An Inspired Chat with Lisa L. Baker of Towson, MD

We recently had the chance to connect with Lisa L. Baker and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
There’s a proverb that says “laughter does good, like medicine,” and I take that prescription as often as I can. I frequently laugh out loud. Humor is part of my daily routine, especially with my husband. Our playful banter and teasing have been the source of some of my loudest, most joyful laughs lately. It’s those small, shared moments that remind me how healing and energizing laughter can be.

On the pride front, I recently reached some milestones that truly energized me. I’m honored to have joined the Forbes Coaches Council—an invitation-only community of experienced coaches dedicated to lifelong learning, leadership, and impact. Being featured in several Expert Panels has been incredibly rewarding, and I was especially proud to be recognized as the top voice in “20 Ways Executives Ignore Leadership Challenges—And Why It’s Risky.” That acknowledgment felt like a powerful affirmation of the work I do to empower high-achieving professionals and entrepreneurs to navigate today’s complex business environment.

And perhaps most exciting of all, my first byline article on Forbes was recently published: “Purpose Over Performance: Transformational Edge Of Aligned Leadership.” It’s a piece that speaks deeply to my heart and the mission behind my work—helping leaders lead from a place of alignment, not just achievement.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My mission is simple yet profound: to help leaders achieve transformational growth by leading from their area of greatness, that powerful place where strengths, passions, and purpose converge.

After a 30-year career in corporate America, during which I led teams and achieved record-breaking results at Fortune 500 fintech companies, I left the corporate world to pursue something more meaningful: helping leaders discover their greatness and lead with purpose.

In 2021, I founded Ascentim®, an award-winning executive coaching and leadership development practice.

At Ascentim, we believe that transformational leadership begins from within. When leaders do the inner work, they not only change how they lead but also elevate how others develop alongside them. Transformed leaders inspire their teams. Transformed teams shape the culture. And when organizations lead with alignment and authenticity, they spark movements capable of changing the world. That is our mission: to transform the world—one leader, one team, one organization at a time.

What makes our work unique is the blend of real-world executive experience, advanced coach training, and a deeply empathetic, strengths-based approach. I coach the whole person using my full self, applying everything I’ve learned through life and leadership to help my clients discover themselves, stay accountable, and achieve meaningful growth.

Ascentim consistently earns 5-star ratings because of the transformation we help deliver, not just in performance, but in how leaders show up, connect, and create lasting impact.

Our signature G.R.O.W. Coaching Process is a values-based framework that helps leaders turn insight into strategic action and success into significance. Through personalized coaching, strategic facilitation, and immersive leadership development, we empower high-achieving professionals and purpose-driven organizations to navigate complexity, amplify influence, and build cultures rooted in excellence and integrity.

That’s what makes Ascentim truly special.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a girl who instinctively sensed her purpose, even before I had the words to identify it.

In kindergarten, there was a girl in my class who often showed up at school in dirty clothes, her long blond hair tangled and unbrushed. I remember feeling a strong urge to help her, to protect her from teasing and judgment by others. I couldn’t understand why no one else seemed to see what I saw—the quiet strength of a troubled girl.

That moment stayed with me. Even as a child, I felt called to see people fully and help them rise. That sense of purpose was quiet but persistent. It was a compass I didn’t yet know how to follow.

From childhood into adulthood, I learned to adapt. I understood what was rewarded, what was expected, and how I needed to show up to fit into the corporate mold. I gained expertise in delivering results, leading teams, and advancing my career. And while I was successful by every external measure, something inside me felt increasingly disconnected.

The truth is, I always knew my purpose. I just lost connection with it. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to fit in and started living in alignment with my area of greatness that everything changed. I stopped performing and started becoming. I released the desire for external acceptance and embraced self-acceptance, authenticity, and purpose.

And in doing so, I rediscovered the version of myself I’d always known—the one who sees people, believes in their potential, and helps them achieve it.

That’s why I do this work. Because I believe every leader has an inner compass. And when they reconnect with it, they don’t just transform how they lead. They become who they truly are.

Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
Well, if I answer your question, then everyone will know, so you’re getting privileged intel.

What I miss is something many people take for granted: the lived experience of family legacy — the stories, the wisdom, the connection to past generations. I didn’t grow up with the memories that others often share about their grandparents or great-grandparents.

My paternal grandfather passed before I was born. I have only one vague memory of my paternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother died when I was six months old, and I never spent time with my maternal grandfather. Many of the elders in my family were gone long before I arrived, and with them went the stories, traditions, and lived history that shape so much of who we are.

Lately, I’ve started building my family tree on Ancestry. I know I have a rich heritage. My very existence proves that. But I missed the firsthand experiences, the conversations, and the lessons passed down over kitchen tables and front porches.

And here’s the leadership insight: legacy isn’t just inherited. We create it.

As leaders, we have the power to shape the stories others will tell. We can choose to lead in ways that leave behind more than results—we can leave behind values, wisdom, and impact that echo beyond our time. I may not have inherited the stories I long for, but I’m committed to living a life that creates them for others.

Because leadership shouldn’t just be about what we impact, it must also be about what we impart.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I’m not sure if I’m smart enough (or judgmental enough) to say someone is “totally wrong.” But I am a sharp observer of people, perspectives, and performance. And I do have an opinion, maybe an unpopular one, about diversity.

I believe in diversity—not just as a moral imperative but as a strategic advantage. The data is clear: diversity in all its forms drives innovation, strengthens teams, and improves the bottom line.

What I see some brilliant leaders getting wrong is how they respond to the current climate around DEI. And it often comes down to one thing: fear.

Some leaders dismiss DEI altogether—not because they’re confused, but because their narrow understanding fuels fear of losing power, status, or control. Others believe in its promise. They know the DEI data and see the impact, yet they stay silent. They fear backlash, reputational risk, or being labeled. So they whisper their support behind closed doors while remaining publicly neutral.

The result? A loss of trust. A loss of integrity. A leadership brand that feels inconsistent. And when integrity is compromised, leadership loses its power.

At Ascentim, integrity is one of our core values, and we uphold it at all costs. For us, integrity is more than a word on a wall. It’s the foundation of trust, which is the currency of leadership.

Smart leaders experience fear like everyone else. But the best ones refuse to let it dictate their values. They speak up, especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Legacy is what you live into each day, not what you leave behind.

As I mentioned before, I didn’t grow up with a close connection to my grandparents. I want my grandchildren to have a rich collection of memories—moments with their GiGi that stay with them and shape who they become. My prayer is that each one will have a laugh, a lesson, or a story they can pass down to their own children.

Above all, I want my legacy to be one of love.

I hope the story people tell about me is that I helped uplift others. I saw greatness in people before they saw it in themselves. And I challenged leaders to reconnect with their inner compass and lead from their area of greatness.

I hope people say, “She built something that mattered.” That Ascentim was more than a business; it was a movement that sparked transformation from the leader to the team, the organization, and beyond.

Let it be said I lived by my values, especially when it was hard.

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Ascentim

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