“Human Capital Potentialist, C-Suite Coach, Best-Selling Author, International Speaker, Amplifying Potential | Actualizing Performance”
Hi, I’m Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer, and I’m a human capital strategist and board-certified executive coach. I work at the intersection of strategy and soul, helping organizations unlock the full value of their workforce and individuals realize the full power of their potential.
For more than 30 years, I’ve advised CEOs, executive teams, and multi-generational enterprises on aligning talent strategy with business growth. I’ve also led cultural transformations, succession strategies, and human capital investments that turn people into an organization’s most sustainable competitive advantage.
But I don’t just serve companies—I serve the people inside them.
I coach high-capacity leaders ready to reconnect with their purpose, reclaim their voice, and lead from a place of alignment, not exhaustion. I help individuals see the greatness they carry, the superpowers they’ve overlooked, and the possibilities they’re meant to pursue.
Whether I’m in the boardroom or across from a leader at a crossroads, the goal is the same:
Actualize people. Align purpose. Amplify performance.
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Drawing from her extensive experience across diverse industries, organizational types, and locations, Dr. Cynthia founded Bentzen Performance Partners and co-founded The Zeal of the Heel. Her focus is on executive coaching, senior leadership advancement, and assembling diverse top-tier teams. Her contributions have earned her recognition, including being featured in Ingram's "50 Missourians You Should Know," Becker's "143 Women Leaders of Hospital and Health Systems to Know," and being honored as a St. Louis YWCA Leader of Distinction and one of St. Louis's Most Influential Businesswomen.
In her USA Today Bestselling book, "Now, Near, Next: A Practical Guide for Mid-Career Women to Move from Professional Serendipity to Intentional Advancement," Cynthia and co-author Kimberly Rath empower women to energize self-agency, ignite intentionality, and actualize their potential! Her latest book, "Human Capital Investment Strategy" provides CEOs and leaders a six-step framework to invest in their most valuable (and expensive) assets with the same discipline and rigor traditionally reserved for financial investments.
Bentzen is here to help take your organization's talent to the next level. We specialize in harnessing untapped potential within CEOs and organizations to achieve excellence.
