Julia Lyn Ritchie, executive coach, organizational architect, and a fierce, bright light to friends, family, and colleagues, died on April 6, 2026. She was 62 years old. Julia lived her life with extraordinary tenacity, curiosity, and heart. She brought grace and intelligence to everything she did, but those who loved her will remember her most for the way she made people feel — seen, understood, and deeply cared for.

Raised in Southern California, from an early age Julia was a gifted swimmer and a standout backstroker at Mira Costa High School. She went on to swim at Princeton University, where her athleticism and competitive spirit earned her All-American honors in 1982 in the 200-yard butterfly.

After college, Julia began her career in New York City as a fundraising consultant before pursuing advanced studies at Columbia University, where she earned graduate degrees in education and counseling psychology. She became a licensed clinical social worker and later a certified executive coach, building an extraordinary 25-year career helping individuals, leaders, and mission-driven organizations navigate change with clarity, compassion, and purpose. She poured all her experience into her firm Julia Ritchie Consulting (JRC) and based its practices on her “High Performing Organization” model, a framework and approach focused on long-term impact and resilience.

By chance, Julia met her husband, television producer Michael Hoff, in a Washington, DC elevator. She liked to say their connection gave special meaning to the expression “elevator pitch.” They married in 2018. Together, they loved cooking, traveling, birdwatching, and hiking in the woods with their two black Labrador Retrievers Bo and Raye. Julia was an avid gardener who cherished bedding colorful plants in her elegantly landscaped yard. Her love of nature also extended to two Board of Director positions at Catskill Mountainkeeper and Columbia Land Conservancy.

She leaves behind a powerful impact on all who had the privilege of knowing and loving her. Julia is preceded in death by her mother Sheralyn Smith and her father Robert Ritchie. She is survived by her husband Michael and the beloved members of their blended family, his son Alex and wife Kaitlin, and their children Molly and Caroline; his son Nick and wife Katie; Julia’s stepmother Deanna Ritchie, Deanna’s daughter Erin and her children Zachary and Nic; Julia’s sister Ashley Smith Becker and her sons Hudson and Wyatt; and of course Bo and Raye.