Dr. Julie Tofilon has over 30 years of experience in international business, ministry, and education, including 12 years at the director level.
Julie provides senior executive coaching, CEO advising, and C-suite consulting. Drawing on her significant expertise in global, cross-cultural communication and in personal counseling, she specializes in assisting for-profit and non-profit leaders with navigating difficult leadership, relationship, and career challenges. Her wholistic approach to coaching helps clients achieve both career and personal goals.
Julie has been an independent executive coach and life coach since 2017, when she became an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation and a Certified Professional Life Coach. Her clients represent a wide diversity of cultures, ages, life experience, career positions, and worldviews, and have included executive directors / CEOs, ministry leaders (paid and volunteer), mid-level managers, leaders’ spouses, couples, and parents. Julie has also worked globally as an online ESL teacher since 2011, working with people of every culture and language.
From 2007 to 2010, Julie served as Professor of Cross-Cultural Communication and a member of the ESL faculty at SIAS University in China. There she developed the entire curriculum for the course, still being used today. Prior, from 2006 to 2007, she studied full time and earned her doctorate. From 2001 to 2005, she was Co-founder/Co-director of the Tofilon Tourism Agency in the Middle East, where she welcomed hundreds of guests from Europe, the Americas, and Asia, including government officials. Julie gained her first experience working internationally as a local ESL teacher from 1992 to 2000, including time spent teaching in Indonesia in the employ of the Indonesian government. In addition, she was Co-founder/Co-director of the International Friendship Club from 1990 to 1998, serving hundreds of foreign families who had either immigrated or come as students to the U.S. The IFC is still going strong today. During her years abroad, Julie and her husband also founded three churches in three different countries, all of which continue to thrive.
Julie is a passionate speaker, performer, writer and volunteer. She has over 30 years of experience delivering talks and seminars on communication, leadership, cross-cultural skills, and spiritual growth. Books she has written or co-authored include Communicating Like Christ: The Master Plan for Healthy Relationships; Who is a Godly Leader?; and Speaking Beautiful English—Building Successful Lives.
In addition to her coaching certifications, Julie holds a D.Min. summa cum laude in leadership and an M.A. summa cum laude in intercultural studies from Columbia International University; a dual-major B.A. cum laude in international relations and music from Knox College; and a certificate in counseling.
Julie has been joyfully married to her husband Tom for 37 years—they’ve lived in 3 different overseas countries as well as the U.S., raised their family overseas, and enjoyed the adventure of it all. They met launching one of their earliest entrepreneurial ventures: a coffeehouse on their university campus. They now have 2 grown sons, 2 daughters-in-love, and 3 grandsons—she always says it’s a good thing she’s used to being around guys and loves playing sports! In their free time, she and her husband also compose original music and perform in the U.S. and around the world.
