We help leaders and teams work together better so they can serve their people best.
Leadership isn’t just about driving results.
It’s about holding steady when everything around you feels uncertain—and helping your team do the same. Simple. Not easy.
The Inner Citadel is a Stoic concept made famous by thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. It refers to an internal stronghold—an unshakable foundation of self-awareness, resilience, and clear thinking. That’s what today’s leaders need most.
And that’s exactly what we help you build.
After two decades in higher education, Peter Anderson founded Inner Citadel Consulting to bring emotional intelligence and organizational mindfulness into the heart of leadership development. He works with executives and teams navigating rapid change, managing conflict, or simply feeling the weight of leadership in a disrupted world.
Whether you’re:
Stepping into a role where old skills no longer apply,
Struggling with team engagement, turnover, or communication breakdowns,
Or trying to lead with empathy without burning yourself out—
You're not alone. And you're not failing. You're facing the new reality of leadership.
Through evidence-based emotional intelligence assessments (via Genos International), executive coaching, and strategic development planning, Peter helps individuals and organizations shift from reactive to resilient—grounded in the timeless wisdom of Stoicism and the actionable science of positive psychology. His partnership with The Institute for Organizational Science and Mindfulness as a facilitator and teacher brings all solutions back to the neuroscience of emotions, the nervous and behavior change.
There’s no room in the system for ineffective leadership anymore—at any level. The leaders who succeed now are the ones who can regulate their emotions, respond with clarity, and lead diverse, distributed teams with purpose.
At Inner Citadel Consulting, we help you and your team build those skills from the inside out.
Because when you’re anchored, you lead better.
And when your people feel seen and supported, they follow.
“I’ve worked with a number of executive coaches over the years but found my time with Peter to be the most fun and most productive. He helped me see angles I was missing and to look for the “third way” when I felt like I had only tough options in front of me.”
Notice. Engage. Empower.
These aren’t just ideals—they’re the Stoic roadmap to sustainable, inclusive, effective leadership.
“We had Peter work with our Executive team to build trust and communication and were very pleased with the results. Peter is able to navigate through potentially uncomfortable conversations with compassion, understanding and patience while still being able to move a team forward effectively.”
Your Inner Citadel is a place of unshakeable calm,
the foundation for effective and empathetic leadership.
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Leadership
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to notice, understand, and regulate emotions—both your own and others’—in ways that improve decision-making, communication, and collaboration. It shares roots with mindfulness and Stoic philosophy, both of which emphasize self-awareness and emotional regulation. But unlike philosophy alone, EI is also grounded in neuroscience, behavioral science, and positive psychology—making it measurable, actionable, and trainable.
While some see EI as a fixed trait, most researchers agree: emotional intelligence can be developed. Through evidence-based assessments and coaching, leaders can build skills like self-awareness, empathy, adaptability, and emotional self-management—all of which are essential in today’s fast-changing, people-driven workplaces.
The Inner Citadel Consulting approach blends modern science with timeless wisdom—drawing from both the newest research and classical traditions to help leaders build the clarity, presence, and perspective they need to lead well in any environment.
“Peter facilitated open and meaningful conversations around our workplace styles, potentials and dynamics - and their function and dysfunction with one one another. As we applied what we learned, he was very generous with us at critical points, individually and as a group, to help us process our success and our challenges so that we could continuously improve.”
Peter Anderson, founder and force behind Inner Citadel Consulting, is certified by the International Coaching Federation, the Center for Executive Coaching, the Institute for Organizational Science and Mindfulness, and Genos International. Peter also draws on his skills as a UN Habitat-certified facilitator to help leaders elevate both their skills and team through emotional intelligence, executive coaching, and inclusive leadership development.
Peter lives in Burlington, VT and works nationally as well as in-state. If he’s not working with clients, he’s enjoying quiet time with his family, out in the canoe, playing boardgames, running TTRPGs (IYKYK), or playing pickleball or tennis (depending on the season). He loves teaching HIIT cycle classes in Burlington. A long time tai chi practitioner and meditator, Peter is learning to move with the seasons of business and life.
Peter serves on several Boards in Vermont and New England and is always happy to talk with nonprofits that serve minoritised or underserved populations about pro bono or low bono services.
Peter J Anderson, PhD ICF-PCC
Leadership coaching with Peter is a safe and structured conversation, driven by curiosity and empathy, that creates self-awareness, supports transformation, and provides both challenge and support for behavioral change and mindset growth.
“Peter is an insightful coach focused on a person-centric approach... I appreciate his ability to ask questions that get at the heart of the matter.”