Winter Garden, FL - When Briana Mascaro, a Brooklyn native and first-generation college graduate, sat down to write her eulogy as an assignment in psychology class, she didn’t expect her entire career trajectory to change. Fast forward to today, and Mascaro is leveraging her unique background in law, HR, and executive leadership to help professionals and organizations make better decisions by tuning into their own inner wisdom.
Mascaro is the founder of Sophos (SO-FOSE), a boutique coaching and consulting firm headquartered in Central Florida, serving clients nationwide. The firm’s name, which means “wisdom” in Greek, reflects Mascaro’s core philosophy: Leaders already possess the insight they need to thrive. They just need the right partner to help them uncover it.
The Ivy League to the Magic Kingdom and Beyond
Raised in Brooklyn, Mascaro became the first in her family to attend college, earning her degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She then earned her law degree at The Ohio State University, focusing on management, labor, and employment law. After beginning her career at a law firm in Florida, Mascaro was recruited by Disney, where she worked her way up through the ranks in labor relations, HR, employee relations, and eventually leading bi-coastal teams and becoming an executive.
Her (nearly 15 year) tenure at Disney gave her a front-row seat to the intricacies of workplace investigations, union negotiations, and the delicate balancing act required to support both employees and organizations. But even as she checked the boxes of professional success, Mascaro realized something was missing.
“I was traveling, running a bi-coastal team, and raising a family,” recalls Mascaro. “But I realized my eulogy was all about my career. I hadn’t even mentioned being a mom or a wife.”
A Lesson in Presence and What Really Matters
That epiphany only deepened when a colleague passed away unexpectedly and Mascaro’s daughter asked her, point-blank, to be present during a family trip. “She looked at me and said, ‘You are not where you’re supposed to be.’ That hit me hard,” Mascaro confesses.
Those moments led her to coaching, first as as a passion project while juggling the corporate life, and then as a calling to help others. Mascaro is now an IPEC-certified Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, offering executive coaching and consulting services through Sophos. She specializes in helping leaders navigate conflict, make better decisions, and find crucial balance.
The Sophos Approach: Energy, Accountability, and Lasting Results
Sophos isn’t your typical coaching & consulting firm. Mascaro’s approach begins with a proprietary energy leadership assessment, which Forbes ranks among the top three executive assessments worldwide. This attitudinal assessment helps clients understand how they show up in different situations and what energy levels may be driving (or hindering) their decisions.
From there, Mascaro partners with clients through her flagship program, Sophos Foundations. The emphasis is on practical, science-backed tools from applied positive psychology and decades of leadership experience with a heavy dose of accountability.
“I don’t just hold people accountable; I teach clients how to hold themselves accountable,” says Mascaro. “My goal is that clients walk away with a decision-making skill set they can use the rest of their lives.”
Coaching for Real Life, Not Just the Boardroom
Mascaro’s roster is filled with executives and managers, but her services are tailored to everyone seeking more clarity, presence, and effectiveness at work and at home. Her legal background, expertise in workplace investigations, and HR consulting makes her a trusted partner for organizations navigating sensitive employee relations issues.
“Conflict isn’t something to avoid,” Mascaro asserts. “It’s during these beautifully difficult experiences that we discover what kind of leaders we really want to be.”
Time is the Ultimate Currency
For Mascaro, time has become her most valuable resource. After years of living on planes and chasing promotions, she now prioritizes presence in both her personal and professional life. Whether she’s cheering on her daughter (an aspiring aerialist) at practice or guiding a client through a tough business decision, Mascaro practices what she preaches.
“My calendar is clear for my daughter’s upcoming competition,” she shares. “That’s both a first and a conscious decision.”
About Sophos
All led personally by Briana, Sophos supports clients in three ways: High-stakes HR, people consulting, workshops and speaking, and executive coaching for leaders who have nothing left to prove on paper (and are quietly aware something is missing anyway). The firm is built on the belief that wisdom lives within each leader and that the right partnership can bring it to the forefront.
For more information about Briana Mascaro, please visit https://teamsophos.com/
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