We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtenay “Coco” Rogers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtenay “Coco” below.

Hi Courtenay “Coco” , thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

Corporate America often confuses perks with care. They offer pizza parties instead of policies, meditation apps instead of meaningful change. I call this Crumb Culture. It’s what happens when companies offer scraps of appreciation while asking people to give their whole selves. And I’ve lived it.

My journey started in the military, where I learned that leadership is about taking care of your people. Not just when it’s convenient, but especially when it’s hard. When I transitioned into Corporate America, I was shocked at how often that basic principle was missing. I saw leaders hiding behind strategy decks and KPIs, disconnected from the human experience of their teams. I watched high performers burn out and brilliant ideas die in rooms where people didn’t feel safe to speak.

One moment that opened my eyes: I started something called Mindful Monday with my team. It was simple. We paused at the start of each week to check in, breathe, and set an intention together. No agenda. Just presence. The response was immediate and powerful. People craved that space to slow down and be human. It reminded me that even in high-pressure environments, people want to feel grounded, connected, and seen.

But what struck me most was this: if something so small could have such a big impact, why weren’t we doing more? Why wasn’t this the norm instead of the exception? That’s when I realized we could do so much better than crumbs.

Another moment that crystallized it: I worked with a team where morale was sinking. People were exhausted, under-resourced, and scared to be honest. Leadership responded with a $50 DoorDash gift card. No conversation. No care. No change. That’s Crumb Culture in action — performative gestures in place of real leadership.

People are craving something deeper. They’re hungry for human-centered business. They want to work in places where they feel seen, heard, and respected. Where leadership is accountable, not just charismatic. My healing journey — releasing fear, burnout, and self-abandonment — has given me the strength and courage to take this on. I know what it feels like to rebuild yourself from the inside out. And I know the same is possible for our workplaces.

Through CoRo Consulting, I help leaders build cultures rooted in Clarity, Authenticity, Recognition, and Empathy. Because people don’t leave jobs. They leave environments where they feel unseen, unheard, and undervalued. And we all deserve more than crumbs.

Courtenay “Coco” , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Courtenay Rogers, a.k.a Coco, founder of CoRo Consulting. I’m a Navy veteran, leadership and culture strategist, mom to a creative teenage daughter, and a woman who has walked through burnout, reinvention, and healing to build a life and a business rooted in purpose. At the heart of my work is a single question: What’s keeping you small? My mission is to help people, teams, and organizations answer that question with honesty, clarity, and courage.

I started CoRo Consulting after spending two decades in leadership roles across military, government, nonprofit, and corporate spaces. I’ve led teams in high-pressure environments, run for public office twice, built community programs from the ground up, and mentored many leaders along the way. But even with all those titles and experiences, what I kept seeing and feeling was the same: too many workplaces were transactional, disconnected, and unsustainable for the people inside them.

And the truth is, I know what it feels like to navigate all of that without a roadmap. I’ve spent most of my career without mentorship, especially from managers. I often had to figure things out on my own, without the kind of guidance, feedback, or support that helps leaders truly grow. That gap showed me what was missing and made me even more committed to being the kind of coach, advisor, and partner I wish I had earlier in my journey.

That’s why I launched CoRo Consulting. I wanted to create a space where leadership isn’t just about strategy, but about humanity. I work with mission-driven founders, executives, and organizations who are ready to move beyond Crumb Culture, my term for environments that offer surface-level perks while neglecting deeper cultural and systemic issues. Through coaching, consulting, facilitation, and speaking, I help my clients create cultures rooted in Clarity, Authenticity, Recognition, and Empathy. We call this the CARE framework, and it is the foundation of everything I do.

My offerings include:

Leadership and executive coaching for individuals who want to grow with intention and courage

Culture diagnostics and team workshops that uncover hidden gaps and build trust

Strategic advisory support for founders and companies navigating growth or transition

Speaking and training on human-centered leadership, Crumb Culture, and sustainable success

What sets CoRo Consulting apart is the lived experience behind it. I don’t just teach leadership. I’ve led in boardrooms, on battlefields, and through the vulnerable process of personal healing. I’ve let go of things that no longer served me, including alcohol, burnout, and people-pleasing, and rebuilt a life that aligns with who I am, not just what I do. That inner work informs everything I bring to my clients because sustainable leadership starts from within.

What I’m most proud of is the way this work makes people feel. I’ve had clients tell me, “I finally feel like I can breathe again,” or “I’m leading in a way that feels like me.” That’s everything. My work is not just about better business outcomes. It’s about helping people lead from a place of wholeness and integrity.

If you’re craving more depth, more clarity, and more humanity in how you lead or how your team works together, I’d love to connect. CoRo Consulting is here to help you evolve not just as a leader, but as a human.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the belief that self-sacrifice is the same as leadership.

For most of my life, I wore burnout like a badge of honor. As a veteran, a public servant, and a woman navigating male-dominated spaces, I learned early on that over-functioning, over-delivering, and putting everyone else’s needs ahead of my own was how you proved your worth. I thought exhaustion meant I was doing it right. That being needed was the same as being valuable.

But the truth is, I was abandoning myself.

I ignored my body’s signals. I numbed with wine. I pushed through when I should have paused. I kept showing up for everyone else and calling it strength, when really, it was avoidance. Eventually, I hit a wall that I couldn’t hustle my way through. My health suffered. My spirit cracked. And that’s when I knew something had to change.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that care has to start within. If I’m not grounded, nourished, and whole, I can’t lead anyone well. That shift—choosing myself first, not as an act of selfishness but as a foundation for sustainability—changed everything. I quit drinking. I went vegan. I started journaling, meditating, walking every day. I redefined what success means to me.

And now, through CoRo Consulting, I teach leaders how to do the same. Because when we lead from depletion, we create cultures of depletion. But when we lead from a place of wholeness, we create cultures where people thrive.

Unlearning self-abandonment was the hardest and most liberating work of my life. And it’s why I do the work I do today.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I built my reputation by being real. Not polished. Not perfect. Just real.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I show up with clarity, care, and the willingness to go first. That means telling the truth about burnout, about self-abandonment, about the messy middle of leadership that most people avoid. It means modeling vulnerability in a world that often confuses it with weakness.

What’s helped me stand out is that I’ve actually lived what I teach. I’ve led in high-stakes environments. I’ve navigated seasons of personal and professional reinvention. I’ve done the inner work quietly and consistently, and that creates a depth people can feel.

Through CoRo Consulting, I’ve built trust by focusing on transformation, not just transactions. I take time to understand the real challenges behind the surface problems. I listen deeply. I call people in, not out. And I design experiences that leave people feeling more aligned, more human, and more hopeful than when we started.

In a marketplace full of noise and surface-level fixes, I think people can sense when something is rooted. That’s what CoRo Consulting offers. Not a quick fix, but a grounded path forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coroconsulting.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtenayrogers/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtenayrogers/

Image Credits

Photos by Brandy Brown,