Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Judith Wright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dr. Judith, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
At LiveWright, we don’t just follow industry standards—we transform them.
While many coaching and training organizations focus primarily on achieving goals or improving performance, we take a much deeper approach: whole-person transformation. Our clients absolutely achieve their goals—whether they’re financial, career, relationship, or lifestyle-related—but what they come away with goes far beyond what they initially imagined.
We don’t just help people make changes. We guide them through profound, lasting, lifelong transformations that touch every corner of their lives. For us, transformation isn’t just about hitting milestones—it’s about waking up to and living your life’s deeper purpose daily. It’s about consciously becoming who you’re meant to be, fulfilling your potential, and making meaningful contributions to the world around you. It’s about living an engaged, joyful, and nourishing life—one filled with career success, satisfying relationships, enhanced leadership, and a sense of deep fulfillment.
What sets us apart is our mission-driven, heart-centered, research-backed approach. We don’t just offer coaching, training, or consulting. Most of our clients engage in our signature program, LiveMore, where they learn and practice the skills needed to live a truly great life. They develop emotional and social intelligence, create fulfilling relationships, enhance their leadership, and live engaged meaningful careers Through weekly lessons, life assignments, and one-on-one coaching, our clients confront their limiting beliefs, create empowering new ones, and develop the skills to transform every aspect of their lives—self, career, relationships, leadership, and purpose.
Unlike other coaching and training organizations, our approach is rooted in decades of research, practice, and education. We’ve developed a rich, research-based curriculum through our accredited graduate university, The Wright Graduate University for the Realization of Human Potential. Our university didn’t just teach transformational leadership and coaching—it granted master’s and doctoral degrees in those fields, setting new standards in graduate education for coaching. We were the first graduate university recognized by the GSAEC (Graduate School Alliance for Education in Coaching), and we’ve seen firsthand the impact our work has on leaders, individuals, and organizations as they rise to national and international leadership positions.
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of training and coaching couples, business leaders, and individuals through the major phases of their life journeys. From relationships that evolve from dating to marriage, to raising children, to navigating life’s transitions like empty nesting—our work spans the full arc of human experience. In careers, we’ve worked with people from finishing their MBAs to building businesses, expanding them, selling them, and starting anew. We’ve guided entrepreneurs and corporate leaders alike, witnessing and researching what truly works for human fulfillment and transformation.
Our work is about more than just personal success. We coach visionary leaders—people driven by mission and purpose— (I especially like supporting women leaders), helping them to unlock their full potential. We’re also passionate about relationship coaching and supporting people as they create lives of balance and fulfillment. Through speaking, writing, coaching, training, and developing products, we’re committed to sharing the wealth of curriculum and tools we’ve developed to help others live their best lives.
Ultimately, our mission leads to more than individual growth. We’re dedicated to helping build a world that works for everyone, one person at a time. As people grow, transform, and step into their personal power, they not only create great lives for themselves but become visionary positive influences in their families, communities, businesses, and the wider world. We believe that as each of us awakens to our potential, we all contribute to creating a better world.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Growing up, I always felt there was something more to life, something deeper than just the daily grind. I was constantly searching for meaning, even as a young girl in a factory town in Michigan. Most of the grown-ups I saw worked in the factory. The monotonous work provided good pay and good benefits. But I noticed how most people lived for their days to end so they could get home, kick back with a beer, or watch some TV, or find some another way to numb before returning to the factory the next day. I craved something else, something bigger than that, but I didn’t know what that was or how to go about getting it. I decided that one thing I could do was study and be a good student. I excelled academically and professionally, but no matter how much I achieved, something still felt missing.
That search for “more” led me to study psychology and counseling, develop model programs for others to get more out of life, get my doctorate in leadership and change, to conduct research on great lives, and develop curriculum and coaching programs to support others. In my pursuit I voraciously studied psychology, existential philosophy, neuroscience, education, and leadership–everything that facilitated human emergence. My quest for more led me to travel to different countries every year to study the spiritual life and lead sacred travel journeys.
More importantly, it led me on my own lifelong personal and spiritual growth journey, discovering the depth, power, and wisdom of my emotions, confronting and transforming my limiting beliefs, developing skills in relationships, leadership, personal power, and purposeful living. My journey led to co-founding an accredited graduate university offering master’s and doctoral degrees in Transformational Leadership and Coaching and an MBA for Transformational Business.
And now, my quest has led to co-founding LiveWright, a pioneering cutting-edge coaching, training, and consulting company dedicated to helping individuals discover and achieve their true potential, live truly fulfilling service-filled lives, enjoy satisfying intimate relationships, enhance their leadership, and make a difference.
Our clients come to us to achieve goals or when they experience leadership challenges, life transitions, entrepreneurial challenges, relationship issues, business growth concerns, or are hungry to learn and grow. We especially like to support and empower all kinds of visionary and, especially, women leaders. Whether people are looking for more fulfilling relationships, pathways to advance their careers, enhance their leadership, tools to become their most authentic self, and/or to live with more purpose and meaning, our Innovative methods, research-based proven methodologies, curriculum and programs deliver results.
We help people break out of that feeling of being stuck or “sleepwalking” through life, which was something I personally experienced. We guide people to connect with what they truly yearn for—whether it’s stronger relationships, purpose in their career, or living authentically.
We’re known for our social-emotional intelligence training–experts in the field come to us for our powerful experiential training.
LiveMore is our signature program that results in a stronger sense of self, greater emotional intelligence, more satisfying relationships, and a deeper connection to purpose and leadership. It combines coaching and training with social-emotional intelligence and leadership and personal development skills in a comprehensive program that uses a week-by-week lesson plan to break down barriers to change, fulfill inner yearnings, bust limiting beliefs, and build skills in all areas of life,
This proven program Includes coaching, instruction, and practical application, with life assignments that build upon one another in a comprehensive way, ensuring immediate and lasting impact.
Live Wright is known for our clients’ success – predictable transformation and amazing results: 94% report feeling happier or more fulfilled in life, 82% were promoted or got a better job, 92% report less stress in their lives, 92% have a greater sense of belonging, 98% are more genuine and real, 97% have higher self-esteem, and thriving relationships with less than 9% divorce rate (as opposed to the national norm of over 50%)
I’m most proud of the many, many transformations we’ve had the privilege to be a part of: people stepping into their power, transforming their relationships, expanding their leadership, and living lives they once only dreamed of. It’s not just about hitting goals—it’s about living with meaning and joy every day and making significant contributions to their world.
We don’t just focus on achievement or success in the traditional sense. We go deeper. We help people get in touch with their emotions, rewire their thinking, and live consciously. We combine research-based practices with personal transformation, and that mix is where the magic happens. It’s about living fully awake and aligned with your deepest values, not just checking off boxes.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that a great life was all about being perfect—perfect circumstances, perfect performance, a perfect career. I thought setting and meeting goals, achieving, being good, being nice, being perfect, hiding vulnerability and weakness, and not making mistakes led to the perfect life. I genuinely believed that if I could get everything ‘just right,’ then I’d finally be happy and successful. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
For the longest time, I thought the formula for a fulfilling life was hitting all the milestones and looking good while doing it. I’d convinced myself that if I worked hard enough, achieved enough, and kept things flawless, I’d finally feel that sense of fulfillment I was chasing. And it’s easy to fall into that thinking when society often glorifies perfectionism and tells us our worth is based on external success—how we look, how much we’ve achieved, or how ‘together’ our lives seem.
But here’s my wake-up reality check: perfection doesn’t exist. It’s a trap. And honestly, chasing it is exhausting. I found myself always trying to control everything around me, and ironically, the more I tried to be perfect, the more disconnected I felt—from myself, from others, and from the joy in the everyday moments. I was so busy trying to achieve this impossible standard that I missed out on what truly mattered: connection, meaning, and growth.
The truth I had to learn (and it wasn’t easy!) is that a great life isn’t about getting everything perfectly aligned. It’s about embracing the messiness, the imperfections, and all the ups and downs that make us human. Some of my most meaningful experiences came from moments that were far from perfect—when things didn’t go as planned, when I made mistakes, or when life took unexpected turns. Those moments taught me resilience, humility, and the beauty of just being.
Now, I realize that what makes life truly fulfilling is showing up as we are, imperfections and all. It’s about deep, authentic relationships, finding purpose, and growing through the challenges. The messy parts of life are where we find meaning, where we learn to be vulnerable, and where we discover what really makes us happy.
Unlearning the need for perfection has been one of the most freeing experiences of my life. I’ve come to embrace that life is about progress, not perfection. And when we stop trying to be flawless, we make space for what really matters—living fully, loving deeply, and finding joy in the journey, not just the destination.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
The story of how I met my co-founder, Bob (Dr. Bob Wright), is a bit of a “meet-cute” with some twists, since my co-founder also happens to be my husband. It’s one of those tales where initial impressions didn’t exactly set us up for the love story that followed, much less for a successful business partnership—but life has a way of surprising you!
The first time I met Bob, he was visiting a mutual friend who happened to work for me. She had mentioned him a few times, and then there he was, dressed in a sharp navy-blue suit, sitting in her office next to her fish tank, visiting with her. When I came in, he stood up and shook hands to greet me. We didn’t talk much then, but our paths crossed again later at a party at our mutual friend’s apartment. I was in a relationship at the time and happily enjoying great conversations with other partygoers when Bob approached me. We started talking, but the minute he realized I was married, he abruptly ended the conversation and walked away! I remember thinking, What a jerk! Can’t he just have a conversation with a woman without it needing to lead to something?
Fast forward a bit—I went through a divorce, was enjoying my single life, and casually dating. One day, that same friend asked if I wanted her to set me up on a date. I said, “Sure, I’m meeting new people and enjoying myself. I’d love to meet more men.” Then she suggested Bob. My immediate response was, “That jerk? No way!” To which she replied, “I think you should tell him that.”
Little did I know, she had also suggested to Bob that he go out with me. His response? “Her? That ‘Barbara Walters’, who interviews but doesn’t share? No way.” (I tended to ask a lot of questions without revealing too much about myself). She told him, “I think you should tell her that.”
So, we agreed to a semi-blind date, and true to form, we did tell each other exactly what we thought! We laid it all out on the table—our initial judgments, what we didn’t like about the other, and even what rubbed us the wrong way during our previous interactions. Uncharacteristically for me, was brutally honest, but oddly enough, that’s what made it exciting. Instead of putting on facades or trying to impress, we were just raw and genuine. We didn’t hold back, and in doing so, we connected in a way I hadn’t experienced before. The energy that night was palpable. What started as a “let’s clear the air” date became one of the most honest and exciting experiences of my life.
That date set the tone for our relationship, and after over 40 years of marriage, we’re still living by that principle of total truth and openness.
But our love story doesn’t automatically translate to our business partnership. In fact, that part took a lot longer to develop. Bob had his own successful business with a partner, and I had left my job at the university to start my own coaching and training business. We both were dedicated to fostering human potential – he with a privileged population optimizing their effectiveness and me with a more challenged population doing the same. We were both thriving in our respective fields when Bob told me he wanted to work with me. My response? “No way.”
What followed were two years of, well… fighting. Bob would remind me with every disagreement we had about each other’s work, that we were fighting because he wanted to work with me and have everything on the table and resolved. With that context, I explored why didn’t I want to work with him–and rather than avoiding it, unearthed my fears and opinions. Our arguments weren’t petty, though—they were more like creative confrontations. We aired our assumptions, fears, and judgments, and while it was difficult, it was also incredibly productive. Every fight unearthed deeper truths about ourselves and each other and how we approached our work. We couldn’t avoid the hard conversations because our work forced us to face everything head-on, with no withholds or secrets.
Then one late night in Paris, visiting with a dear friend, after being asked to leave one restaurant, and closing another with our discussions, we had an “aha” moment that changed everything. That night, the idea for a ‘school’ that would bring together our different perspectives and philosophies was born. Our fights led to this creative vision of what we could build together. We both were deeply dedicated to a world that works for everyone and helping people live the best lives and becoming who they could become and saw what we were both working with applied to all people and populations. This wasn’t just about our relationship anymore—it was about a shared mission to help others realize their potential and make a difference in their worlds.
From that turning point, we co-founded The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential and The Wright Graduate University, our accredited university offering master’s and doctoral degrees in Transformational Leadership and Coaching and MBA for Transformational Businesses. And now, we’ve taken our passion and expertise into LiveWright, a pioneering coaching, training, and consulting company designed to help individuals live beautiful, purposeful lives, and become leaders who make a difference.
What started as a tense back-and-forth has blossomed into a thriving business that’s built on truth, authenticity, and mutual respect. Just like our relationship.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://livewright.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjudithwright/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJudithWright
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjudithwright/
- Twitter: https://x.com/DrJudithWright
- Other: My books can be ordered here:https://www.amazon.com/stores/Judith-Wright/author/B001HD1VY8?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
