Dr. Yon Na is an organizational psychologist, leadership consultant, coach, and speaker

Yon helps professionals uncover patterns and trust their natural gifts as leaders

Yon moved to the U.S. from Korea at eight years old, and spent years learning to read rooms that weren't built with her in mind and understanding identity as something layered and complex. That instinct followed her into a career in advertising, and later, into a Brooklyn loft with a view of the Twin Towers. 

There, Yon had everything success was supposed to look like and still felt like something was missing. When the towers fell on September 11th, the questions she’d been avoiding got harder to ignore: who was she becoming, and was this the life she actually wanted?

So, she left advertising, went back to school, and built a career around the realization that professionals can be more fulfilled in their leadership roles when they accept their complexities and embrace their natural gifts.

Today, as a leadership consultant, coach, and speaker, Yon brings that same curiosity to every leader she works with, informed by a career spent inside Fortune 500 companies and a life spent asking “what’s next?”

Credentials & Affiliations

ICF logo with PCC certification badge indicating Professional Certified Coach and ICF Credentials & Standards
CCe Board Certified Coach badge with a blue ribbon labeled BCC
A certification badge
Seal of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University
Women owned certification

Get to know Yon Na

Sure, Yon has a PhD and a couple decades of experience with some of the biggest global brands, but she’s also deeply human. Here’s what you need to know about Yon beyond the work she does.

  • For over 10 years, Yon has been traveling in her Airstream (named Bambi) and chronicles it all on her travel blog, Butters & Bambi.

  • Yon’s a certified film buff, married to an artist, and loves an underdog story (you see the theme here, right?).

  • She once planned a swing dancing event just to see if people would show up. They did.

  • Yon makes her own kimchi, the slow way, because she doesn’t believe in shortcuts (and because it tastes way better homemade).

  • There’s usually a dog in her lap, by her feet–or both–and pups are always welcome on Yon’s travel adventures.

  • "Yon is extremely knowledgeable, and she also has a gift for connection. The workshop she held for us was grounded in theory and her own powerful research, with stories and opportunities for discussion woven throughout. She provided the perfect balance of space to reflect and also actionable steps for participants to take. Each participant left the workshop with a new leadership prototype aligned to their uniqueness. In addition to her expertise, Yon shows up with empathy, compassion and fun."

    —Ashley Forbes, PhD, Director, Learning & Enablement, Salesforce

  • "Yon's workshop is a valuable component to the Colour Entertainment leadership program. She expertly and compassionately guides our fellows through the process of crafting their leadership persona, and provides actionable steps to push their careers to the next level."

    —Kelly Edwards, Author, The Executive Chair and former SVP of Talent Development for HBO, and President of Colour Entertainment

What guides Yon’s work

Discovery over instruction

Pathological positivity 

Grounded in data

Frameworks, not formulas

The “me” within the “we”

Trying is better than perfection

Dr. Yon Na, founder of Radiance Leadership, sitting in a chair smiling with a microphone
Yon Na brand visuals, colorful abstract artwork

“Every part of your identity and experience you’ve had is a thread. I provide the space to pull those threads together, layering and untangling them until we create the pattern that makes you, you. When you understand that you are a complex individual made up of many different threads, you will learn how to amplify the gifts that make you effective and become more comfortable with the skills that don't come as naturally.”

– Yon Na

Book a complimentary consultation with Yon

Whether you're ready to work through what's tangling your own leadership patterns or looking for a speaker who'll help your audience do the same. This brief get-to-know-you chat will help you get clear on what's next, with no pressure to decide anything on the spot.