Misa Fujimura-Fanselow is an executive coach who helps leaders step into the most authentic, effective, and grounded version of themselves so they can create the impact they aspire to have. With a blend of deep empathy and sensitive candidness , she celebrates her clients’ strengths, illuminates blind spots, offers candid feedback, and equips them with  confidence and tools to lead with clarity and purpose.

Misa brings a nuanced lens to her coaching, integrating her expertise in inclusion and belonging to explore how identity and background shape leadership. She creates a space where clients feel both supported and empowered to expand their capacity, navigate complexity, and lead with intention.

Her career spans more than 20 years across sectors and continents. She began in the non-profit world, leading a college access and admissions program, before earning her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She went on to serve as a strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group and later pivoted to leadership development, holding senior roles at Duke Corporate Education, S&P Global, and The Bridgespan Group, the premier social impact consulting firm. Today, alongside her coaching practice, she serves as faculty at the Management Communication Center at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. 

Born in New York City and raised between Tokyo and NYC, Misa brings a global perspective shaped by living and working in Tokyo, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and now Durham, North Carolina. She is fluent in Japanese, conversant in Spanish, married to a Colombian partner, and raising their young child to have a multicultural world view. A dedicated traveler, she makes annual trips to Japan and Colombia to visit family and friends.

Misa’s clients value her for her ability to combine strategic insight with deep human connection — guiding them toward leadership that is both highly effective and deeply true to who they are.