FAQs

Why should I hire a coach?

There are many reasons to hire a coach, and just as many not to. It is said that “coaching is there for those who want, not those who need.” You should hire a coach if you find yourself tripping on the same wires and your business (and in turn your personal life) feels as if it’s not moving forward at the rate or in the direction you would like it to, with one caveat: you have to be in a place in life where you’re open to suggestion and change. For the same reason, you shouldn’t hire a coach if you want to keep doing what you’ve always done. The old adage goes, “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”. Coaching is a commitment. Unlike therapy, coaching is action-oriented in ways that are often less than subtle. When hiring a coach, it’s important that you’ve made a commitment to yourself that you’re going to follow-through with. If you’re still in the “if, and, and but” phase of your journey, it’s probably best to wait a while longer before embarking on the coaching journey.

What do you mean by coach and advisor?

As far as advisory services go, based on experience working with over 100 executives and founders, our coaching sessions will become a hybrid of coaching and business advisory services. I have found it’s a good idea to spell this out from the beginning. As someone who has turned ideas into products and been in the entrepreneurial arena for some time, I offer you my business acumen as an inherent part of my service.

Who is your ideal client?

My ideal client is three things: teachable, driven, and self-reflective. As I advise without giving advice (I rely on the power of suggestion so as to not rob my clients of inner agency), I look for individuals who are self-motivated, willing to shine a light on parts of themselves that might be uncomfortable, and open to evolving as people. I like to work with people who seek out coaching at-will, who aren’t there because someone else forced their hand, and who are receptive to feedback. My ideal client is someone who is already operating at 80-90%, but needs someone to help take them to 97% (as 100% is a fantasy).

What is the difference between executive/leadership coaching and therapy?

Executive coaching intends to build a relationship of trust and accountability between client and coach, with a specific set of goals or future objectives that the client and coach work toward. Therapy is intended to treat mental illness and work largely with the subconscious mind and issues that have occurred in the past. Coaching on the other hand is more future-focused and works primarily with the conscious mind. Furthermore, coaching is not a regulated profession whereas therapy is. Coaching services are also not covered by insurance while psychotherapy might be depending on one’s policy.

Consult my disclaimer for more information.

Are coaching and therapy in conflict?

No. Quite the opposite. I often suggest my clients enlist the help of a qualified therapist. Therapy and coaching work well together, and it is important to note that coaching is not a substitute for therapy. Consult my disclaimer for more information.

Is executive/leadership coaching the same as life coaching?

In short, not exactly, but there is more nuance. Executive coaching focuses on one’s professional development, while life coaching focuses on personal development. That said, I am of the belief that one’s work-life can only be as healthy as our inner life, and so I employ techniques that are holistic in nature and end up addressing both. Very frequently clients establish a mixture of personal and professional goals that we end up working on together.

Do you only work with founders, executives, and entrepreneurs from specific industries?

No. I am industry agnostic. I have worked with clients from myriad industries and find that the same issues plague individuals, irrespective of domain. As a technical founder myself, I can speak rather proficiently on technical aspects of a business, and I continue to read and stay current on emerging technologies and scientific developments. That said, I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular topic, rather, I approach our time together as a generalist and what is important is that our sessions keep you moving forward and accelerate progress towards your goals.

Do you give clients homework or to-dos after sessions?

I have populated several worksheets, workbooks, templates, handouts, etc. that I use on an as-needed basis when I feel that taking a tactical approach would be most beneficial. Sometimes I recommend actions that clients find a bit unusual (initially), like procuring a coloring book or dusting off their guitar. Other times, I recommend meditations and breathing exercises, or journaling. It all depends on what I observe during our session and what seems to resonate after a few sessions.

What should I look for in a coach?

In order to maximize benefit and not waste time (your most precious resource), you should look for someone who makes you feel safe and challenges you to be better at the same time. Notice your own bodily cues, do you tense your shoulders when speaking with them, or secretly roll your eyes as they droll out cliches? A coach has to be someone you admire and respect enough to tolerate difficult feedback. Otherwise, you’re paying for a yes-person and other than some feel-good moments, you’ll likely get very little out of your interactions. Conversely, if you find someone who is overly critical and makes you feel less-than, you’ll find it difficult to open up and the dynamic will end up dissolving or fruitless. You want to find someone at the point of intersection of safety and discomfort. It’s a sweet spot, and you’ll know it when you feel it. You shouldn’t settle for anything less.

Do you ever turn down clients?

Yes. And clients turn me down too. The most important thing is “fit” in the client-coach relationship, and usually after our first 30-minute introductory call, we both have a sense of whether we’d make a good fit. I once had a coach whom I wish had turned me down, because he and I were an exemplar of a square peg in a round hole. Instead, I wasted thousands of dollars and didn’t even show for all the sessions I had paid for. A lot of agony would have been spared if he had just turned me down, and in hindsight, if I had the emotional wherewithal to say “not for me” despite ample positive reviews.

Do you ever drop clients?

Sometimes. Here are some situations where I think it would be appropriate to drop a client: (1) Regular no-shows or lateness (irrespective of payment); (2) Insolence or abusive behavior (very rare, but still); or more subtle things like; (3) Inability to put suggestions into action or to do the work; (4) Not engaging truthfully and honestly in the process, or (5) client is doing really well and coaching has reached a standstill. I don’t like wasting anyone’s time or money, and I’ll be honest about these things, as you should be too. Coaching is a time to cast people-pleasing aside, and get really honest and clear about what you want. If you aren’t ready to do that, you will not get your money’s worth and you should come back when you are.

Is coaching expensive?

In a word, yes. In another few words, depends what you mean by expensive. Several studies have been conducted on the ROI of coaching, and the data indicate that one can expect a 6-8 fold ROI from coaching.

Moreover, in order for coaching, or anything really, to have value, it has to be at least a little bit lofty to obtain. Let’s employ an overused example of getting into shape. If your visits to the gym have you barely breaking a sweat, you probably won’t develop the musculature you seek. Without some discomfort and pain, there is little gain. Now, too much of a challenge presents the same issue, as injuries can occur and be demotivating. Similarly, a client committed to the process of coaching has to be charged something outside of their comfort zone but within “jumping” reach. As time is our most valuable resource, and yours, we will make the most of our one-hour sessions together if and only if there is discomfort.

Further, it’s difficult to quantify the kind of success and turnarounds clients can have in a few short sessions. I’ll share a recent story. I had a founder who had been working 16-hour days, sleeping no more than 3 hours a night for years, watching his life pass him by as he worked day and night building a tech platform. We had one conversation and a lightbulb went off inside him, he didn’t need to build the next $1B company, what he needed was balance. He had missed out on so many experiences, his health had suffered, he hadn’t learned to surf despite living by the beach. Over the course of a week, he changed all of that, became much happier, started working only 6 hours a day (but more productively), learned to surf, and felt happier than he had in years. 5 months later, he’s down 25 pounds, has outsourced much of his admin work, and only works 4 hours a day. Is that something you can put a price on? No, because it’s invaluable, so the best we can do is make it a price that is both accessible and slightly uncomfortable.

Why the initial five-session commitment?

Like all things worth having, achieving actionable results through coaching takes time. I want you to make an investment in yourself just as I want to make an investment in you. Meeting at regularly scheduled intervals for five-sessions builds a certain momentum that can’t be achieved in a shorter duration, particularly as it relates to longer-term goals.

Why shouldn’t I just read “The Pathfinder” or “What Color is Your Parachute?” instead of hiring a coach?

Well, you can, that’s all up to you. I highly recommend reading either of those books if you’re just getting started on your entrepreneurial journey, but once you’re moving along with your business and finding areas in which you’re getting stuck, you very often need another person to work with in order to get “unstuck”.

What makes you qualified to be a coach and advisor?

I can tell you all the reasons why I’m qualified to be doing this, but it’s inevitably up to you to make that determination. Here’s some trivia about me: I ran my own nanotech company and we took a product from proof-of-concept to working prototype in less than a year and that involved every regulatory and bureaucratic hurdle you can imagine. I’ve currently developed a suite of low-cost early cancer treatments and took them from proof of concept to working prototype in 3 months. I have coached over a hundred founders from all over the world, led workshops with hundreds of others who have described our time together as “transcendental”, “transformative”, and “like water in the desert” (see Testimonials page). I have won several international awards for running a top startup, as a top CEO/executive, and for innovation (see About page). I have helped dozens of others grow their businesses and get the ball rolling. I have a laser-like ability to cut through all the noise and BS and get to the heart of the actual quandary. I have been an athlete, and have the associated discipline to push through the pain when it’s screaming, “no more”. Moreover, I have created a beautiful life for myself, only to have it broken by someone else’s actions (and once or twice by my own), and have had to start over again, rebuilding one brick at a time. I am humble enough to know what rock bottom feels like, and so I have the capacity to hold space and listen with kindness as you navigate your own lows and pain. People have described me as the most non-judgmental listener and simultaneously to-the-point person they have ever met. I do not waste people’s time and am extremely focused and results-oriented. I bring a combination of empathy and total presence to the table. I do not simply hear what you have to say, I listen. The chatter in my own head isn’t competing with your words when you are speaking. I bring a blend of Eastern and Western traditions that I continue to study to the table; a combination of Buddhist teachings, enlightenment era philosophy, modern-day self-help, Jungian and Maslovian curiosity, meditation and breathing techniques, alternative health, communication techniques, and cultural learning. I am continually engaged in my own journey toward self-improvement, and I’m also amenable to being called out. I’m not working as a coach to satisfy my ego, rather, I’m doing this because it’s a calling. Because I truly care about you and moving forward, I won’t lie with you in order to keep you as a client. I will create a totally safe container for you to be challenged in, paradoxical as that sounds.

Above all else, I’m not coaching or advising for the wrong reasons (i.e. ego). I’m doing it because I genuinely love to help others and be part of their success.

I see you speak several languages, do you offer coaching services in languages other than English?

Yes, I do speak several other languages. I offer services in English as it is the language I am most conversant in, however, I have worked with people in hybrid sessions where when they feel more comfortable, they resort to their mother tongue and I respond in English or in their respective language for a portion of the session. This seems to help people when they’re discussing issues that are painful or uncomfortable to resort back to their native language.

Do you only offer virtual appointments?

Yes, for the time-being, all appointments are offered over Zoom.

Do you plan on offering in-person appointments down the line?

Yes. I believe that nothing is a substitute for face-to-face interaction and plan on offering in-person appointments at a future date.

Are coaching services refundable?

No. Once purchased, coaching services are non-refundable, however, there may be some exceptions in the event of a personal crisis where documentation can be provided.

Is everything we discuss confidential?

In short, yes. Though there are some exceptions that should be noted. If you intend to harm another person or yourself, these are circumstances where there is an ethical obligation to share this with the appropriate authorities. Everything shy of that is confidential.

Do you work with organizations and can I book you for speaking engagements?

Yes and yes. I frequently work with organizations on all the issues listed on my About page, and I can also be booked for speaking engagements. Contact me for more details.

Do you offer group/organizational coaching and advisory services?

Yes. Contact me for more details.