About


Paula Shoup, PCC, internalGPS® Coach, Phoenix, AZ,

My mission is to guide professionals/leaders to uncover their true self/values, discover their most powerful strengths, talents and beliefs and propel them to new levels of powerful leadership.

I love working with leaders to better understand themselves and then in turn to better understand how to bring out the best in their team. My experience in being a formal leader and all that entails provides powerful insights and empathy to my coaching and facilitating.

In my last formal leadership role I had to lay-off part of my team three years in a row due to larger organizational changes; this painful process along with the opportunity to take a voluntary severance package led me to look at what I really loved about my role and how I may be able to shift into doing more of what I love on my own. I was always reading books and articles about how to be a better leader and I was regularly mentoring (I found out later it was more coaching than mentoring) people through out the organization so it was a perfect fit to become an Executive Coach.

Click HERE to skip down to my formal credentials/experience.


Why internalGPS®?

I love tools. Especially logical-follow-this-clear-process tools. My brain is wired for love-of-logic in solving problems.

My car/phone GPS(Global Positioning System) is not only helpful, it is mandatory equipment for me. I can get turned around in a “NY minute.”  This obstacle was blown away by the wonderful invention of the GPS.

The GPS metaphor works well because it is essential to first know where you are.

Wherever you are is the perfect place to start.

First and foremost, I’ll listen to where you are right now. What is working well for you, what do you want to change or expand upon? If appropriate, we may initiate a 360-process with your team/peers to uncover any blind-spots and gather candid valuable feedback.  We’ll uncover your values, strengths, talents, thinking-patterns, beliefs that all describe your current location. Then we will identify where you want to go. Your destination/goal/vision/dream may be crystal clear or we may need to work on clarifying what it looks/feels like. We’ll figure out what tools work best for you as you start trying them out:”Recalculating!”

It’s internalGPS® because it’s an inside job.

As much as I sometimes would like to believe and many of my clients would like to believe, the answer is not “out there” or “their fault if they’d just be different.” It’s “in-between-your-ears-and-feel-into-your-gut” work. As your Coach I provide a sounding-board to reflect back what I hear and ask questions that help you to see a different perspective or clarify what you already know and just haven’t seen it yourself.

The internalGPS® process will guide you to blow through the obstacles that are getting in your way.

The Neurological/Psychology/Social Scientist Researchers continue to find ways to better understand how our brain and gut impact who we are and what we do. Did you know the gut is now known as the “second brain?” There are over 100-million neurons in the gut area, more than in the spinal chord. I love this science and I love seeing clients utilize tools based on this science that transform their work/life.

My Formal Credentials are listed below. Here is a link to my LinkedIn profile.

  • Executive Coach and COO – Encoraco, LLC. January 2023 to Present.
  • Master of Science in Management and Leadership, Pepperdine University. Graduated in December 2022.
  • Director of Executive Leadership Program at Charles Schwab – 2018 – 2021.
  • Eight plus years of successfully running my own coaching/leadership development consulting business with clients including individual leaders/professionals from small and large non-profits businesses, small businesses, and large multi-national organizations.
  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coach Federation (ICF) which means over 500 coaching hours have been logged, completion of verbal and written tests and over 160 hours of training completed. And the ICF ethical oversight for added peace of mind.
  • Over twenty years of working in large matrix high technology (Aerospace and Medical Devices) organizations, over ten years as a formal leader
  • Five years as a Director “Leader of Leaders” including a one year assignment in Puerto Rico to set up a new department/function
  • Over ten years of formal procurement negotiation experience including international agreements across Asia and Europe
  • Coach U Inc – Advanced Certified Graduate
  • Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF)
  • Certified Team Advantage Facilitator/Mentor
  • Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management from Arizona State University