Dr. Sheila Rioux

About Sheila

Dr. Sheila Rioux is an emotional intelligence executive coach helping analytical and technical leaders build the people skills that drive team trust, retention, and real results. With a PhD and decades of experience spanning research and real-world leadership development, she brings a data-driven approach to the deeply human work of coaching.

Known for her empathetic yet challenging style, Sheila helps leaders find their authentic voice and lead in a way that is both effective and genuinely human. She has a particular gift for working with analytical and technical professionals who excel in their functional expertise but are navigating the people side of leadership for the first time — or in a bigger way than ever before. Her coaching draws on evidence-based frameworks, deep listening, and a healthy intolerance for shortcuts in your thinking.

Sheila is a Board Certified Coach (BCC), ICF Professional Certified Coach, Certified Executive Coach, Hogan Assessments practitioner, and Genos International Certified Practitioner in emotional intelligence. She has built and delivered leadership development programs across financial services, healthcare, nonprofit, and technology sectors.

Areas of Focus

As an emotional intelligence executive coach, Sheila’s work spans several disciplines represented across the Enable Leaders network:

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
Helping leaders develop the self-awareness, empathy, and relational skills that drive team trust, commitment, and performance — the skills AI cannot replace.

Authentic Leadership Development
Supporting leaders in identifying their core values and natural strengths to build a leadership approach that feels genuinely their own, not borrowed from someone else’s playbook.

People-Side Leadership for Technical Professionals
Guiding high-potential analytical and technical leaders through the mindset and skill shifts required to engage, inspire, and retain their teams — without abandoning who they are.

Team Retention & Engagement
Applying research-backed frameworks including her proprietary C.A.R.E. model to help leaders and organizations address turnover at its root and build cultures where people want to stay.

Group Leadership Development Programs
Facilitating cohort-based programs for leadership teams and talent development pipelines, including The Retention Formula for Leaders Program©.

Who Sheila Works With

As an emotional intelligence executive coach, Sheila typically works with:

• Mid-to-senior leaders grappling with the people side of leadership who want to build trust and inspire their teams
• Analytical and technical professionals stepping into broader leadership roles who need to develop interpersonal and communication effectiveness
• HR leaders and talent development professionals looking for a coach or facilitator for high-potential programs
• Organizations that want to build emotionally intelligent, human-centered leaders who can connect, inspire, and drive performance in an AI-enabled world
• Leaders navigating a career transition who want clarity on their direction, values, and next steps

Location & Availability

Based in the United States | Available for virtual coaching globally

Frequently Asked Questions About Working With Sheila

What makes Dr. Sheila Rioux different from other executive coaches?

Sheila is one of the few emotional intelligence executive coaches who combines a PhD with deep practitioner credentials including ICF certification, Hogan Assessments, and Genos International emotional intelligence certification. That combination of research rigor and real-world coaching experience sets her apart — particularly for analytical and technical leaders and organizations that need more than intuition-based coaching.

Who does Sheila typically work with?

Sheila specializes in mid-to-senior leaders who excel in their functional expertise but are navigating the people side of leadership in a bigger way than before. That includes analytical and technical professionals, HR and talent development leaders, and large organizations and enterprise teams investing in emotionally intelligent leadership development at scale.

What is the C.A.R.E. model and how does Sheila use it?

The C.A.R.E. model is Sheila’s proprietary framework for addressing team retention and engagement at its root. Rather than treating turnover as a symptom to manage, C.A.R.E. gives leaders and organizations a research-backed, memorable structure for building cultures where people genuinely want to stay. It forms the foundation of her Retention Formula for Leaders Program©.

What assessments does Sheila use in her coaching?

Sheila is certified in Hogan Assessments and is a Genos International Certified Practitioner in emotional intelligence — two of the most rigorous and research-backed assessment tools available to executive coaches. These give her and her clients an objective baseline for understanding leadership strengths, blind spots, and development priorities.

Does Sheila work with organizations as well as individual leaders?

Yes — and organizational engagements are a significant part of Sheila’s practice as an emotional intelligence executive coach. She designs and facilitates cohort-based leadership development programs, group coaching engagements, and culture change initiatives for large organizations and enterprise teams. Her Retention Formula for Leaders Program© is purpose-built for this kind of organizational investment — and her pricing reflects the scale and seniority of the work she does.

Where is Sheila based and does she coach internationally?

Sheila is based in the United States and works with clients virtually across the globe. Her programs and coaching have reached leaders across financial services, healthcare, nonprofit, and technology sectors internationally.

How do I start working with Sheila through Enable Leaders?

You can reach out directly using the contact form on this page, or request a curated match if you’d like Enable Leaders to identify the right coach for your specific situation. Sheila’s work is best suited for organizations and leaders with a serious investment in leadership development — if you’re unsure whether she’s the right fit for your budget, the matching process will help clarify that. There’s no cost to you.