Renee Steinbrecher, ACC Founder and Manager, Acorn Patterns Leadership Coaching LLC.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

— Nelson Henderson

In the midst of full-time work, leading a nonprofit, and raising a family, Renee started to wonder, what’s next? After many years of searching, she likes to say that “coaching found her.” She felt called to transformational leadership work, dove in head first, and never looked back.

What motivates her to do this work? It’s a combination of things.

Her belief that if we take our inner work seriously to become the best version of ourselves, both professionally and personally, we will not only lift up ourselves but also those around us, influencing generations to come.

Her experience at a Jesuit college, which teaches to the mind, heart, and hands of a student so they can go out into the world in service of others.

Renee is an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation, a certified executive coach, and a certified trauma-informed consultant and coach. She is also a pro bono executive coach with Grounded Idealist.

Renee holds a B.A. in International Language Business from the University of Scranton.

As a Fulbright scholar, she conducted research and studied environmental business at the University of Freiburg, in Germany.

This experience played a key role for her as a co-founder of Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative, a local nonprofit in Massachusetts. During her six-year tenure as co-president, she helped build the organization from the ground up, developed strategic planning, and implemented programming.

Professionally, Renee worked with SAP for over twenty-five years, where she started as a technical writer, went on to lead a global team of writers, was recognized as a top performer, and worked as a consultant. In Global Marketing, she worked in naming, brand strategy, and was a "voice of the brand" for this 110,000+ employee company.

Coaching Certificates

  • International Coaching Federation (ICF), Associate Certified Coach (ACC)

  • Trauma-Informed Consultant and Coach through Mobius Executive Leadership & The Academy of Inner Science

  • ICF Level 2-Certified Executive Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching (CEC)

  • Additional CEC focused certifications in:

    • Change Leadership

    • Communication Impact

    • Culture Change

    • Perceptual Shift

    • Strategic Planning

    • Power & Influence

    • Time & Productivity

Coaching Certificates

  • Open Stance Facilitator

  • AI and Digital Transformation

  • Transforming Anxiety and Stress by Integrating the Embodied Brain Certificate

  • Burnout 101 Coaching

  • JoyBeing

What People Are Saying

“I am deeply impressed by the strong spiritual foundation that informs Renee’s values and ethics. She brings a broad and thoughtful approach to exploring potential paths forward, helping uncover possibilities that might not be immediately visible. Through our conversations, she helped me develop greater clarity and confidence about how to move forward toward my goals. Her guidance reduced confusion and created a clear sense of direction. What stands out most is her ability to guide with a presence that is both gentle and strong — supportive, insightful, and deeply grounded.”

— Arnold

Renee is a very sensitive, keenly intelligent and caring coach.  Her calm presence is healing and her ability to focus with the utmost compassion is unusual.  I would recommend her to anyone who wants both the space to be heard and the clarity that comes through this relational process." 

— Mary

“Renee has a gentle, yet focused way of encouraging a shift in perspective. She hosts a safe space to explore challenges while tracking your strengths and mirroring them back at just the right times. What I find rare in her is how she approaches the challenge of these times: many of us want to honor both our need to be healthy and recover from stress and our desire to keep creating and contributing to change in the world. She brings a grounded, yet infectious, optimism to this process, and to the personal unfolding it invites. She's a nurturing ally and champion of her client's natural ability to move forward.” 

— Julie