Coaching is a relationship between a coach and a client designed to help the client achieve some kind of transformation. Coaching is helpful if you have important goals to achieve or want to be more satisfied in life or work. Coaching can help you develop new skills to navigate the many changes life throws at you. It focuses on exploring possibilities and then planning actions, establishing accountability, and learning and growing from trying different approaches. Coaching covers the whole person, and topics can be personal or professional. It can feel very therapeutic, but is not therapy.

While coaching explores topics that are important to you and taps into your inner knowledge to make a plan for action; mentoring and career advice is where an expert offers opinion and advice based on having experience in the field that that you are pursing. I have an engineering degree and have worked as a UX designer and a product manager before moving into management. I have led large engineering teams (300+) and product management teams (30+) and UX design and research teams (130+). I have been a product/design/engineering executive for 17+ years, across Roku, Google, Intuit, and TiVo. If you're looking for tactical advice on how to advance your career in one of these areas, then a 30 or 50-minute mentoring & career advice session could meet your needs. If you want an ongoing relationship to help you achieve your career goals, coaching is a better option.

I have a vision for my future (after I’m done being a tech executive) that involves partnering with people who work in product development to improve their products and/or their experience with their careers. I chose the name for this eventual business, where I will serve as a sounding board and advisor throughout the product creation process. I won't open the UX consulting part of my business until I am no longer employed as a UX leader. The part of my heart that is fueled by bringing great user experiences to life is well taken care of by my work at Roku.

I have informally coached and mentored people for 20+ years, but wanted to deepen my skills, so I started coach training with the Co-Active Training Institute (coactive.com) and realized two things: how much energy coaching gives me, and how strongly it parallels my product design work. A discover / design / test / iterate framework works for both creating a delightful product and creating a delightful life. I work with a handful of coachees within Roku as part of my job responsibilities as well as private clients on the weekends. I find that spending part of my time coaching makes me more productive in my job and in my life. It nourishes my soul to help people understand themselves and their opportunities better. I realized I couldn't wait until "the next stage of my career” to start.

I want coaching to be more accessible, so I have chosen to offer a sliding scale of session fees, with the lowest prices offered to people who are currently unemployed, including new college graduates. This time in life is often when coaching can be incredibly valuable — but the financial strain that comes with the situation often makes it harder to consider. My prices are highest for executive-level roles because I am able to offer incredible value to people navigating those complex dynamics.

In a 20-minute intro call we'll discuss the dynamics of a coaching relationship, what you are looking to achieve with coaching, and answer any questions you have. The call is an opportunity to see if we would be a good match. I charge for the call so that I know I'm spending time with someone who is serious about beginning coaching. If you decide to become a client, you will receive a discount on the Initial 80-minute coaching session equal to the amount paid for the intro call. Intro calls are optional — you are welcome to book an Initial Coaching Session instead if you are ready to get started on your coaching journey.

The initial coaching session is longer so we can go over logistics, design how our partnership will work, get a good understanding of the kind of transformation you are looking to achieve with coaching, begin to uncover your values and your vision for your future, have time to explore one or more of your topics, and plan your first actions. It will set you up to start making the changes you want to see in your life. Clients usually leave the initial coaching session energized and excited for how they will shape their future.

There are two questions I usually ask in regular coaching sessions. The first is, "What did you learn from doing (or not doing!) your homework?" — this is a chance for you to reflect on actions you took and what is different as a result. The second question is, "What would you like to get out of our session today?" This is where you set the focus for our time together. Some clients come fully prepared with a topic or two to discuss, and others need some help reflecting on what's important right now to establish the agenda. Either way is fine! I will be keeping an eye on the big picture of what you want to achieve with coaching, and we'll use whatever is currently important to you to guide where we spend our time, with the goal of aligning your actions and your learning toward your transformation.

Most clients choose to meet every 2 to 4 weeks, but some prefer weekly or quarterly. It varies based on the urgency of the goals you are looking to achieve, how fluid your situation is, and how much structure you need to hold yourself accountable to your actions. I have chosen to leave things flexible — you can book sessions at whatever cadence makes sense for you. Coaching is most effective when we meet at least 6 times over the course of at least 6 months, but there is no minimum requirement. I offer 3-, 4-, and 6-month coaching packages (with two 50-minute sessions per month) at a lower price than booking sessions individually.

Yes! Coaching can help with any kind of career or life change. I am especially interested in helping people navigate AI-related changes in their career, given I lead a UX team in a company currently embracing an AI-forward approach. I see (and experience) both the opportunity and the challenge on a daily basis.