Leadership coaching for engineering leaders navigating conflict, credibility in technical decision-making, and the gap between technical expertise and executive influence.
This is coaching informed by therapy training, not therapy. We focus on your professional leadership challenges and effectiveness. For clinical mental health treatment, see my therapy practice.
Stopped escalation pattern in 3 weeks
EM locked in weekly product conflicts got architecture buy-in, rebuilt peer trust
10 hours/week reclaimed through delegation
New Director drowning in meetings, team engagement up 20%
Zero attrition during merger
CTO navigated acquisition chaos, maintained team stability and production
You got promoted because you were technically excellent. Now you're supposed to manage people, navigate politics, and make decisions with incomplete information—skills nobody taught you.
You've got managers who are technically strong but struggling to lead. They avoid conflict, can't delegate, or lack executive presence. Their teams are disengaged, projects are slipping, and you're spending too much time intervening.
Not a generalist coach. I go deep on where technical complexity meets human dynamics:
You're the most technically competent person in the room, but you can't get buy-in. Architecture decisions turn into political battles. Peers undermine you in meetings. You're losing credibility despite being right.
What we do: Separate technical disagreement from trust erosion. Build frameworks for high-stakes technical conversations. Address the credibility gap without compromising technical standards.
Typical outcome: Clear path to decision alignment. Stronger peer relationships. Executive-level influence on architecture.
Weekly escalations to your boss or skip-level. Product and engineering at each other's throats. You're caught between competing priorities and broken trust. Every technical decision becomes a political fight.
What we do: Diagnose the real conflict beneath the surface. Build repair strategies for damaged relationships. Create frameworks for managing up when trust is broken.
Typical outcome: Escalation pattern stops. Stakeholder relationships stabilize. You regain agency in decision-making.
Org restructure, merger, major platform migration, and you're supposed to keep the team motivated while everything's on fire. You're drowning, your team senses it, and you can't show weakness.
What we do: Build sustainable leadership practices under pressure. Navigate team dynamics during uncertainty. Separate your anxiety from your team's needs.
Typical outcome: Team stability maintained. Personal burnout avoided. Clear leadership through transition.
I also work with clients on executive presence, career transitions, and team dynamics. But these three intersections are where the combination of technical depth and therapeutic training creates the most leverage.
What's actually possible when you address both technical and human dimensions:
Problem: Engineering Manager locked in weekly escalation loops with product over architecture. Team watching their leader get undermined.
Work: Separated technical disagreements from trust issues. Practiced specific framing for architecture conversations. Addressed underlying credibility concerns.
Result: Escalation pattern stopped in 3 weeks. Got buy-in on critical refactoring. Peer relationships improved across org.
Problem: Senior Engineer promoted to Director. No time for technical work. Can't delegate. Team morale declining. Losing technical credibility.
Work: Identified hidden "should" beliefs about leadership. Built delegation muscle. Created meeting criteria framework.
Result: Reclaimed 10 hours/week. Successfully delegated three major projects. Team engagement up 20%.
Problem: Engineering Manager ready for VP. Technically strong but getting "presence" feedback. Strategic vision not landing with execs.
Work: Developed strategic communication framework. Practiced navigating ambiguity. Built confidence in senior stakeholder conversations.
Result: Positioned for and landed VP-level role. Now leads architecture for larger org with clearer executive voice.
Problem: Tech Lead promoted to EM. Team divided into factions. Two senior engineers wouldn't collaborate. Productivity tanking.
Work: Diagnosed conflict patterns. Facilitated difficult conversations. Built team norms and psychological safety.
Result: Team conflict resolved in 8 weeks. Collaboration restored. Velocity increased 35%.
Problem: CTO during acquisition. Team panicking about job security. Key engineers interviewing. Had to maintain production during integration.
Work: Developed communication strategy for uncertainty. Managed own stress while supporting team. Navigated political dynamics of merged org.
Result: Zero attrition during transition. Team stability maintained. Successful platform integration.
All examples anonymized. Results vary based on individual context, organizational support, and sustained effort.
40+ years building systems, leading teams, making architecture calls under pressure, navigating organizational politics. I understand your world because I've lived it. I speak your language.
Licensed therapist trained in emotional patterns, conflict dynamics, and relational complexity. I see what's happening beneath the technical debate: trust gaps, unspoken resentment, fear masking as disagreement.
Not theory. Real frameworks you can use in today's standup, tomorrow's one-on-one, next week's architecture review. Strategies that work when you're stressed, understaffed, and under deadline.
What we discuss stays between us. No judgment. No impact on your professional reputation. A safe space to explore your doubts, fears, and blind spots.
We identify what's stuck, your fastest leverage point, and whether coaching is the right fit. No sales pitch—honest assessment.
First 2-3 sessions focus on understanding patterns, clarifying goals, and building practical frameworks you can use immediately.
Biweekly or monthly sessions (your choice). We address challenges as they emerge, refine strategies, and build sustainable leadership practices.
Between sessions: apply frameworks, test strategies, gather data. Sessions become lab space to debrief, adjust, and deepen the work.
In our 30-minute discovery call, we'll: (1) clarify what's actually stuck, (2) identify your fastest leverage point, and (3) decide whether a 3-month sprint or 6-month program fits your situation.
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