About Us
About Stoneledge
Stoneledge was founded in 2019 originally as a health and wellness brand with a simple belief: people do their best work when they lead with clarity and prioritize wellness.
Since then, the work has evolved through years of client conversations, research, and refinement. What started as a broader wellness company has become a boutique leadership advisory firm focused on helping senior leaders and executive teams align on what matters most and execute with greater leverage.
Today, Stoneledge supports leaders through advisory, workshops, and coaching built for real organizational results.
Michelle Baker, Co-Founder & CEO
Michelle Baker is the lead advisor, primary coach, and architect behind Stoneledge’s High-Leverage Leadership work. She brings a distinct combination of executive experience, practical facilitation, and deep personal investment in the leaders she serves.
Before founding Stoneledge, Michelle spent 24 years with The Walt Disney Company, where she led inside demanding environments built on team alignment, high standards, and consistent execution. During her time as a Director at Disney Institute, Michelle partnered with organizations across industries, guiding leaders in culture, leadership, and service excellence.
Earlier in her Disney career, Michelle helped open Disney Cruise Line as a Shoreside Senior Operations Manager and later sailed aboard the Disney Dream as an Officer. That experience gave her a firsthand understanding of what it takes to lead large teams, protect standards, and keep execution moving in an environment where there are no days off.
Now, Michelle brings that experience into her work with senior leaders in complex roles she understands firsthand. With her direct and steady approach, she’s been described as “calm and certain”. This approach plus her deep investment in client success has led to a renewal rate over 80%.
Michelle is a certified coach, Board Member at Strayer University, and an Honors MBA graduate from the Jack Welch Management Institute. After spending three decades in central Florida, she now embraces the mountain air and growing business community of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
AJ Baker, Co-Founder & CXO
AJ Baker leads the client experience, branding, and systems for Stoneledge. He’s responsible for the backend infrastructure and experiential details that make every engagement feel polished and intentional.
As a mother-son leadership team, Michelle is the visionary and AJ is the architect. He turns ideas into structure, builds the touchpoints that support the client journey, and ensures the work behind the scenes meets the same executive-level standard as the work delivered in the room.
As Chief Experience Officer, AJ is especially focused on the details clients may never notice directly but feel throughout the engagement. His goal is to help Stoneledge deliver work that feels thoughtful, prepared, and personal.
Before going all-in with Stoneledge, AJ was on a leadership path at a flagship Whole Foods store in California. He also attended University of TN, Knoxville and is a graduate of Valencia College in Orlando, FL, where he studied business and anthropology. Today, he brings operational discipline, creative judgment, and a deep commitment to overdelivering for clients.
J.J. Lillibridge
Regional Account Director
J.J. supports the strategic growth and brand ethos of Stoneledge, while aligning solutions with client needs. JJ is a seasoned leader, a successful business owner, and life-long advocate for professional development.
Samantha Baum
Client Engagement Director
One of the original Stoneledge team members, Sam provides client support for Stoneledge while contributing to marketing direction, social media approach, and product development.
Our Mission:
We help senior leaders and executive teams align on priorities and execute with greater leverage. Through advisory, workshops, and coaching, we equip leaders with high-leverage disciplines that improve clarity, consistency, and organizational results.
Our Vision:
A world where High-Leverage Leadership creates a ripple effect across organizations, helping leaders build clearer teams, stronger ownership, and better outcomes for the people their work impacts.
Core Values:
Quality: We deliver thoughtful, high-caliber work in every engagement. We aim to overdeliver and will never trade excellence for speed.
Integrity: We operate with honesty and sound judgment. We prioritize long-term trust over short-term gain.
Candor: Direct conversations build strong leaders. We speak clearly, challenge respectfully, and address what matters.
Ownership: Leadership is a responsibility. We model accountability in our work and expect it in our partnerships.
Impact: Results matter. Our work is measured by stronger teams, clearer direction, and execution that holds under pressure.
If our approach resonates, let’s talk.
We begin every engagement by understanding your operating reality and determining whether working together makes sense.