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Maya N.

Maya Niksic

Harvard MPA Alum, Leadership Expert & ICF-PCC Coach | Goldman Sachs Alum

  • Harvard Kennedy School Logo

    Harvard Kennedy School

  • Goldman Sachs Logo

    Goldman Sachs

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Starting at 11:00 PM UTC

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Maya Niksic is a Belgrade-born, Harvard-educated Serbian-American women’s leadership expert, intuitive ICF-PCC professional coach, trauma-sensitive yoga teacher, skilled vertical development facilitator, and adaptive leadership consultant partnering with conscious leadership visionaries in unlocking their greatest passions and helping them create real, lasting change—on a personal, professional, and collective level. She is fascinated by how a conversation can light up a soul and how gentle restorative movement can breathe life into spaces that have been hurt, confused, or dormant. She is especially inspired by the development work in coaching and how it allows us to navigate the stories we tell ourselves about the paradoxes and polarities of our personal, spiritual, and leadership lives. Maya's work is an invitation to engage with our stories, our wounds, and our dreams. Growing up in a conflict zone and working on Wall Street in 2008 during the global financial market collapse has made her resilient in the face of chaos. Drawing from her own encounters with complexities and transitions, her work centers on transforming difficult personal and professional battles into opportunities for extraordinary growth. As the Founder of Adaptive Leadership Atelier, she is on a mission to redefine the essence of leadership and living. Her studio is a home for heart-centered healing, coaching, and leadership development training for the conscious soul. At the heart of her work, Maya guides leadership artisans in fostering breakthroughs to radical freedom through vulnerability and fierce compassion. She works one-on-one with individuals and groups to support them in cultivating self-awareness, self-mastery, and behaviors that take lives and careers to the next level. Leading in the age of chaos and complexity is not an easy endeavor. At her atelier, Maya is committed to building the capacity necessary to face and thrive amidst the toughest, ever-changing societal, organizational, and collective challenges. In Maya's hands, coaching becomes a poetic journey - where leadership is an art, and every challenge is a muse.

Work with Maya

Maya’s free events

Live interactive sessions you can join for free.

Maya’s Master’s Programs Qualifications

Coaches professionally

70+ people coached for Master’s Programs

As a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School’s Master in Public Administration program and Creighton University’s Master in Investment Management and Financial Analysis program, I bring both the insider’s perspective and the strategist’s eye to the admissions journey. I have served on the Harvard Kennedy School admissions committee, participated in high-profile initiatives such as the Forte Foundation and Ladies Who Launch, and led numerous school tours and admissions events designed to shape and select the next generation of leaders. This dual vantage point, of both applicant and gatekeeper, allows me to guide clients with precision and candor. I know what elite admissions committees look for, what makes an application unforgettable, and how to transform a candidate’s story into a compelling case for acceptance. My coaching is rigorous, deeply personal, and grounded in the belief that every applicant can rise to meet the standards of the world’s most competitive graduate programs when their true narrative is brought to light.

Maya can help with:

Application Strategy

Editing

Essays

Financial Aid & Scholarships

General Exploration

Interviews

Letters of Recommendation

Resume

School Selection

Secondary Review

Waitlist Strategy

Why do I coach?

I coach because I know what it means to stand at the edge of uncertainty and wonder if you will find your way through. I have lived through demanding environments on Wall Street, deep academic immersion at Harvard, and life transitions across continents. At each stage, the presence of wise mentors and the practice of self-reflection helped me move from merely surviving toward creating meaning and impact. Coaching matters to me because it is a space where people can pause, be seen fully, and discover strengths they did not know they had. I have witnessed leaders transform when they realize that the very challenges they fear can become the catalysts for their greatest growth. My work is about holding that space and guiding clients to step into their clarity and courage. Coaching is not just my profession; it is the way I honor the transformative power that shaped my own life.

Work Experience

Brainz Magazine Logo

Contributor

Brainz Magazine

March 2024 - Present

Executive Contributor

BetterUp Logo

Executive Coach

BetterUp

January 2023 - Present

Leadership Development Coaching

Harvard Kennedy School Logo

Director

Harvard Kennedy School

January 2023 - Present

Applied Field Learning Lab

Adaptive Leadership Atelier Logo

Founder + CEO

Adaptive Leadership Atelier

July 2022 - Present

Harvard Kennedy School Logo

Adaptive Leadership Coach

Harvard Kennedy School

October 2019 - Present

Harvard Kennedy School Logo

Assistant Director

Harvard Kennedy School

October 2018 - January 2023

Goldman Sachs Logo

Lead Specialist Associate

Goldman Sachs

July 2008 - December 2013

Education

Oxford Brookes University Logo

Oxford Brookes University

Doctor, Coaching and Mentoring

2026 - 2029

Harvard Kennedy School Logo

Harvard Kennedy School

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

2016 - 2018

Admissions Committee Experience

Behavioral Insights, Adaptive Leadership & Adult Development Psychology

Creighton University Logo

Creighton University

Master of Investment Management and Financial Analysis (MIMFA), Finance

2014 - 2016

Activities and societies: Recipient of Full Graduate Assistantship Resident Director Creighton Upward Bound Program

University of Nebraska, Lincoln Logo

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Bachelor's Degree , Chemical Engineering

2004 - 2008

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