Executive and career coaching grounded in real-world leadership experience
Former CIA analyst with private-sector experience at Tesla and OpenAI
ICF-certified executive coach working across career transitions and leadership growth
A career path shaped by service, transition, and reinvention
In 2022, I walked past the stars at the CIA HQ building for the last time after 15 years in government service. Leaving was my choice, and it came with excitement and confidence tinged with uncertainty. I was stepping away from a mission, a community, and an identity I had built over more than a decade.
I did not have a clear roadmap for what came next. What I did have was a deep belief in my ability to learn, adapt, and make sense of complex systems, even when the path forward was unclear. That belief carried me across the country to San Francisco, into the private sector, and into a period of reinvention that was both professionally rewarding and emotionally demanding.
That experience shapes how I coach today.
How my background informs my work
During my time in government, I worked in environments where clarity, judgment, and communication were mandatory. I was part of small teams responsible for high-stakes analysis, writing, and briefings for the president and other senior leaders across the U.S. government. In those settings, ego quickly became a liability; the work moved fast and the consequences were real.
What made those teams effective was shared ownership, transparency, and a commitment to considering other perspectives. When information flowed freely and responsibility was collective, decisions were stronger and people felt empowered. When communication broke down, momentum and morale suffered.
Those lessons stayed with me long after I left government, and they continue to inform how I think about leadership, decision-making, and growth, whether I am coaching an individual or supporting a group through change.
Bridging government and the private sector from the inside
After leaving government service, I spent several years working inside the private sector, at Tesla and OpenAI. That experience gave me a front-row seat to how differently organizations operate outside government, from incentives and expectations to language, pace, and power dynamics.
I also saw how difficult this transition can be for the many mentees and coaching clients I worked with - capable, thoughtful, and accomplished professionals who struggle without a clear translation guide. The transition is hard because they don’t know how their experience is perceived on the other side.
My work sits at that intersection. I often help people make sense of these differences, translate their experience honestly, and move forward with confidence.
My experience by the numbers (since 2021)
3,000+
Professionals trained
100+
Coaching & Mentoring Clients
4+
Years as an ICF-Certified Coach
My approach
My coaching is collaborative, reflective, and grounded in action. I focus on clarifying what matters most to you, strengthening how you think and communicate, and supporting clearer, more confident decision-making.
I begin each engagement by working with clients to identify values and priorities, then translate those into concrete goals. This creates a clear north star for the work and helps guide decisions, tradeoffs, and next steps as circumstances evolve.
Coaching does not guarantee specific outcomes such as job offers, promotions, or timelines. Progress depends on engagement, reflection between sessions, and the willingness to apply insights in real life.
This work requires openness, honesty, and a willingness to examine patterns and assumptions that may no longer serve you. Growth often comes from engaging thoughtfully with discomfort and staying present through change.
I work with professionals who are navigating moments of growth, transition, or recalibration across the span of a long career.
Some clients come to me early, while they are questioning what direction to take next. Others reach out after stepping into leadership roles that feel heavier or more complex than they expected. Many are accomplished, thoughtful people who want space to think clearly, communicate more effectively, and make decisions that align with who they are and where they want to go.
A significant portion of my recent work has been with people coming out of government service and into the private sector. Those transitions often carry added complexity around identity and values, and they benefit from a more grounded, reflective approach than most job search advice allows.
At the same time, I often work with leaders and professionals who are navigating growth, pressure, or change inside their current organizations. My clients sometimes return to coaching at different points over time, using it as a thinking partnership as their roles, priorities, and circumstances evolve.
My clients
I am a certified (ICF-ACC) executive and career coach and adhere to professional coaching standards and ethics. That training matters to me because it provides structure, accountability, and boundaries for work that is often personal and high-stakes.
Credentials alone do not make a coach effective, but they do signal a commitment to working responsibly with clients.
A note on credentials
If you are navigating a transition
If you are in a season of change, and want thoughtful, structured support grounded in lived experience, please explore the ways we might work together.