Meet our newest WOL Coach: Colleen Soppelsa
I don’t think you’ll find a more supportive, encouraging, generous person than Colleen Soppelsa.
Throughout the years we’ve known each other, Colleen has been passionately and persistently raising awareness for Working Out Loud. She’s come up with creative ways to use and adapt the methods for everything from continuous improvement in manufacturing to support groups for veterans.
Part of what makes Colleen special is her rare combination of deep technical knowledge (e.g., of quality methods and tools) and also deep knowledge about people. Her approach is systematic and rigorous and also profoundly human.
“Because meaningful transformation is not something we ‘roll out.’
It is something we build together — visibly, continuously, and one relationship at a time.”
Colleen is already working on using WOL with a quality association in the US, and I am excited at the possibilities she will create!
Note: For each new WOL Coach, I ask three questions so you can get to know them and their reasons for becoming a Coach. You can also visit Colleen’s WOL Coach profile on workingoutloud.com. Or connect with her on LinkedIn or at soppelsa@global.t-bird.edu.
1. Please share 5 facts about you so people get to know you.
I believe sustainable transformation happens when technical excellence and human connection work together. Systems, knowledge management, and AI matter — but trust, visibility, and shared learning are what truly accelerate change.
My career has been rooted in aerospace, defense, and manufacturing environments where the stakes are high and complexity is constant. Those experiences taught me that continuous improvement is never just about process — it’s about people aligning around shared purpose.
I’m deeply passionate about making invisible work visible. Whether through Lean thinking, Working Out Loud, or knowledge ecosystems, I believe progress multiplies when people openly share ideas, challenges, and lessons learned.
The experiences of living and working in Italy and Japan early in my career have played a major role in my own growth. That’s why I’m committed to creating environments where people feel supported, challenged, and empowered to be part of something greater than themselves. A big part of that environmental stability is restoring the collective caring I witnessed in cultures abroad.
I’m fascinated by the intersection of knowledge management, continuous improvement, and AI. I don’t see structure and innovation as opposites — I see the tacit knowledge within people as the foundation that allows innovation to scale sustainably.
2. What positive difference do you aspire to make?
I aspire to help organizations create environments where people and systems evolve together instead of competing against one another.
Too often, operational challenges are treated as purely technical problems while the relational dynamics underneath remain invisible. I want to help leaders integrate both sides — technical rigor and human behavior — so teams can solve problems more sustainably and collaboratively.
I also want to strengthen cultures where learning, visibility, and generosity are normalized. The most meaningful growth in my career came from people who shared knowledge freely, created opportunities, and invested in others without expecting immediate return.
That experience shaped how I lead today.
I believe the future of leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about creating ecosystems where people can think scientifically, learn socially, and improve continuously together.
3. Why WOL?
Throughout my career, I’ve led and supported transformation initiatives across many different environments — from manufacturing floors to executive strategy discussions. Again and again, I noticed the same pattern: people left workshops energized, inspired, and aligned… but sustaining momentum was always the challenge.
Working Out Loud® felt different to me because it focuses less on one-time inspiration and more on consistent visibility, relationships, and small meaningful actions over time.
That philosophy strongly aligns with Lean thinking and continuous improvement. Sustainable change rarely happens through one breakthrough event. It grows through repeated habits, reflection, experimentation, and connection.
WOL also resonates with my belief that knowledge should not remain trapped in silos. When people openly share experiences, networks, and learning, organizations become more adaptive, resilient, and human.
As a Working Out Loud coach, I see my role not as providing answers, but as helping create the structure, rhythm, and psychological safety that allow people to support each other’s growth.
Because meaningful transformation is not something we “roll out.”
It is something we build together — visibly, continuously, and one relationship at a time.
