About AUC
Authenticity Unleashed Coaching exists to help leaders strengthen emotional intelligence and lead with more clarity, courage, and confidence. The work centers on supporting people in roles where the stakes are high, the pressure is real, and the impact of leadership is felt deeply across teams and organizations.
AUC partners with leaders who want to communicate with more intention, navigate conflict without losing their footing, build trust that lasts, and develop the internal steadiness needed to guide others through change. Many arrive at moments of transition or tension. Some are preparing for bigger roles. Others are facing complex team dynamics or managing environments that shift faster than the support around them.
AUC was built on years of experience in education, talent acquisition, and people leadership, including time at Google supporting operations, inclusive hiring, and leadership development programs. Those chapters offered a clear view into the realities leaders face every day: competing priorities, heavy expectations, emotional load, and the challenge of staying grounded while serving others.
Clients come to AUC to get clear on how they want to lead and to build the communication habits that match that vision. Together, we work to build confidence, sharpen decision-making, and strengthen presence so leaders can show up consistently in every room. AUC supports individuals navigating promotion, role expansion, burnout, imposter syndrome, organizational change, and shifting team dynamics. We also partner with organizations that want to deepen leadership capability, retention, and culture through 1:1 coaching and small-group development.
Focus areas include:
• Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• Communication under pressure
• Leadership presence and confidence
• Decision-making and alignment
• Navigating conflict and difficult conversations
• Team dynamics, influence, and trust-building
• Transitions into new leadership roles or environments
Who AUC typically partners with:
• People leaders stepping into new or expanded roles
• Senior ICs preparing for leadership or managing complex influence
• Leaders navigating team conflict or high-stakes decisions
• High-potential talent strengthening communication and presence
• Organizations investing in leadership capability and culture
Experience behind AUC includes:
• Leadership coaching across tech, construction, and corporate functions
• Google leadership experience in operations, inclusive hiring, and DEI programs
• Talent acquisition and executive recruiting expertise supporting leaders nationally
• An early career in education that shaped the way we teach, guide, and coach
Hello, I’m Maliik.
For longer than I care to remember, I drank the corporate kool-aid that compelled me to shrink myself and forgo my values to achieve other people’s versions of success. I ambled from company to company looking for community and acceptance. I built my professional tribe along the way who in time helped me accept the realization that my biggest problem wasn’t the orgs, it was me. And no matter where I went, there I was. Through mentoring, therapy and self-study, I broke through to a space internally where I found the courage to allow my authentic professional self to thrive. I began to trust my values as my compass. I unlocked a deep sense of empathy that had been shrouded by ignorance and fear. Unleashed, I evolved exponentially as a leader in the workplace, with my family and amongst friends.
Prior to corporate HR leadership, I served as an educator at the middle school, high school and community college levels. This experience not only connected with my purpose but has transferred to my authentic approach to leadership. I thrive in opportunities to educate, train or mentor. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to pour into hundreds of lives. Now as a certified coach and consultant, I leverage my lived experiences, education and insights to help folks untangle the internal knots that keep them from evolving into self-aware, empathetic, and inclusive leaders.
When I'm not coaching high-achieving leaders to get more out of their work life, I’m usually at home playing music, streaming content, listening to an audiobook, cooking or preparing for my next travel getaway with my wife. Unabashedly, I can talk about music, BBQ, and Miami Hurricanes football for days!
I invite you to connect with me for coffee and conversation (although transparently, I’m a tea drinker). Let me show you how I’ve helped other leaders by creating spaces of healing and growth that allow you to be vulnerable, gain clarity, and recapture the confidence needed to howl at the moon fearlessly.
Maliik Baraka, CPDC
