Executive Coaching for Founders & Startup Leaders in Phoenix
Helping Founders Become the Leader Each Stage of Growth Demands
Building a company changes you. The founder who launches a company isn't the same leader who scales one. I help founders navigate growth with the perspective of someone who's helped build companies through hypergrowth, pivots, and rebuilding.
TRUSTED BY
Built Inside High-Growth Companies
Before becoming an executive coach, I spent more than 15 years helping build high-growth technology companies, from early-stage startups to publicly traded organizations.
I helped scale LendingClub through its IPO, joined Upgrade as one of its earliest Phoenix leaders, and built teams through hypergrowth, pivots, restructures, and rebuilding. Along the way, I interviewed thousands of candidates, hired more than 1,000 employees, and developed leaders at every stage of growth.
Those years also gave me a front-row seat to Arizona's rapidly growing startup ecosystem. Today, Phoenix—often known as the Silicon Desert and increasingly referred to as the Silicon Oasis—is home to one of the country's fastest-growing communities of founders, entrepreneurs, and high-growth technology companies. I'm proud to continue serving Phoenix's startup community by helping founders build not only exceptional companies, but exceptional leaders.
Those experiences taught me something I'll never forget.
The biggest challenge most founders face isn't building a successful company. It's becoming the leader that company now requires.
That's why I do this work today.
I help founders navigate those same moments by making difficult leadership decisions, building stronger leadership teams, and continuing to grow alongside the companies they're building.
Companies evolve.
Leaders have to evolve faster.
Every Stage of Growth Brings a New Leadership Challenge
What got you here won't get you there.
The founder who launches a company isn't the same leader who scales one. As your company grows, the conversations become more difficult, the decisions become more complex, and more people begin looking to you for clarity, confidence, and direction.
Every new stage of growth asks something different of its founder.
You might recognize some of these moments…
You're becoming the bottleneck, and everything still seems to come through you.
You're struggling to delegate because no one does it quite the way you would.
You've promoted great employees into leadership roles, but they're still learning how to lead.
Difficult conversations are taking longer than they should.
Your culture feels harder to protect as the company grows.
You're making bigger decisions with less certainty and more people depending on you.
Success looks great from the outside, but leadership feels heavier than it used to.
You’re Not Alone.
If some of those resonate, you're not doing anything wrong.
They're signs that your company has reached a new stage of growth and that your leadership needs to grow with it.
That's where I come in.
Together, we'll help you become the leader your next stage of growth requires.
Two Ways We Can Work Together
Every founder's needs are different.
Sometimes the biggest opportunity is your own leadership. Other times it's strengthening your leadership team, improving organizational effectiveness, or building systems that can scale with the business.
That's why I offer two ways to work together.
Executive Coaching for Startup Founders
Become the Leader Your Company Now Requires
Ideal for founders and startup executives who want to grow as leaders while navigating rapid growth, difficult decisions, and increasing organizational complexity.
We will work on:
✓High-Potential & performance coaching
✓Delegation & avoiding the founder bottleneck
✓Executive communication
✓Building and developing leaders
✓Difficult conversations
✓Setting the vision, strategy, values
✓Accountability & culture development
Typical engagement
Bi-weekly: 6-12 months
Fractional Leadership Advisory
Strengthen the Leadership Team Behind Your Growth
Ideal for founders who want an experienced leadership partner to help build the people, systems, and management practices that allow a company to scale.
Typical projects include:
✓Leadership team development
✓Hiring strategy & executive interviewing
✓Performance management systems
✓Organizational structure & role clarity
✓ Compensation & incentive strategy
✓Scaling culture & accountability
✓Leadership operating rhythms
Typical Engagement
8-40 hours per month
Here’s How We Get Started
1
Schedule a Founder Strategy Session
We'll spend about an hour talking about your company, your leadership challenges, and where you want to go next. My goal isn't to sell you coaching—it's to understand your business and determine whether I'm the right person to help.
2
Build a Plan Together
If we're a good fit, we'll identify the leadership opportunities that will have the greatest impact on you and your company. Every engagement is customized to your goals, your team, and your stage of growth.
3
Grow Alongside Your Company
Leadership isn't something you master once.
As your company evolves, we'll continue developing the mindset, skills, and leadership systems needed for each new stage of growth
FAQs
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Building a company changes you.
The founder who launches a business isn't the same leader who scales one. As your company grows, the decisions become heavier, the stakes become higher, and your leadership challenges become more complex.
Executive coaching gives you a trusted thought partner to help you navigate those moments. Together, we'll work through difficult decisions, strengthen your leadership team, improve communication, and help you become the leader your company now requires.
After more than 15 years helping build high-growth technology companies—including LendingClub, Upgrade, Apple, Mosaic, and Target—I know firsthand that every stage of growth demands a different kind of leadership.
The business isn't the only thing growing.
You are too.
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Fractional leadership advisory combines executive coaching with hands-on leadership and organizational consulting.
Instead of simply helping you become a better leader, I work alongside you to strengthen the leadership team and management systems that allow your company to scale.
That might include:
Building and developing your leadership team
Executive hiring and interviewing
Organizational structure and role clarity
Performance management systems
Leadership accountability
Compensation and incentive design
Scaling culture as the company grows
Navigating difficult leadership decisions
Think of it this way:
Executive coaching helps you become the leader your company needs.
Fractional leadership advisory helps you build the leadership team and organization your company needs.
After spending more than 15 years helping build high-growth companies—including LendingClub, Upgrade, Apple, Mosaic, and Target—I bring both an executive coach's perspective and an operator's experience to every engagement.
For many founders, it's like adding an experienced leadership partner to the team—without hiring a full-time executive.
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I primarily work with startup founders, CEOs, executives, and leadership teams navigating periods of rapid growth or meaningful change.
Many of my clients are experiencing one or more of these challenges:
Building a leadership team for the first time
Feeling like the bottleneck in the business
Delegating more responsibility as the company grows
Hiring managers and executives
Leading through uncertainty or organizational change
Protecting company culture during rapid growth
Making bigger decisions with more people depending on them
Whether you're leading a company of five people or five hundred, every stage of growth requires you to evolve as a leader.
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Executive coaching focuses on helping you become a stronger leader.
Fractional leadership advisory expands beyond personal leadership development to help strengthen the organization itself.
In addition to coaching, I can partner with founders on leadership team development, executive hiring, organizational structure, performance management, accountability systems, management training, and leadership effectiveness.
Think of executive coaching as investing in the leader.
Think of fractional leadership advisory as investing in both the leader and the leadership team.
Many founders begin with executive coaching and later expand into a fractional advisory relationship as their company continues to grow.
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Yes.
I'm based in Phoenix and work with founders throughout Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and the broader Arizona startup community.
Having spent years helping build high-growth technology companies in Phoenix, I understand the unique opportunities and challenges founders experience here. From early-stage startups to established growth companies, leadership is often the limiting factor—not opportunity.
While many of my clients are local, I also coach founders and executives virtually throughout the United States.
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The leadership challenges that get a company from five employees to twenty-five aren't the same challenges required to lead a company of one hundred.
Founders often tell me they're experiencing things like:
Everything still comes through them.
Delegation feels harder than it should.
Managers need coaching they don't have time to provide.
Difficult conversations get delayed.
Culture becomes harder to protect.
Decision fatigue starts affecting clarity.
Success looks great from the outside, but leadership feels heavier than ever.
None of this means you're failing.
It usually means your company has reached a new stage of growth.
And every new stage asks something different of its leader.
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Most founders meet with me every other week for approximately six months, although every engagement is tailored to the individual and the company.
Between sessions, many clients also reach out for support around executive hiring, difficult conversations, organizational decisions, or leadership challenges that can't wait until the next meeting.
My goal isn't simply to have great coaching conversations.
It's to help you make better leadership decisions every week you're building your company.
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Most executive coaching engagements last between six and twelve months.
Leadership development isn't something you check off a list. As your company grows, new opportunities and new leadership challenges naturally emerge.
Many founders continue coaching well beyond their initial engagement because they value having an experienced, objective thought partner—someone who understands both leadership and the realities of scaling a business.
The goal isn't to become dependent on coaching.
The goal is to become increasingly capable as your company evolves.
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Absolutely.
I've worked with founders leading venture-backed startups, founder-owned businesses, and rapidly growing organizations across a variety of industries.
Before becoming a coach, I spent more than 15 years helping build companies through hypergrowth, organizational pivots, restructures, and rebuilding. I interviewed thousands of candidates, hired more than 1,000 employees, and helped leaders navigate the challenges that come with rapid growth.
While every business is different, I've found the leadership challenges are remarkably similar.
Growth always asks more of the founder.
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The Founder Strategy Session is a complimentary conversation designed to determine whether we're the right fit for each other.
We'll discuss your business, your leadership challenges, your team, and where you're trying to take the company over the next six to twelve months.
If I believe I can genuinely help, I'll recommend the engagement structure that makes the most sense—whether that's executive coaching, fractional leadership advisory, or another approach.
If I don't think I'm the right fit, I'll tell you that too.
My goal isn't to sell coaching.
It's to help founders make good decisions—including the decision about whether to work together.
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There are many excellent executive coaches.
What makes my approach different is that I've spent more than 15 years leading inside high-growth companies before becoming one.
I helped scale LendingClub through its IPO, joined Upgrade as one of the earliest leaders in its Phoenix office, interviewed thousands of candidates, hired more than 1,000 employees, and experienced firsthand what it takes to build organizations through hypergrowth, pivots, restructures, and rebuilding.
Today, I combine that operating experience with professional coaching, evidence-based assessments, and a practical, collaborative approach that helps founders become more confident leaders while building healthier, higher-performing organizations.
Because building a successful company isn't just about growing the business.
It's about becoming the leader each stage of growth demands.
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Mentors share their experiences. Advisors offer recommendations. Consultants solve specific business problems.
Executive coaching is different.
Rather than telling you what to do, coaching helps you think more clearly, make better decisions, and grow into the leader your company needs. It's a confidential space to challenge assumptions, navigate difficult conversations, work through uncertainty, and strengthen your leadership over time.
Many founders benefit from all four—mentors, advisors, consultants, and coaches. They simply serve different purposes.
The most successful founders I've worked with aren't looking for someone to run their company.
They're looking for someone who helps them lead it better.
Your Company Is Growing. Make Sure Your Leadership Grows With It.
Whether you're building your first leadership team, navigating rapid growth, or simply looking for an experienced thought partner, I'd love to learn more about your company and the leadership challenges you're facing.
We'll spend an hour discussing your business, your goals, and where you want to take your company next. If we're a good fit, we'll build a plan together. If not, I'll point you in the right direction.
No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation between two people who care about building great companies.