My Story
BECOMING A CERTIFIED EXECUTIVE COACH
Finding Meaningful Connections Between Humans Advancing the World’s Technology
New Country, New Culture, New Opportunities
My journey began the moment I immigrated to the United States. Fresh off the boat, with only three days in the country behind me, I was dropped into a social world I had only seen in movies: the American high school. Everything was new. Every daily routine came with its own unwritten rules, and my old habits had to adapt just to keep me afloat. Driven by curiosity, I threw myself into everything the place had to offer.
I met people unlike anyone I had known before, played sports, and joined clubs. With the Science Olympiad team, I built a self-propelled scooter and a Rube Goldberg machine, competed, and won a prize. But the accomplishment came with a quiet loneliness. Most of the technical work happened alone, and I wanted more time with people. I needed a way to bring my love of building together with my desire to connect.
So I wrote programs for TI-83 calculators and sold them to my classmates. I made a little money, but the connection rarely outlasted the sale. Next I tried selling candy. It was a much better business, but it brought me little joy.
In college, I kept tinkering at both ends of that tech-and-people spectrum, just on a bigger scale. As president of the robotics club, I built the electronics and wrote the code for our walking robots, even though the club drew little attention from anyone outside it. I led larger projects, organized hundreds of people around shared interests, and created a textbook exchange website that grew to over 6,000 books. I threw parties with the money my ventures earned. I learned what it takes to organize and work alongside large groups. Yet I still didn’t feel I was truly connecting with anyone. It all felt a bit transactional.
A World of Possibilities
This understanding began to shift as I moved to New York for work; here I got exposed to many new ways of thinking while doing things that I often could not keep up with.
I tried acting, yoga, improv, museums, small groups meditations, biking, and so many more things that I don’t even remember. These experiences showed me the glimpses of what is possible, that you can find your “tribe”, your spirit animals, your friends – people who will understand and appreciate you for who you are and how you don’t have to always poke at their “sweet” side to get attention and understanding.
While doing self-exploration in New York City, my professional and technology career also progressed. I moved from the bellows of the Wall Street computing jungle to the front office of stock trading. I built systems and debugged the hardest algorithms. Longing to strike out on my own, I started organizing concerts on the side which led to producing a nationwide tour for a punk band. We covered the whole country in just 12 days and performed for thousands of people. Along the way, I learned how to influence people, make them feel satisfied with the show, and deliver a great musical experience.
In a pivotal turning point for my career, I went back to business school to better understand the connective tissue that unites tech, people, and business. This missing link helped me meet others like myself who had dreams, aspirations, and pursuits at various stages of progress. It helped me compare and contrast new ways of leveraging my own experiences.
Launching Start-Ups and Shooting for the Stars
Post MBA, I left my corporate job in pursuits of start-up glory. With a few false starts, I eventually landed in a company that I and other founders took on a growth trajectory that resulted in a lucrative sale to Franklin Templeton. It was a tremendous experience.
I managed and scaled teams, overcame crises and chaos, built new products, and solved hard personnel and technical problems. Everything felt like it was coming into place. However, at this moment I also discovered another layer of complexity that was not visible to me before. It became important for me to do the work, but only if I truly believed that it was meaningful and purposeful. For me, the financial industry was not the place where I felt the most joy, so I went on another adventure.
I wanted to be part of something big that is on the cutting edge of human and technical understanding – the Aerospace Industry. This time I was well-equipped with many tools needed to co-found a space start-up – networking, pitching, managing, negotiating, and leading.
We wrote code for the first satellite ever specifically designed to take pictures of other satellites for research, maintenance, and repair initiatives. With mission success, I felt on top of the world — literally and figuratively – a triumphant culmination of my previous tech and human experiences.
A New Era: Human Interfaces Executive Coaching
Over time I have also realized that others could benefit from the lessons I’ve learned and the strategies I’ve developed along the way. Sharing, counseling, and mentoring multiplies the effects of those lessons for everyone. Therefore,
I went back to school to become a certified executive coach at UC Berkeley one more time to give structure to my methods. My goal is to teach others how to carve their own steps in the mountains they seek to climb.
By working together, we can make meaning from chaos, improve your human engagements in all aspects of business, and best leverage your technical expertise to grow thriving and sustainable businesses.
I also share these lessons as a guest on podcasts like The CTO Show, The First Customer and Entrepreneurial Excellence. Listen to all 28 interviews →
David
Valentina
VP of Fintech, Strategy and Growth
Anton
Alex
Himani
I have helped hundreds…
I have helped hundreds of leaders cross the gaps of uncertainties and chaos. See what some of them have to say about my services:
Customized Coaching For All Stages
I have coached founders in the earliest stages of conception, even before their idea was solidified, all the way to founders running Series-B organizations. Continue Your Journey With:
FOUNDER BUSINESS COACHING
will help you get through:
- Self-doubt, overwhelm and burnout
- Loneliness and isolation of building Your Dream
- Lack of product-market-fit
- Complex founder transitions
- Uninspired team woes
- Overwhelming priorities and lack of focus
TECH LEADERSHIP COACHING
will help you get through:
- Politics, silos, corporate roadblocks
- Struggle to influence and control your domain
- Disconnect from your leadership and mission
- Feeling like an imposter. Even with all your success.
- Being out-of-sync with yourself and your purpose
- Lack in confidence of up-skilling yourself