Melinda Rothouse, Ph.D. is a professional leadership/executive, creativity and mindfulness coach, consultant, educator, and facilitator. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), with over 15 years of professional coaching experience and 20 years of combined experience in creativity and career coaching, academic advising, and higher education. One of her many passions is to work with people and organizations to bring their creative and entrepreneurial ventures to fruition.
Melinda specializes in leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational creativity. She is a professor of Creativity, Innovation & Leadership within the Humanistic Psychology program at Saybrook University, and the host and creator of the podcast Syncreate: Empowering Creativity. She's worked with leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals with an array of corporations, startups, government agencies, and non-profit organizations in a wide range of industries from engineering and technology to green building, social justice, medicine, and the creative sector. Notable clients include leaders and creative professionals from Dell, Apple, Oracle, AMD, Indeed, Dropbox, and The San Diego Spine Foundation.
Melinda is the author of two books: A Mindful Approach to Team Creativity and Collaboration: Creating a Culture of Innovation, drawing on insights from her doctoral research and her experiences working with organizational leaders and teams, published in 2020 by Palgrave Macmillan, and the the Silver Nautilus Award winning Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities, with Charlotte Gullick, published in 2021 by Mandorla Books.
Melinda did her undergraduate work at Vassar College, focusing on cognitive science and music, and graduated with a B.A. in Biopsychology. She also holds Master's degrees in Religious Studies from Indiana University and Performance Studies from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts, and a Ph.D. in Psychology with a Specialization in Creativity Studies from Saybrook University. She draws upon broad-based expertise in leadership and communications, as well as extensive experience with teaching/training, curriculum development, and content strategy. She enjoys working in close collaboration with clients to enhance their creativity and develop their confidence. Her major strengths include a deep intuition and ability to hold space for clients, a talent for nurturing creative energy, and insight into both the visionary aspects and the details of a given project.
Melinda's own creative practices are informed by a lifelong love of learning, by an emphasis on journey and process, and by her involvement and training in mindfulness and the contemplative arts. She brings a commitment to deep listening, mindfulness, and engaged collaboration to her coaching work. She is also a musician (classically trained singer, songwriter, and bass player) and a practitioner and teacher of mindfulness meditation and contemplative arts, as well as a photographer.
