Dr. Darice Irby, EdD
Leadership consultant. John Maxwell certified coach & trainer. DISC consultant. AI strategist. U.S. Army veteran.
Dr. Darice Irby, EdD
Founder & CEO
Dr. Darice Irby is the founder of Thriving Partners Group, LLC, a premier leadership coaching, training, and AI solutions firm dedicated to empowering purpose-driven leaders, teams, and organizations to unlock their full potential, accelerate growth, and create lasting impact.
Her professional foundation begins with eight years of honorable service in the U.S. Army, where she developed deep expertise in logistics, operational efficiency, and strategic leadership, instilling in her the discipline, resilience, and mission-focused mindset that defines her approach to leadership development today. Following her military service, she built over two decades of transformational impact across nonprofit and EdTech corporate sectors, leading multi-million-dollar initiatives that produced measurable organizational growth and systemic change.
Dr. Irby is a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Coach and Trainer and Certified Maxwell DISC Method Trainer and Consultant, a distinction earned through the world's most recognized leadership development organization. Trained and authorized by the John Maxwell Team, she is equipped to facilitate Maxwell's industry-leading content and methodologies, helping individuals and organizations raise their leadership lid, shift their thinking, and produce extraordinary results. These certifications position her among an elite global community of leadership professionals committed to adding value to others and developing leaders at every level.
Today, Dr. Irby partners with executives, entrepreneurs, corporate teams, nonprofits, and educational organizations to develop exceptional leaders through:
- John Maxwell-Certified Leadership Coaching & Training: evidence-based leadership development rooted in Maxwell's proven principles of influence, intentional growth, and servant leadership.
- DISC Behavioral Training and Consulting: empowering teams with deep self-awareness and interpersonal intelligence to communicate, collaborate, and lead more effectively.
- Transformational Training: immersive learning experiences that drive behavioral change, strengthen organizational culture, and equip leaders to lead with clarity and confidence.
- AI Strategy & Integration Solutions: cutting-edge guidance that helps forward-thinking organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to scale their impact and future-proof their operations.
Whether she's coaching a C-suite executive, training a high-performance team, or guiding an organization through transformational change, Dr. Irby brings a rare combination of military precision, decades of sector expertise, and Maxwell-certified leadership mastery, all in service of one mission: helping leaders and organizations not just succeed, but thrive.
Called to lead. Built to thrive.
Credentials & Distinctions
Mission & Core Values
Purpose
Every leader carries a calling. We help you lead from yours — with clarity, conviction, and intention.
Excellence
We bring proven frameworks, certified expertise, and uncompromising standards to every engagement.
Impact
We measure success in transformed leaders, healthier teams, and lasting organizational change.
Coaching Philosophy
"Called to Lead.
Built to Thrive."
We believe leadership is a calling — and that lasting transformation happens when capable people are equipped with the right wisdom, frameworks, and tools.
Meet Our Partners
The Team Behind the Mission
James Irby, Executive MBA
Partner — Executive Adviser & Operational Excellence Strategist
James Irby, Executive MBA, is a seasoned executive adviser, operational excellence strategist, and leadership consultant with more than 30 years of experience leading complex organizations, driving transformational business outcomes, and developing high-performing teams across corporate, military, logistics, retail, and operational environments.
Throughout his executive career, James has led large-scale operational platforms, overseeing nearly $1 billion in annual business performance, while developing and leading teams of more than 3,000 employees across multi-site operations. His leadership experience spans high-volume distribution networks, retail operations, workforce transformation, operational turnarounds, customer experience strategy, and enterprise execution within growth-oriented and private equity-backed environments.
As a partner within Thriving Partners Group, James works with executives, leadership teams, investors, entrepreneurs, and organizations seeking to improve operational efficiency, leadership accountability, organizational alignment, workforce performance, and scalable growth. His ability to align people, process, and performance has helped organizations navigate complex operational challenges while building resilient cultures focused on measurable business impact.
James is recognized for creating disciplined performance systems that strengthen accountability, improve operational execution, and support sustainable growth across complex organizations. His expertise includes operational excellence, organizational transformation, executive advisory, leadership development, workforce optimization, strategic planning, and high-performance team leadership.
Before his executive leadership career, James served in the United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets), where he developed the mission-focused leadership principles that continue to shape his approach today: disciplined execution, resilience, servant leadership, strategic decision-making under pressure, and the ability to lead effectively through uncertainty and organizational change.
Over the course of his career, James has successfully led organizations through periods of rapid growth, operational restructuring, cultural transformation, and large-scale workforce leadership. He is particularly passionate about helping organizations strengthen leadership infrastructure, develop next-generation leaders, improve organizational effectiveness, and create scalable operational systems that support long-term enterprise value.
Known for his calm executive presence, strategic mindset, and high-accountability leadership style, James brings a rare combination of operational expertise, military leadership discipline, and people-centered leadership to every organization he serves.
At Thriving Partners Group, James partners with organizations committed to operational excellence, leadership transformation, and the development of high-performing teams capable of thriving in today's rapidly evolving business environment.
Credentials
Let's Partner Together
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