About me
About Me
I’m Tess Vigil — a coach, designer, and catalyst for meaningful change.
I help leaders and teams deliver impactful results and achieve their goals. Leveraging behavioral science, analytical structure, and emotional intelligence, I spark momentum in people and organizations ready to grow. I value authenticity, transparency, and continuous improvement — and I bring all three to every engagement.
My career has taken me from the classroom to healthcare and a few unexpected places in between. I started as a teacher in Los Angeles through Teach for America, where I discovered my passion for developing people. I went on to coach and lead teachers across Colorado, eventually directing culturally responsive education at Denver Public Schools — enhancing educational experiences for 67,500 students across 162 schools. I’ve consulted nationally through Promise54, partnering with social impact organizations on talent strategy, leadership development, and culture. Today, I lead change management and technology implementation work in patient education at a large healthcare organization, bridging technical solutions and business needs to empower front-line teams.
Throughout it all, I’ve maintained a coaching practice. I work with executives and emerging leaders in education, nonprofit, and healthcare settings, drawing on 360-degree assessments, feedback and conflict resolution strategies, and a deep grounding in social and organizational psychology.
And then there’s the dress company — the venture that proved creativity and business smarts aren’t opposites. As a one-woman operation, I built a responsible fashion brand from scratch, handling everything from concept sketching and sourcing to production management, budgeting, and sales. I committed to fair wages and sustainable practices long before it was trendy, and along the way sold collections to Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Modcloth online, and four years in a row, designed the Sugarplum dresses for Colorado Ballet Auxiliary Guild. Running that business for eight years taught me something I carry into every coaching conversation: when you combine vision with resourcefulness and a refusal to wait for permission, you can build something remarkable.
I hold a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.Ed. from Loyola Marymount University. I’m originally from Denver, where I live with my husband and two children.
