I became a certified CliftonStrengths coach in 2017 to help people understand their individual Strengths so they can live more balanced, authentic, and purpose-driven lives. In 2025, I became a certified facilitator in the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method, which I incorporate into my client sessions.
During that time, I have helped:
When you understand your Strengths, you gain a framework to make personal and professional choices grounded in who you are at your core. Confidence replaces uncertainty and fear. Energy replaces overwhelm. Teamwork replaces turnover.
People who work with me learn how to hear their unique voices, tap into the things they do well, make decisions with confidence, and collaborate more effectively. And the best part: Once you understand your Strengths, you can use them to take control of your life and respond to any challenge that comes your way.
As an educator and behavioral scientist by training, I have several frameworks for understanding the way people operate. My unique approach is also shaped by these other identities:
I approach challenges creatively and in unexpected ways that encourage people to open up. In addition to my coaching work, I teach art workshops in my home studio, and often integrate art into my professional workshops.
Becoming a singer has strengthened my ability to work through discomfort in order to grow. I am able to hold space for clients to work through their challenges because I know it is part of the growth process. (Listen on Spotify.)
With more than 25 years of guiding students in a variety of environments, I understand how to break down a journey into a series of manageable steps to reduce overwhelm, increase confidence, and encourage action.
Each day, I engage with a person who is learning to spread her wings and figure out her place in the world. As I work with clients, being a mom helps me remember that we are all trying to find our way. Each of us can benefit from a little extra love and patience as we grow.
My greatest strength is my ability to draw people in and build trust quickly. I’m relatable and compassionate. I ask thoughtful questions. I am present with individuals and great with connecting a group. I am able to catalyze the energy in a room and bring you on a journey that is engaging, impactful, and actionable.
As a result, clients leave my online and in-person sessions understanding ways they can optimize their positive qualities (Strengths) versus focusing on brokenness. They leave feeling more connected to themselves and to each other.
I began my career as a high school English, drama, and debate teacher in Chicago. I later directed health programming at Head Start in Minneapolis, then served as an Assistant Professor in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
I earned a PhD in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a BA in English Literature.
I have worked as a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach in Atlanta since 2017 and a Certified Facilitator of the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY Method since 2025. I am proud that MavenTree is a certified Woman-Owned Small Business and certified LGBT-owned business.
I am my best creative self when I’m in the recording studio or in my home art studio.
View my CVYears of teaching, coaching, and consulting.
Strengths sessions, workshops, and retreats.
Empowered clients.
Working with Ariela was a dream! Her ability to adapt to a group of teenagers and focus on what their needs were was exactly what we needed as a team. The space was welcoming and created a sense of excitement amongst our group to which they were eager to dive in and explore! I’m excited to continue working with Ariela and building the strength and unity of the teens I work with.
Working with Ariela Freedman has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had during my career. I attended the Strengths Based Training, and this has been one of the best trainings I have been to. Not only I learned about my strengths but also about my colleagues and direct reports. Knowing the strengths of people that I daily work with, help me understand and approach them better based on their strengths. Her workshops are very interesting, and she does an excellent job engaging people.
I loved our Strengths Profile debrief and found it fascinating. What excited and surprised me were how my strengths intertwined with my colleagues and more importantly the staff on my team. I was captivated to explore the impact of how each of our strengths could work together to improve on team dynamics, efficiency, and collaboration. This whole process has been positive and energizing, it has given much food for thought and helped extend the celling on what I had thought my team and I had.
I really cannot say enough good things about Ariela and her coaching services. In a landscape where a lot of career advice can feel stale, overwhelming, or just unhelpful, Ariela is truly a diamond in the rough. She listens deeply to her clients’ concerns and is so skilled at drawing connections to your individual strengths–all of which leads to tangible, actionable next steps.
Every time I have met with Ariela, over several years as a graduate student and now as a private client, I’ve come away feeling clearer, more motivated, and more grounded in my purpose. Ariela guided me as I was searching for my current role, and once I had an offer, helped me work toward a clear, grounded decision to accept. Do yourself a favor and invest in someone who can truly see you as a multifaceted individual and help you move forward. I can’t recommend Ariela enough.
Ariela facilitated a Clifton Strengths session for my agency. I was impressed by her enthusiasm, command of the material, and facilitation skills. I later had another opportunity to attend, this time to learn about applying CliftonStrengths to leadership, and was again impressed.
Ariela consistently exudes an aura of positivity, calm, and reason that feels like an oasis in today’s landscape of political chasms and endless negativity. Her creativity as a trainer, coach, and musician underscores her talent for creating content that resonates personally and professionally.
Ariela gave a workshop on “Strengths-based Interviewing Strategies” at our annual Postdoc Research Day at Brown University and it was a big hit! She is a dynamic speaker that brought the material to life and we received an overwhelmingly positive response from the participants. Would highly recommend.
MavenTree Consulting helps people lead
fulfilling careers and purposeful lives
through understanding their unique Strengths.
