— Karina Hultgren, Local Guide"Ron asks such great thought provoking questions really making his clients think strategically about what they want. In addition, Ron is one of the kindest people you will ever meet! I highly recommend him!"
Your Coach
Ron Gilliland CPCC
45,000+ coaching hours.
One mission: help you scale and flourish.
Philosophy
The Coach Who Believes Your Business Should Serve Your Life
Most business coaches will tell you to work harder, scale faster, optimize everything. I'm here to tell you something different: your business should give you energy, not drain it. Your success shouldn't cost you your life.
I'm Ron Gilliland, and I've spent over 45,000 coaching hours helping small business owners build companies that scale sustainably — without demanding their entire life in return.
Because here's what I've learned — when you're constantly firefighting, always "on," and can't step away from your business without anxiety, you're not running a business. Your business is running you.
Background
From Therapy Track
to Business Transformation
My path to coaching wasn't traditional, and that's exactly why it works.
Originally, I was on track to become a marriage and family therapist. But I discovered something fascinating: the same counseling psychology, change management, and mental fitness tools that help people transform their personal lives could be applied directly to the challenges of work and business. The breakthrough moment came when I realized that most business problems are actually human problems in disguise.
Over more than a decade of coaching, I've blended the Co-Active Coaching model with Prosci's ADKAR® change framework, weaving in insights from anthropology, sociology, and organizational development. The result? A grounded, results-oriented approach that helps clients quiet self-sabotaging narratives, see their own track record clearly, and make decisions from clarity rather than fear.
I work with clients globally from my base in Corvallis, Oregon, and also spend time in Cascais, Portugal — because I practice what I preach about designing a life that works for you.
Curious about my coaching philosophy? Explore my services →Approach
What Makes This Different
Here's my core belief: I really care that your business works for you — that you're not spending your life energy getting driven into the ground. I want to see people flourish, not just succeed on paper.
This isn't about work-life balance platitudes or productivity hacks. It's about fundamentally restructuring how you relate to your business. When you work with me, you're not getting someone who will push you to hustle harder. You're getting someone who will help you build systems that create what I call "economy of effort" — where the more business you do, the more money you make, but you're actually working less, not more.
I love it when my clients realize they can walk into work at 11 in the morning and still run a successful business. That's not laziness — that's mastery.
See how this works in practice → 
Credentials
The Care Behind
the Credentials
Ron Gilliland, CPCC — Certified Professional Co-Active Coach with over 45,000 hours of coaching experience, based in Corvallis, Oregon.
My CPCC certification provides the professional foundation, but it's the 45,000+ hours of real-world coaching that have taught me what actually works. I've guided small business owners through growth stages, business redesigns, and operational transformations. I've helped owners learn to delegate without losing control and build the systems that let their businesses scale without constant intervention.
The common thread? Every client learns to move beyond being "a number on someone else's spreadsheet" — whether that's their employer's or their own business's unrealistic demands.
Want to know if we're a good fit? Let's talk →
Commitment
My Promise
to You
When you work with me, you're not getting generic business advice or another person telling you to optimize your morning routine. You're getting someone who understands that sustainable success requires protecting your life energy, not depleting it.
I help you quiet the voice that says you have to do everything yourself. I help you see your own track record clearly — all the ways you've already created value through communication, leadership, analysis, and teamwork. And I help you turn that into clear stories and lean, practical next steps that don't require you to sacrifice your health, relationships, or sanity.
Whether you're preparing your business for its next stage of growth, redesigning operations that have taken over your life, or building the team and systems to scale without you in every seat, I'm here to help you build something sustainable, profitable, and deeply aligned with the life you want.
Because your business should serve your life, not the other way around.
Ready to reclaim your life energy? → What Clients Say
Ready?
Let's Start the Conversation
Your first step toward a business that serves your life is just one conversation away.