At Advantage Coaching & Training, we believe that you perform at your best when you can live your passion, mission and vision. We have a nation-wide network of affiliate coaches who specialize in executive, business, corporate, and personal coaching that can meet you and your organization's needs.

If you are interested in connecting with one of our principal coaches you can email them directly, call them at 630-293-0210 and leave a message, or contact us with your request and we will match you with the best coach for your need.

Principal Coaches

Dr. Timothy Ursiny | Carole Cowperthwaite-O'Hagan | Barbara Kay

Affiliate Coaches

Michelle Filicicchia | Antoinette M. Ayers | Dr. Marc Ybaben | Jan Tilley

  Timothy Ursiny, Ph.D., CBC, RCC - E-mail Tim

Dr. Tim Ursiny, founder of Advantage Coaching & Training Inc., is a speaker and certified business coach specializing in helping individuals reach peak performance and life satisfaction. His areas of expertise include communication skills, team building, confidence, coaching skills and the overall quality and balance in one’s life.

He received his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and his doctorate in psychology from Northern Illinois University. He is the member of the International Coach Federation and the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches.

He has published several videos and books on the topics of coaching, conflict resolution, and confidence in the workplace. His book, “The Coward’s Guide to Conflict” is in its fourth printing and has been translated into four foreign languages. Other books include “The Confidence Plan: How to Build a Stronger You”, “Coaching the Sale” and The Top Performer’s Guide series including “The Top Performer’s Guide to Conflict”, “The Top Performer’s Guide to Change”, “The Top Performer’s Guide to Speeches and Presentations” and “The Top Performer’s Guide to Attitude”.

Dr. Tim is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics that benefit individuals in the workplace and personal life. He has spoken for firms such as:

Wachovia MidAmerica Bank Morgan Stanley Tyndale Publishers Loyola Hospital

Trustmark Insurance TH Foods Exelon Batteries Plus ING

He has been interviewed and appeared in The Bottom Line, The Chicago Tribune, People Magazine, Readers Digest, First for Women and other periodicals. He has also appeared on CNN radio news, VH-1 News, Total Living and ABC Channel 7 News.

Tim resides in Wheaton, IL with his wife of 27 years and three wonderful sons. His hobbies include travel and food & wine pairings. 

Dr. Tim Ursiny is also available for one on one coaching sessions. He can be reached at Advantage Coaching & Training, Inc., 480 East Roosevelt Rd., Suite 105, West Chicago, IL, 60185; phone: (630) 293-0210; email: drtim@advantagecoaching.com

Carole A. Cowperthwaite-O'Hagan, RCC - E-mail Carole 
Energy, relationships, attention to detail, follow-through...these are the core terms most often used to describe Carole's passion for creating breakthrough strategies for her clients. Her special focus has been the world of sales and marketing for 15+ years. With a background in manufacturing, financial services, professional services, retail and IT consulting Carole brings a good cross section of marketing and management experience.

Consistently ranked number one in sales and winner of several corporate awards for excellence in leadership and performance, she is results focused and has a bias for action. Her work has brought her into relationships with business owners, fortune 500 managers and C-Level Executives. Helping people overcome obstacles on their way to achieving personal and corporate goals is Carole's trademark.

Especially gifted in the areas of organization, time-management and building quality relationships Carole can help you or your team excel.

A recognized expert for her work, Carole is also an author, a popular speaker and trainer and is known for her engaging presentations and creative training style. Carole has taught coaching techniques to hundreds of individuals, teams and groups within organizations across the country and internationally. Carole is a Registered Corporate Coach (RCC) and instructor (RICC) for the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC).

Coaching Focus

Executive coaching Leadership development Corporate training Sales training

Team building Communication skills Time management skills Career development

Career transitions Work life balance Personal coaching Personal growth

Barbara A. Kay, M.A., LPC., RCC - E-mail Barbara 
Barbara has a strong background in business and professional psychology. She received her undergraduate degree and her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Registered Corporate Coach (RCC). Barbara’s publications include articles in professional forums, Working Mother Magazine and the book, The Top Performer’s Guide to Change.

In addition, Barbara has seven years of experience in various business settings, including executive search in both specialized and major consulting firms.

Her areas of expertise include:

• Coaching
• Executive Coaching
• Team Development
• Communication & Conflict
• Change & Transition
• Career Growth
• Personal Enrichment

At ACT, Barbara combines her business background and psychology training to promote individual and organizational achievement. Her focus is on assessing needs, determining goals and facilitating success. Barbara believes working with a coach is like having a “personal trainer” for professional and organizational development.

Affiliate Coaches

Jan Tilley, MS RD LD - E-mail Jan 
Inspiring people to embrace wellness – this is Jan Tilley’s gift and passion. She is a highly sought national speaker on the topic of health and wellness. After years of coaching, Tilley believes the secret to her success is helping clients identify what motivates them to the point of change. Once the motivation is clear, Tilley masterfully uses that as fuel to help the client make a fresh start.

Jan has recently joined the team of coaches at Advantage Coaching and will be serving as our Health & Wellness expert. She offers personal online and telephone coaching for those desiring a professional to guide them through the process of making powerful, positive changes.

Jan Tilley, MS RD LD is a registered dietitian, receiving her Master of Science degree in nutrition from Texas Tech University in 1994. She currently has a nutrition consulting and wellness firm based in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to her nutrition practice, Tilley also acts as a nutrition marketing advisor and national spokesperson for numerous corporate clients.

Jan has written a wellness book entitled Getting Your Second Wind. In the book, she blends nutrition and fitness information with real life stories to create a motivating experience for all who are looking for inspiration and guidance on their path to wellness.

Coaching Focus:

• Health & Wellness
• Nutrition
• Obesity/Weight Loss
• Sports Nutrition – Eating for Peak Performance
• Individual Chronic Disease Management (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, GI disorders, cancer)
• Energy Maximization

Michelle Filicicchia - E-mail Michelle 
Michelle has 20 plus years experience in the workplace learning and performance industry. Michelle brings a unique, fresh and strong customer focus approach to performance related issues. Michelle’s experience spans the fields of customer service, change management, coaching, consulting and adult learning program design and development.

Michelle’s desire is to help clients grow their organizations, become more efficient, effective, and ultimately drive measurable results. Michelle also enjoys building professional relationships that promote trust, respect, integrity and fun. Michelle has worked on a variety of projects which includes communication skills, conflict resolution, customer service culture, project management, sales training, financial consulting, interviewing skills, sales kick-off meetings, etc. Michelle facilitates, coaches individuals and teams, designs training programs and builds training curriculum plans. Michelle has worked with large, small, family-owned, and non-profit organizations.

Michelle holds a Master's Degree in Training and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She serves on the board with the Chicago Chapter American Society of Training and Development. In 2006, Michelle earned a certification (Certified Professional Learning and Performance (CPLP)). She also has a certificate in Change Management from Benedictine University.

Michelle’s attention to understanding, analyzing a client’s real needs and creating a customized approach enables her clients to reach and achieved measurable results.

Maximize efforts to land a job and/or career that’s right for you – check out Michelle’s career coaching plan.

Antoinette M. Ayers, CPCC, RCC - E-mail Antoinette
Antoinette is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), utilizing a style of coaching which actively involves the collaboration of both client and coach to help clients achieve maximum results and sustain life-changing behavior in both their professional and personal lives.

Her areas of expertise include:

• corporate training
• executive coaching
• personal coaching
• diversity training
• corporate teamwork
• career transitions
• entrepreneurial marketing
• personal growth

Antoinette brings a wealth of experience and credentials as a professional coach:

• over 15 years experience in corporate environments in communications, training and marketing
• co-owner of a diversity training company
• small business marketing consultant
• B.S. in Business from Northern Illinois University
• Certified Trainer for the national Registered Corporate Coach program
• Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from the Coaches Training Institute
• Registered Corporate Coach (RCC) through the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches
• Member of Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC)
• Former National Director of Training for WABC

Her coaching and training clients have included individuals and teams from: Arthur Andersen, Commonwealth Edison, Harris Bank, Marriott Hotels, Quaker Oats, Ameritech, United Airlines and other businesses.

Marc A. Ybaben, Ph.D. - E-mail Marc
Dr. Ybaben is the Director of the West Coast office in Los Angeles, California. He is a licensed psychologist and a Registered Corporate Coach.

His areas of expertise are in:

• executive coaching
• leadership development and management training
• executive stress management
• effective communication skills
• rapid problem-solving
• rational thinking skills
• healthy lifestyle changes
• effective leadership styles
• pre-promotion and hiring evaluations
• peak performance training
• succession planning & evaluations
• career development evaluations
• effective team building activities
• team leader development

Dr. Ybaben believes, "the development of people is mission critical for any enterprise that wants to succeed." He has successfully guided individuals and organizations in taking their blueprints for change and turning them into action steps that result in real benefits.

He worked in the federal government for several years and has extensive experience coaching and training numerous military executives in such areas as: leadership skills, communication skills, stress management in the workplace, critical incident response teams, and conflict resolution in organizations.

During the past few years he has worked with executives and leaders in a variety of industries, including financial services, communications, technology, and health care. Some of his more well-known clients are: Merrill-Lynch, Terminix, Covad, and Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting).

Dr. Ybaben received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of the Pacific and his doctorate in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association's Division of Consulting Psychology, the Division of Exercise & Sports Psychology and the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (PCMA).

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