Meet Jeff Rothenberg,
Founder of A Path That Calls - Life and Career Coaching
I spent years understanding people from the employer side of the table. Coaching taught me to understand them from the inside out.
Today, I bring both perspectives together to help people understand who they are, where they’ll flourish, and what’s worth building next.
My Story
I spent most of my career on the other side of the table.
Before becoming a life and career coach, I spent nearly two decades hiring people, building teams, developing leaders, and helping companies grow.
I worked at organizations including Target, Apple, LendingClub, and Upgrade. I joined startups early, helped teams scale through periods of rapid growth, interviewed thousands of candidates, and hired more than 1,000 people.
For years, I was trying to understand people through the lens of an employer.
What are they naturally good at?
What motivates them?
Where will they perform at their best?
What kind of environment brings out the best in them?
But over time, I became increasingly interested in a different set of questions.
Not just: Can this person do the job?
But:
Who is this person?
What makes them come alive?
Where will they flourish?
What kind of life are they actually trying to build?
Eventually, those questions became personal.
After experiencing multiple career setbacks—including layoffs and being fired—I had to confront how much of my identity had become attached to my title, my company, and what I had accomplished professionally.
I remember sitting in my car after losing a job, staring at my phone and wondering whether I would ever feel confident in my professional worth again.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn't asking: What opportunity should I chase next?
I was asking: Who am I when the title goes away?
That question changed the direction of my life.
It led me deeper into coaching, Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, career assessments, and the study of what helps people build meaningful careers and lives.
And eventually, it became the foundation for A Path That Calls - Life and Career Coaching.
Understand who you are before deciding what to do.
Most people facing a career decision immediately ask:
“What should I do next?”
I think that question comes too early.
First, we need to understand the person making the decision.
What are you naturally good at?
What gives you energy?
What matters to you?
What are you curious about?
What environments bring out your best?
What kind of life do you want your work to support?
When you understand those patterns, career decisions become less about guessing and more about recognizing fit.
There usually isn’t one perfect career waiting for you.
Instead, we identify promising directions, then go into the real world and test them.
Understand yourself first. Then evaluate the possibilities.
Your Path Forward
Discover who you are.
Explore where you’ll flourish.
Build what comes next.
My coaching process moves from self-understanding, to real-world exploration, to intentional action.
➤ Discover
Understand who you are before deciding what to do.
Most people try to decide what to do before they understand who they are. Together, we'll uncover your strengths, values, personality, motivations, interests, and ideal work environments using evidence-based assessments and thoughtful coaching conversations.
→ By the end of Discover, you'll stop asking, "What should I do?" and start asking, "Which path fits who I am?"
➤ Explore
Explore what fits before making a life-changing decision.
The best career decisions aren't made in your head—they're tested in the real world.
Together, we'll test promising paths through research, conversations with professionals, informational interviews, and low-risk experiments—so you can move forward with evidence instead of assumptions.
→ You'll replace uncertainty with evidence and confidence built through experience—not guesswork.
➤ Build
Turn clarity into meaningful action.
Clarity only changes your life when you act on it.
Together, we'll translate insight into action by building a strategy that fits your goals, your strengths, and your life. Then we'll execute it together, one intentional step at a time.
When obstacles inevitably arise—and they will—you won't navigate them alone. I'll help you adjust, stay accountable, and keep moving forward until your new direction becomes your new reality.
→ You'll leave with more than a plan. You'll have the confidence to build a career and life that's aligned with who you are.
Experience & Training
Business & Leadership
Nearly two decades in operations, sales, recruiting, and leadership
1,000+ professionals hired
Scaled organizations including Apple, Target, LendingClub (5.4 Billion dollar IPO in 2014), and Upgrade (employee #9 and currently valued at 7.3 Billion dollars)
Built and led teams through rapid growth, organizational change, and complex career transitions
Coaching & Assessments
B.A. in Communication, Santa Clara University
Training in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania
Professional coach training through Erickson Coaching International
MBTI® Certified
Strong Interest Inventory® Certified
Experience with CliftonStrengths® and VIA Character Strengths
International Coaching Federation PCC level credentialing in progress
Who I Work With
Most people come to me at some kind of crossroads.
Maybe your career looks successful from the outside, but something no longer feels right.
Maybe you’ve been laid off and don’t want fear or urgency to make your next decision for you.
Maybe you’ve spent years following a path that made sense—and you’re beginning to wonder whether it still feels like yours.
Maybe you’re a parent watching your young adult feel stuck or uncertain, and you want them to gain clarity, confidence, and a direction that genuinely fits who they are.
Or maybe you simply have a persistent feeling that you’re capable of more, but you can’t quite see what more should look like.
You don’t need to have the answer before we meet.
Figuring that out is part of the work.
If you’re successful on paper but questioning whether the work still fits who you are, I work with mid-career professionals navigating meaningful career transitions.
Beyond Coaching
Outside of coaching, I'm deeply involved in my Phoenix community. I serve on the Board of Advisors for both Saint Vincent de Paul and Grand Canyon University's Honors Program, teach financial literacy courses to foster youth through Foster Arizona, and speak about leadership and career growth at local organizations.
When I'm not coaching, you'll find me exploring Arizona's hiking trails with my wife, our son Jaxson, and our two labradoodles (Hudson and Oso), hunting down the best local restaurants (I know where to find the best tacos and coffee in town), or planning our next international adventure—we've visited 38 countries and counting. I'm also an avid reader, constantly diving into personal development books and leadership research to stay sharp and bring fresh insights to my clients.
And when the day winds down? I'm a husband, new father, and the kind of dog dad who talks to his labradoodles like they understand complex problems (they're excellent listeners).
