I raced a turbocharged Mazda RX-7 and have a collection of trophies from sports car and stock car racing
Favorite Learning Resource
Performing improvisational theatre and stand-up comedy. Not very good at either -- but I learn a lot!
Areas of Expertise
Communication Training, Media, Management, Digital Media, Social Media, Entertainment, Consumer Research, Marketing, Leadership, Human Resources
Fluent Languages
English
Clients Jeff Has Coached
Apple Axios Creative Artists Agency Delta Air Lines GE Aviation Google Greenpeace LinkedIn Marsh McLennan Massachusetts Institute of Technology Morgan Stanley NBA Utah Jazz NFL Cleveland Browns NFL Washington Commanders Nike Oliver Wyman Pinterest SAP Sirius XM Standard and Poors The New York Times The Trade Desk TikTok Twitch Universal Pictures University of California Los Angeles University of Miami Volkswagen Zurich Insurance
Ever see a movie character facing a decision with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other?
That was Jeff McHugh as a young student in business school. The sensible voice urged him to study management and build a stable career. The rebellious one whispered, “No, be a locally semi-famous media personality and party with celebrities!”
Jeff did both.
He was an on-air broadcaster for 18 years – and completed business school at UNC and Lander University. His career took off as a director-level manager for media companies like iHeart Media (formerly Clear Channel) and Cox Media where he rubbed elbows with people like Taylor Swift, Steve Harvey, Beyoncé and The Rolling Stones. Jeff still coaches media and entertainment talent with The Randy Lane Company.
At LifeHikes, Jeff coaches senior executives worldwide on presence, storytelling and influence at organizations like Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, UCLA, The NFL and Siemens. He specializes in 1:1 executive preparation for high-stakes presentations, keynotes and board level meetings.
With training from The Center for Creative Leadership and The Leadership Trust at Wake Forest’s Babcock School of Management, Jeff is a trusted authority on mentoring, negotiation, coaching and conflict management.
An unrepentant dog lover, Jeff resides in downtown Portland, where his Sunday dinner parties have been covered by The Oregonian and where you might find him running the steep, muddy mountain trails of Forest Park.
"The feedback on Jeff was extremely positive. Lots of great reviews from the
participants. In our post-session survey, we ask a NPS (Net Promoter Score) question. Jeff received a score of 100. We typically score in the 70 – 80 range (which we consider very good), so that result is truly outstanding."
"You have a way of making everyone feel comfortable in the uncomfortable. I’ve learned so much about letting loose and not taking my professional presentations so seriously (even if the subject matter is serious). I’ve remembered the importance of human connection and how that’s really what matters and how to leave a lasting impact."
"Jeff did an amazing job. Made the class fun, educational, and light-hearted. I plan to practice in client meetings throughout the month."
"Jeff made us feel comfortable so we could focus. Great training. Definitely would recommend to colleagues, more junior and senior execs."
“Jeff is great! I’m glad he took unconventional approaches to demonstrate a point. I will pay more attention to my vocal variety (volume, inflections, etc.) and utilize more pauses.”
“Jeff incorporated effective, real-life examples and leveraged the “ethos” technique.”
“Jeff is a good friend, a brilliant coach and consultant! You're very wise if you welcome coaching."
“Dear Jeff, I really enjoyed our three sessions on my future podcast project! You inspired me to think about unusual twists and gave me a lot of sparks I will follow up with. Thank you very much for sharing your broadcasting stories and interesting recommendations from other shows / podcasts.”
