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

Harvard Kennedy School

Goldman Sachs
Available tomorrow
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.
Maya also coaches for Leadership Coaching, Transitioning from the Military, and Career Coaching. View all.
Work with Maya
Maya’s free events
Live interactive sessions you can join for free.

Overwhelmed by Graduate School Applications? Bring All Your Questions: AMA
Sep 6 at 6:00 PM UTC
19 people going
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

Contributor
Brainz Magazine
March 2024 - Present
Executive Contributor

Executive Coach
BetterUp
January 2023 - Present
Leadership Development Coaching

Director
Harvard Kennedy School
January 2023 - Present
Applied Field Learning Lab

Founder + CEO
Adaptive Leadership Atelier
July 2022 - Present

Adaptive Leadership Coach
Harvard Kennedy School
October 2019 - Present

Assistant Director
Harvard Kennedy School
October 2018 - January 2023

Lead Specialist Associate
Goldman Sachs
July 2008 - December 2013
Education

Oxford Brookes University
Doctor, Coaching and Mentoring
2026 - 2029

Harvard Kennedy School
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
2016 - 2018
Admissions Committee Experience
Behavioral Insights, Adaptive Leadership & Adult Development Psychology

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
Bachelor's Degree , Chemical Engineering
2004 - 2008
5.0 average review
3 reviews
Overall rating
Maya also coaches for Leadership Coaching, Transitioning from the Military, and Career Coaching. View all.