about Team DBS
Our executive development workshops will elevate your team’s communication skills and provide them with the tools to be more effective and efficient communicators!
Founded in 2016, DBS partners with individuals and organizations to help them reach their full potential. We are committed to fostering growth, development, and lasting impact for our clients, and we value the relationships we build throughout that journey.
Meet the DBS team!
Jeffrey Davies
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACH
Jeff is our resident task-master and the kind of leader who turns vision into action. If there’s work to be done, whether large or small, personal or professional, Jeff is the first to roll up his sleeves and get moving. A natural motivator, he has a rare ability to connect with people from all backgrounds and inspire them to show up as their best selves.
Jeff’s life and career have been truly global. He has lived bi-coastally and internationally, calling New York, San Francisco, Boston, and London home at different points, with many other stops along the way. Having worked with people from around the world, Jeff brings a broad cultural perspective to everything he does. Unsurprisingly, he loves to travel, but he’s equally passionate about cars and his two adorable puppies.
Over the past 25+ years, Jeff has built a diverse and well-rounded professional background spanning real estate investment, hospitality, human resources, communications, accounting, marketing, and project management. In 2012, his career took a pivotal turn when he began working closely with executives across the globe on communication development. What started as a professional focus quickly became a true passion: helping people become clearer, more confident, and more effective communicators.
Since entering the communications development space, Jeff has worked with hundreds of executives from Fortune 500 companies, designing and delivering customized training programs for both individuals and teams. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Public Management from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, has trained in the Alexander Technique, and has worked alongside facilitators and mentors around the world, shaping his exceptional ability to bring out the best in people and organizations.
Jeff’s teaching style draws from his deep professional experience and the collective wisdom of the mentors and facilitators he has collaborated with over the years. He brings a unique, practical, and highly engaging approach to communication development, ensuring no two courses are ever the same. Task-oriented yet energizing, structured yet fun, Jeff creates learning environments that are motivating, impactful, and yes, more enjoyable than gym class the day the parachute came out.
Mary Falkenstern
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACH
Mary has an enviable ability to make people feel completely at ease and deeply motivated within moments of meeting her. A New Jersey native, Mary is now a mother of two living in the NYC metro area. An avid traveler with a passion for the arts, she is active in the New York City acting community and loves exploring new places while connecting with new people.
Mary has worked with leading executives from Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies across the globe. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Acting from Syracuse University and completed advanced degree training through Mass General Hospital Voice Center, an affiliate of Harvard University.
Throughout her career, Mary has worked with celebrity vocalists, media personalities, and world-class speakers, helping them refine their voice, presence, and communication under pressure. In addition to one-on-one coaching, she delivers dynamic presentations at national and international conferences.
Mary is also an avid yoga practitioner and a Certified Yoga Teacher, with a particular focus on Mindfulness for Executives helping leaders improve productivity, reduce stress, and enhance vocal presence and clarity.
Mary’s teaching style is energetic, engaging, and deeply motivating. Her passion is contagious, and her ability to form an almost instant connection brings out the very best in participants, consistently creating courses that are lively, focused, and highly impactful.
Kristin Sullivan
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACH
Kristin is a wife and mother of two active boys who keep her cheering from the bleachers in sun, rain, or even snow. Outside of work, she enjoys camping, hiking, and kayaking with her family and in the winter months, you’ll likely find her organizing her essential oils.
Kristin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Oswego and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Touro College. She has been a facilitator for over 18 years, beginning her career working with elementary students. As her professional journey evolved, so did her audience now including educators, professionals, and board members.
Kristin has a deep passion for mindfulness facilitation. She works with professionals and educators to integrate practical mindfulness strategies for self-care into day-to-day business and classroom practices. She also empowers her audiences with tools to teach mindfulness to their own students and staff, helping them fully engage in the present moment.
Kristin’s teaching style is fun, energetic, and humorous. She keeps participants moving, firmly believing that movement keeps the brain and body working in unison, an active body equals an active brain. With her extensive experience in mindfulness education, Kristin puts people at ease almost immediately and seamlessly adapts to any learning style, something she truly seems born to do.
Jennifer Martin
CHIEF SALES AND MARKETING OFFICER
Jennifer is a powerhouse sales executive, strategist, and marketing expert known for building trusted relationships and connecting with people in ways that drive meaningful results. After more than a decade living and working in Washington, DC, Jennifer relocated back to Central New York to raise her son close to family, a move that reflects her deep commitment to community, values, and long-term relationship building, both personally and professionally.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She brings more than 15 years of strategic leadership experience spanning national organizing, communications, sales, client relationship development, and program design.
During her time in Washington, DC, Jennifer led large-scale narrative campaigns, national event production, and multi-city tours. She launched partnership frameworks with public and private sector stakeholders and developed impactful storytelling campaigns that engaged celebrities, influencers, and digital audiences at scale. Through her work with FWD.us, National Immigrant Heritage Month programming, and the I Stand With Immigrants initiative, Jennifer helped engage millions of Americans across all 50 states around issues of inclusion, belonging, and shared values.
Jennifer’s leadership style is collaborative, people first, and execution driven. She has a unique ability to make people feel comfortable, heard, and valued, creating space for authentic dialogue that uncovers real needs, motivations, and opportunities. Her sales approach is consultative and relationship based, grounded in trust, clarity, and long-term partnership rather than transactional wins.
Kristie Marsden
EXECUTIVE YOGA COACH
Growing up in Upstate New York, Kristie has always embraced an active, outdoor lifestyle. She is a devoted wife and mother of three who makes the most of her free time pursuing her passions, yoga, hiking, kayaking, and exploring the natural world. When winter arrives, Kristie turns inward, dedicating time to deepening her study of yoga and holistic wellness.
Kristie has a deep curiosity about the world and a strong interest in understanding how the human mind and body work together.
She is a Registered Yoga Instructor (E-RYT 200 and RYT 500) and is a Certified Massage Therapist, having completed her training at the National Massage Therapy Institute in Philadelphia. Kristie holds an Associate’s degree in Travel and Tourism from Herkimer County Community College and has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Central America, with a continued desire to explore the globe. Over the years, she has completed coursework in anatomy and physiology, psychology, biology, and nutrition.
In 2006, Kristie was diagnosed with a serious genetic heart condition, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). While navigating the uncertainty that followed, she found healing, resilience, and strength through a devoted yoga practice, cultivating balance of mind, body, and spirit. In July of 2025, Kristie received a heart transplant, a profound gift from her donor and their family, for which she holds deep gratitude. Today, she is thriving and continues to live and teach with renewed purpose.
Kristie brings this lived experience into her teaching. Warm, kind, and deeply attentive, she works with intention and care to guide each student through mindful movement—focused on breath, presence, and self-awareness. Her goal is to help others build confidence, find their inner voice, and step more fully into their most authentic selves.
