Home
//
About us

About

About Michelle Vazzana, PhD“You can only change what you’re willing to feel.”

I’m Michelle Vazzana, known to many as Dr. V. I am an organizational psychologist, executive, and systems builder. My research codifies how high performers decide and execute, then turns those patterns into executable frameworks for sellers and managers. I bring that same research and systems approach to emotional regulation and emotional clarity so people can make better choices in real time.

This is practical self-reflection. Not therapy. Not a life overhaul. It works in real time and over time.

Why I Built the Feel First Framework™

For decades I studied how people make decisions, slip into patterns, and repeat roles. I also lived it. When I faced a personal and professional reckoning, I learned to feel what was true, name the patterns, and start choosing differently. That process showed me something simple and powerful: the brain does not just react. It predicts. Old experiences shape those predictions and can pull us into familiar scripts.

From that discovery came the Feel First Framework, a repeatable way to feel what is happening now, align with what matters, and choose the next move with clarity.

I aim to be a bridge between research and everyday life. Between insight and action.

What I Do

Speaker

100+ keynotes and learning sessions, including ATD, Training Industry, The Sales Management Association, The Revenue Enablement Society, LTEN, and the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference, plus many client sales kickoffs. I bring the same passionate, engaging presence to this new direction: emotional clarity at work, decision making, and self-leadership.

Creator

Feel First DailyTM, a private, pocket coach that guides a quick check-in so you can FEEL, ALIGN, and CHOOSE anytime you need it.

Author

Three McGraw Hill books on behavior and performance — Cracking the Sales Management Code, Crushing Quota, and The Sales Agility Code. My upcoming book, The Power of Personal Choice, shows how to turn emotional clarity into in-the-moment decisions.

Advisor and coach

Practical frameworks and executive coaching for leaders and teams who want sustained, values-aligned performance.

The Feel First Framework™ at a glance

Why It Works

When you add clear feeling and aligned values to the loop, you feed your brain better data. Predictions update. Decision quality improves.

Credentials and Background

PhD, Organizational Psychology; MS, Organizational Effectiveness; BS, Computer Science

Strategic Advisor at Imparta; co-founded a global performance firm serving Fortune 500 companies

Author of three McGraw Hill books

Keynotes and workshops across industries; recurring speaker at the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference

A Few Things I Believe

Emotional clarity is a skill you can learn.

Personal power grows when you practice emotional ownership.

Small, wise choices compound. Freedom is built one decision at a time.

Feel first. Choose clearly. Live free.

Media Bio

Michelle Vazzana, PhD, also known as Dr. V, is an organizational psychologist, author, and creator of the Feel First Framework™. Her research codifies how high performers make decisions and turns those patterns into executable frameworks for better results. A recurring speaker at the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference with more than 100 talks delivered, she brings research to real-world change. Her upcoming book, The Power of Personal Choice, helps people feel what is true now, align with what matters, and choose their next step with confidence.