’s small business for over ten years, focusing on a nation-wide client list, providing proprietary technical assessments and employee selection consulting. In addition to community volunteer work, back in East Tennessee I mentor entrepreneurs at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) and provide consulting and coaching to clients across the developmental life cycle in both personal and professional realms. To wrap up, for years I’ve had the privilege of providing support to organizations of all sorts as a requested speaker on a wide range of topics.

Media, Events, Reflections…

I help people understand themselves and

 create relationships & systems that thrive

My work lives at the intersection of: Organizational culture and change, Leadership development, Communication and relational strategy, Personal and career transformation. Whether working with an individual, a team, or a full organization, my approach blends practical strategy with tools like mindfulness, self-awareness coaching, facilitated discovery processes, and vision-to-implementation planning.

Individuals & Entrepreneurs

Customized support across a variety of development areas. New career challenges to retirement transitions, leadership skills or a specific area of personal growth. This happens solo, small group, in large public groups, within private sessions or in programs, workshops, and retreats. Single engagement to multi-month: your call.

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Organizations & Teams

Empowering startups through long-lived organizations to manage the complexities of success in today’s rapidly changing environments. Offering strategic, people-centric solutions that foster growth, efficiency, and resilience, whether working on a systems issue, team-based challenges, or 1:1 opportunities for individual contributor growth: your call. 

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Speaking Engagements

Insights, honed through years of researched-based learning and practical experiences, offer valuable and enlightening takeaways for organizers seeking innovative strategies and engaging content for their audiences in whatever form. Keynote, panel, podcast, interview, team-building, workshop, retreats: your call.

Speaking Inquiry

Hear Directly from My Clients

“Andria’s coaching style balances compassion with accountability. Through astute listening and thoughtful, socratic questioning, she has helped me see beyond what I have perceived to be discrete issues and navigate complexity with a holistic understanding of myself and the systems around me. She is deliberate, bold, and someone I consider a confidante and trusted friend.“

Elizabeth B.

Organizations Are Saying...

“Dr. Yates’ work with our team resolved conflicts in a way we had not figured out how to accomplish on our own. We jokingly referred to her as our “marriage counselor”, but seriously, she helped us learn how to listen better to each other and work as a team more effectively.“

Janet S.

Individuals Are Saying...

“Dr. Yates’ advice helped me move faster, with fewer mistakes, toward a successful future. Her insights and guidance were never heavy handed, but always offered with a sense of options that were fully in my control, stretching me, but also instilling confidence in my ability to succeed.”

Trace P.

Organizations Are Saying...

“I highly recommend Dr. Yates as a coach. As a Haslam Executive Leadership Coach, for over four years, she has invested hundreds of hours supporting the growth of leaders across industries and levels. She knows that coaching isn’t a one size fits all process and brings forward the right questions and tools to support clarity of insight and action. Coaching conversations with Andria are time well spent. She is a trusted partner that will challenge and encourage awareness, skills development, and personal growth.”

Nancy S.

Organizations Are Saying...

“Dr. Yates’ work with our team resolved conflicts in a way we had not figured out how to accomplish on our own. We jokingly referred to her as our “marriage counselor”, but seriously, she helped us learn how to listen better to each other and work as a team more effectively.”

Janet S.

Organizations Are Saying...

“Andria and I go back 23 years. We first teamed up in a high-tech startup in 2000. Andria’s domain knowledge was formidable but what impressed me most is that she had a great insight into technology and development as well. This made the idea-to-execution process very efficient.”

Sanjay S.

Organizations Are Saying...

“Andria has been invited to be a guest speaker at medical alliance meetings at the local, state, and national levels where she has spoken on a broad range of topics from mindfulness to authentic leadership. She has developed customized talks to meet the needs of our organization over time. On each occasion, her insight, perspective, and experience as a leadership coach have allowed her to guide our members in evaluating how we view and perform our roles as volunteers in a non-profit setting, in our family and friend groups, and as individuals.”

Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance Board of Directors

Decades of professional experience with a deeply relational coaching style

For example, clients come to me when they want to

  • Navigate complex interpersonal dynamics

  • Lead through transition

  • Strengthen communication

  • Clarify direction and manage stress

  • Develop purpose-aligned systems & strategies

  • Build or rebuild a healthy culture

My coaching and consulting adapt to the individual or organization — not the other way around.

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Bringing Breath & Depth to Each Client Engagement

Growth Coach

I support individuals across the lifespan in areas of education, vocation, quality of life,  and transitions by deep listening and asking questions that guide breakthroughs and movement.

Principal Consultant

I provide customized assessment, selection, and training for organizations, assisting with hiring and succession planning, team building, and strategic planning.

Executive Advisor & Leadership Coach

I partner with leaders who want to improve upon their influence, presence, and communication skills as well as manage culture change more effectively.

Mediator & Trainer

I am a certified mediator with a focus on conflict resolution, managing challenging conversations with clarity and compassion.

Higher Education Professor

I facilitate learning in primarily upper-level courses across the university in a variety of areas, including leadership, research, ethics, and mindfulness.

Entrepreneur Coach & Advisor

I support entrepreneurs and early stage startups, working with clients and as volunteer mentor, from concept to pitch to growth managememt.

Andria L. Yates, PhD

When you’re ready, let’s have a conversation that focuses on navigating your opportunities and challenges. Whether that carves a pathway to the career you aspire to, solves an organizational dilemma, or provides a talk to inspire.

Together, we’ll collaborate to achieve your individual, organization, or event goals.

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