HR consulting and executive coaching for small businesses and nonprofits in Western North Carolina

Making HR fun and easy to understand

Human Resources Consulting
Executive & Professional Coaching

Running a small business or nonprofit means handling HR questions you never expected.


If you need help sorting through complicated issues, preparing for growth, or strengthening your culture, I can guide you through those situations in a way that makes sense for your organization.


We’ll work together to solve the challenges your facing and create a solid foundation for the future.

Schedule your free Consultation today

Leaders in small organizations need support they can trust. I help you build practical skills and systems that make your organization stronger.

HR Consulting for Small Businesses & Nonprofits

HR looks different for every organization. I focus on policy, culture, and professional development, designing practical HR solutions that match your needs and supporting you through implementation.

Services include:

  • Employee handbooks and policy development

  • Workforce planning and staffing structure

  • Performance feedback and coaching

  • Employee engagement and organizational effectiveness

Explore HR Services

Executive, HR & Career Coaching Services

Through coaching, you’ll gain clarity about your impact on others, strengthen relationships, and improve your influence to create a more positive and productive workplace. Together, we’ll build your self-awareness, accountability, and practical skills to support real, lasting results.

Coaching focus areas:

  • Leadership transitions and professional development

  • Strengthening HR expertise and people management skills

  • Preparing for your next role, promotion, or organizational challenge

More About Coaching

✓ You know culture can set you apart, yet leveraging it to attract and retain top talent feels out of reach.

✓ You and your team are navigating constant change, making it tough to stay ahead while delivering great service.

✓ You want an engaged, productive team, though hiring and retention remain a challenge.

✓ You want to expand your influence and impact, and are looking for a coach who can help you move forward with confidence.

Does this sound familiar?

I’m Nicole Norian and I make HR fun and easy to understand. Together, we can transform people and organizations by unlocking the potential that we all have within.

FOUNDER • PRESIDENT
HR CONSULTANT • EXECUTIVE COACH

With more than three decades of HR leadership and executive development experience in varied organizations — public and private, small and large, new and firmly established — I bring HR and leadership expertise in a way that makes sense for your organization. Together, we can move possibilities to reality, for you and your organization.

More About Me +

Client Experiences

  • Nicole helped me regain confidence in what I had to offer. Her guidance proved invaluable.

    Nicole is a wonderful human and career coach. I hired her to support me during a career transition after Hurricane Helene because of her experience as an HR director and consultant. After many years of entrepreneurship, I felt uncertain about how to navigate returning to the workforce — and Nicole’s guidance proved invaluable.

    She helped me regain confidence in what I had to offer, create a clear action plan, and better understand interviews and the hiring process from the employer’s perspective. Her thoughtful feedback on my resumé and other materials was incredibly helpful. Frankly, just having someone to talk to about the job search and stay accountable to made a huge difference for me.

    I highly recommend working with Nicole if you’re looking for expert guidance and support on your career journey. She’s astute, kind, and gently empowering.

    — JVH, Coaching Client —

  • Her extraordinary ability to listen and to elicit self-reflection is her major strength.

    Nicole's masterful approach to professional coaching is second-to-none. In a dialogical engagement, Nicole draws from well-grounded theory and practice, the insights that underpin our conversations about career, growth, and success. For professionals in Digital Humanism, policy, and education, having a knowledgeable Coach who understands the strain women leaders face is invaluable. Her use of StandOut Assessments supports the canvas of her interventions. I am continuously intellectually stimulated to build from the most specialized backgrounds and discern the next steps of personal roadmaps. She is a role model of authentic leadership!

    — GST, Coaching Client —

  • If you're seeking an HR mind who understands both the heart and the mechanics of people operations, Nicole should be at the top of your list.

    Nicole is a brilliant and strategic HR leader, whose depth of knowledge, insight, and ability to lead by example have been evident from the very start of our collaboration. She possesses a rare combination of expertise, empathy, and vision, making her an invaluable force in any professional setting.

    Her ability to develop people-first solutions, craft impactful HR policies, and drive organizational strategy is truly unmatched. Nicole is not just a trusted partner; she is a game-changer. Her coaching, guidance, and strategic thinking make her an essential resource for any professional development initiative.

    — KPL, Batir Consulting —

  • Chrysalis HR has been a huge support for our small local independent business.

    Nicole provides exceptional knowledge and shares valuable resources for understanding your HR related needs. She helped us rewrite a more useful and aligned Employee Handbook for our organization. We're excited for this re-envisioned tool! Nicole is so easy to work with and ensures a wonderful balance supporting both the business aspects and people component of your organization. She really gets it! You can expect professional patience, a thoughtful approach and clear delivery with consistent purpose and reason working with Chrysalis HR. I highly recommend Chrysalis HR for your business development needs!

    — Envision Eyecare —

  • She's easy to work with, patient, explains things clearly and has provided a great deal of support to me.

    Nicole is a joy to work with. She's helped to sort out complicated HR solutions in a thoughtful and educational manner. I've learned a tremendous amount by working with her this year, and she provides a great and balanced perspective in caring for the agency and the employees. I first met her through an HR workshop that she taught through WNC Nonprofit Pathways, and I couldn't be happier to work with her. She's easy to work with, patient, explains things clearly and has provided a great deal of support to me.

    — Eblen Charities —

  • I thoroughly enjoyed working with her and will call on her for our next project. Nicole makes HR fun!

    Nicole helped me create useful documents that spoke to our unique needs while also giving me incredible direction on how to further prepare my organization for growth. She is patient, thoughtful, clear, and considerate in her communication. She is very well-versed on every topic that I brought to her and quickly followed through on sending any follow up documents and communication. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her and will call on her for our next project. Nicole makes HR fun!

    — Vecinos —

  • Nicole brings a rare blend of strategic understanding and genuine empathy.

    She listens deeply, asks the right questions, and offers suggestions that are both practical and forward-thinking. Her professionalism, warmth, and perspective make her an exceptional guide for anyone navigating career transitions or seeking to grow as a leader.

    — PDH, Coaching Client —

  • Nicole was an absolute pleasure to work with on our employee handbook.

    Not only was she incredibly knowledgeable, she was so helpful in getting us to drill down and address what we needed to have in place for our employees. She met with us over a period of weeks to gather information, and the finished product is comprehensive, professional, and readable. To us, she asked the important questions on some matters and gave needed information to our own questions. We have grown as a company because of her input, information, and questions.

    — TherapyAppointment —

  • She really understands the needs of small businesses and I would highly recommend Nicole for any HR consulting.

    Our experience working with Nicole to develop our Employee Handbook has been fantastic. She is extremely knowledgeable and also very patient and flexible with our very busy schedules. She did an excellent job of understanding our mission and work culture and translating that into policy. She took complicated concepts and put them into understandable terms. She really understands the needs of small businesses and I would highly recommend Nicole for any HR consulting. We will certainly turn to her for HR consulting and assistance again in the future!

    — Asheville Community Movement —

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Growth occurs outside of your comfort zone. Coaching and consulting with a trusted advisor and thought partner can guide your journey towards organizational growth and professional development.

Together, we can uncover your strengths, explore possibilities without judgment, and strategically navigate challenges — all through the lens of thoughtful HR policies and personal growth.

Explore Coaching Services
Explore HR Services

Ready to transform your business? To invest in yourself?

Let’s combine my passion for HR and nurturing the potential in others with your passion and purpose so you and your organization can succeed. Schedule a free consultation with Chrysalis HR today to discuss your needs.

Schedule your free consultation today