Donna Brighton
The Leadership Coach Championing Connection
Donna Brighton is a trailblazer in leadership coaching and culture change, with a track record of transforming organizations from the inside out. As the founder of Brighton Leadership Group, she’s worked with Fortune 500 companies to help leaders create environments where innovation, collaboration, and trust can thrive.
For Donna, friendship is at the heart of great leadership. “Loneliness and isolation are barriers to success—not just personally, but professionally,” she shares. Her passion for connection stems from years of helping leaders build teams where belonging and camaraderie are core values.
Donna’s work in leadership is deeply personal; she understands that fostering authentic relationships can spark the kind of growth that no strategy or skillset alone can achieve. On Friendship Matters, she brings her unique perspective on how cultivating friendships can elevate both your career and your personal life.
True friendship is not a luxury. It is a necessity for our health, for our happiness, and for how we show up in the world. In every corner of life - from the boardroom to the kitchen table - friendships shape our energy, our outlook, and even our longevity.
Too often, we let connection become casual, something we’ll get to ‘when we have time.’ But friendship deserves priority, not proximity. It is the foundation of our resilience, the catalyst for creativity, and the antidote to isolation.
Donna Brighton, co-founder of the Friendship Institute and Chief Friendship Coach