From Courtroom to Classroom: Gaby’s Mission to Redefine Leadership & Education
Gaby’s journey is anything but conventional. From a determined eight-year-old aspiring lawyer to a successful litigator arguing (and winning) in New York’s highest court, her path seemed set. But her passion for empowering others led her beyond the courtroom—into the world of business, executive coaching, and education. Now, as the CEO of Source Elements Group, she leads executive coaching, team alignment, and transformation, while also serving as the President and Founder of Human Better EDU, a nonprofit focused on revolutionizing learning, leadership, and personal growth. In this exclusive interview, Gaby shares the pivotal moments that shaped her career, the key ingredients of successful leadership, and how her love for music continues to fuel her work and life.
Gaby, you’ve had an incredibly diverse career journey—from law to executive coaching, and now leading a nonprofit focused on education. Can you share more about the pivotal moments that led you to transition from practising law to focusing on business and education?
I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 8 years old. One of the motivating factors at the time was defending the underdog—a version of wanting to empower people. I appreciated and enjoyed the practice of law, learned a ton and had no regrets. As a commercial civil litigator, I tried 8 cases in 15 years (a decent number when you do not work for the District Attorney’s office or the Public Defender). I argued in front of the New York Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court (and won). Great learnings all. I then entered into the business world for 3.5 yrs also motivated by the company’s caring about people’s happiness. Our coaching and education focus is designed to support people in organizations and students bringing agency and architecting their lives and experience—again empowering people to live their best lives. Thus, while the vehicles have been different the underlying motivation has remained consistent. People win in life.
With over 25 years of experience coaching executives and teams, what do you believe are the key factors that drive successful leadership and alignment within organizations?
Ownership, vulnerability, trust and communication are key to organizational alignment. Leaders with vision who embrace their humanity, honor people’s greatness and bring a team along provide a fertile ground for an organization’s success. When leaders provide their people the opportunity to fail without retribution, the product, service and organizatiton benefit.
Human Better EDU is dedicated to empowering students, parents, administrators, and faculty. What do you see as the most pressing issues in education today, and how is your organization addressing them?
Students’ ability to understand the why of what they are doing makes a big difference in students’ experience of their education. Finding intrinsic motivation rather than pure obedience or extrinsic motivation is a formula for more consistent and self-directed achievement. Students on a path of their design evolve into the most useful members of society. We acknowledge and support students’ agency and give them tools to overcome obstacles leading to a more fulfilling life.
You’ve released two record albums and are about to launch a third. How does your passion for music influence your approach to work and life? Do you find parallels between the discipline required in music and the work you do with leaders and students?
The real value in my singing is in my feeding, my soul. I love to sing and have done it for years. Though I came late to musical theatre (10th grade) I was bitten by the bug. While I had sung in the high school choir (also fun), the musical theatre became my real love. I sang consistently in college. Then in law school, I did 4 shows (the regular 3 musical reviews and then a performance of all original music written and performed by law students. We then went on to record it in a studio. When the engineer heard that 11 lawyers were showing up, he got nervous. 
After I graduated from law school, I went on to do several series of cabaret shows. I only recorded an album when I got pregnant and decided that by the time my next show would be ready, my breath might be impeded. That turned out not to be true, but I then had an album (A Child is Born). My second album (Two for the Road) came when I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter. My firstborn was featured on the cover of the 1st album. I knew my youngest would ask where’s my album?. On this 3rd one, my entire family participates. My husband (Robert Gurland) is a Grammy nominee with a special talent (the vocal trumpet). My daughters both sing on this album. And my ex-husband (the talented Joe Baker) performed and arranged the music. This one has a working title of Wisdom of the Age.
So, yes, my singing and making sure I still do sing and feed my soul is a part of the work I do and teach because it is important to do things that make you happy and speak to different parts of you that exist. Discipline? Well, sure, the discipline to listen to your heart and find a way to include it all.
Having contributed to articles in prominent publications such as Ebony Magazine, Harvard Business Review, and the Huffington Post, what is your perspective on the intersection of leadership, business, and education in today’s rapidly changing world?
Each of these things—leadership, business, and education are critically important to one another. Leadership occurs in every area… personal, professional, communal etc. The first person you lead is yourself. Leading Your Life (as our Stanford Business School and our International Business School classes are called) starts with the individual and broadens to the team. Business is fueled by leadership and dependent on quality education whether it is in the classroom or life experience. Education is fundamental to it all. At Human Better EDU we are committed that traditional education is enhanced to provide more skills to ensure individual and team success.
Finally, with such a diverse and accomplished career, what would you like your lasting legacy to be, both in the business and educational sectors?
Legacy:
In the business world—The Queen of Culture. I care about teams’ success. Cohesion, collaboration, honest conversations, committed action and Champion Conversations (my term) enable teams to fly and results to soar.
In education in Human Better EDU, everything we are creating in the business world applies to the world of education. In addition, I “secretly” would love us to win the Nobel Prize for globally having brought to traditional education for all ages frameworks for succeeding in life. To support that we are creating a network of “education angels” across the world who facilitate these conversations. Our mission is to reach 1 million participants of all ages. Sound fun? Come join us. We welcome your partnership and support.
