Christel at the beach for sunset, smiling in a floral outfit. Background is cloudy sky, palm trees, plants, and the ocean.

Hi, I’m Christel Ridao

I help people live in joy, thrive with ease, and make socially conscious choices through the support of one-on-one coaching.

I’m a certified coach, project consultant, and part of the social movement for our collective well-being. My approach is to meet wherever your practice of personal and collective care is.

You can think of our work together as a partnership to create, sustain, or evolve your ways of being authentic, building community, and celebrating what you love.

View My Credentials

Click on the credential image for details. You can also view my professional experience and education on LinkedIn.

  • Earners of the Certified Professional Coach (CPC) certification have completed the iPEC Coach Training Program consisting of 160 instruction and practice hours and passed the final exam per approved International Coaching Federation (ICF) requirements. Earner demonstrates knowledge and proficiency using iPEC proprietary Core Energy Coaching™ method and in core competencies outlined by the ICF (the leading global organization for certified coaches).

  • Earners of the Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) certification have completed the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) training necessary to coach and debrief clients utilizing this researched, proprietary tool. Earners are proficient in the training, experience, and skills to analyze and interpret the data from the ELI Assessment results and partner with clients to uncover opportunities for deeper awareness, optimal performance, and growth.

 
 

 Our beliefs inform our values. Our values influence how we show up. How we show up matters.

 
 

Some beliefs I hold

  • The power of curiosity, awareness, and intentional choice

  • Approaching the world with a “Yes, and” mindset rather than an “Either, or” way of thinking

  • Appreciating art in its many forms

  • Keeping company with kind and inspiring people (including myself in moments of solitude)

  • The simple joy of everyday celebrations

  • The human experience is more expansive than the labels we were assigned at birth

  • Radical self-love is essential to our collective care, well-being, and liberation

Values my work aligns with

  • Authenticity

  • Compassion

  • Learning

  • Joy

  • Connection

  • Solidarity

  • Radical Self-Love

What I can do for you

  • Be with you as you explore an inner world that is rich with nuance, depth, and intuition

  • Connect you to the interesting, insightful, and empowering answers that you have within you

  • Share my impressions, encouragement, and presence with you

  • Create a warm, safe, and supportive space for your growth

What I’m Like

My professional and lived experience contributes to my presence as a coach. With 13 years of people-focused work within human resources teams and global consulting projects, I have a passion for learning, unlearning, and collaboration. I care about uplifting human dignity and showing up with curiosity, empathy, and playfulness.

I grew up in the Philippines and lived in Thailand and Singapore before moving to the States. Thriving at the intersection of diverse identities, I practice solidarity with local and global communities. I’m committed to action and investment to supports social, economic, and environmental justice.

Play, travel, and rest are big themes for me. I’m based in Chicago* and take my practice of care with me when I’m able to travel.

*the unceded ancestral lands of the Council of Three Fires: Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi, as well tribes including the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations that have called this land home