A photograph of Julia Silliman PIckerill, coach, consultant, and spiritual director

I’m Julia Silliman Pickerill. I am a spiritual director, executive leader, and pastor with thirty years of experience forming people and leading organizations.

I've led an organization with 100+ employees and a $12M budget, started a church in Amsterdam and led it through transition, and spoken from the front in rooms of thousands. From startups to large organizations, I’ve guided teams through seasons of launch, growth, stabilization, and transition. I've also seen my fair share of the challenges and complex realities of leadership (fondly known as "the human sh!t show").

I love developing people and organizations. Watching people and teams find their way to becoming their true selves never gets old. In the weeks and months, human work is slow, unglamorous, and often invisible. But in the years and decades, this work’s got the largest ROI you’ll ever find.

I grew up in West Germany (when that was a thing), lived for eight years in city center Amsterdam, and for some reason God-only-knows am currently based in central Ohio. I'm a mum of three young adults in a neurodivergent family. I write poetry. I travel every chance I get. I disavowed social media a long time ago. And recently I become a runner… which has confused everyone who knows that my favourite hobby is napping.

I believe what is obvious to most: our world is a broken place filled with broken people and broken organizations. And: there is much beauty, joy, and missional purpose to be had! I'm comfortable holding existential tensions and believe that attending seriously to the questions, habits, and practices that help grow healthy humans and healthy organizations is the best kind of work there is.

English Literature, The Ohio State University · Theology, Vineyard Leadership Institute · Spiritual Direction, Sustainable Faith Global

  • Working with Julia is an invitation to be deeply seen, thoughtfully challenged, and faithfully shepherded. She has a rare ability to hold complexity without sacrificing compassion, truth, or the dignity of people. Whether navigating personal discernment, organizational leadership, or seasons of profound transition, Julia creates space to listen well, ask wise questions, and help people recognize where God is already at work. She doesn't rush people toward answers; she walks with them toward truth. I am a stronger leader, a healthier person, and a more faithful follower of Jesus because of her influence.

    —Gina Watts, Vice President of U.S. Student Transformation for Growing Leaders; former Executive Director of Mission at Vineyard Columbus.

    Cofounder, Aretta Elaine

  • What stands out is Julia’s authenticity. She is honest about her journey, including the hardships she has faced, and that gives her wisdom that is lived rather than merely learned. She has a remarkable ability to listen deeply, discern what is really going on, and ask the questions that matter. Her insights are sharp, yet always offered with grace and compassion. As a spiritual director and coach, Julia brings genuine empathy, practical wisdom, and a calm, discerning presence. I wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance.

    —Joël Voordewind, former Member of Parliament, the Netherlands

  • Julia has incredible insight in leadership dynamics and knows how to come alongside and help you navigate those waters. She coached me in how I could stay true to my calling and keep healthy boundaries at the same time. Julia is someone who has language for what happens in the interior, and in the world around us, and how those things interact.

    Judith Keersloot, Trainer, Preacher, Spiritual Director

  • One of Julia’s rare gifts is her ability to hold complexity with courage and clarity. I've watched her make space where truth, grace, discernment, accountability, and compassion can all coexist. That combination is incredibly uncommon.

    —Gina Watts, Vice President of U.S. Student Transformation for Growing Leaders; former Executive Director of Mission at Vineyard Columbus.

    Cofounder, Aretta Elaine