Designing Your Life Certified Coaches
CALIFORNIA
Julie McShane
Currently the Director of Career Development & Alumni Relations at UC Berkeley and a Design Your Life Coach Julie encourages people to think beyond their roles, labels, and current titles. Having worked with engineering leaders in the Bay Area for over 10 years Julie employs a design thinking framework to support people as they move forward in their careers and life. Julie is also passionate about helping people build connections and spends a portion of her time organizing large scale networking experiences in the Bay Area. Other areas of specialization include transitioning back to work and balancing family life & career.
Winn Ellis
I am a certified professional life coach with more than 15 years of experience. I am also a licensed therapist (LMFT) but not currently practicing psychotherapy. I have a small practice in San Francisco and currently work with clients who are in transition and hoping to achieve their dreams in the areas of work and relationships, or personal growth, among others. As a life coach, I guide my clients down various paths through exploration exercises and conversations designed to direct them toward clarity, a purposeful life and seeing the possibilities along the way. All the while holding clients accountable for action items. For additional information about how I work, my website is winnellis.com.
Ellen Fondiler
Ellen is an award-winning entrepreneur, career and business coach, and the creator of an interview project called How Did You Do That? She has worked as a death penalty attorney, launched four businesses, and has raised millions for charities and nonprofits. Her motto is: “Every door can be unlocked.” She is based in San Francisco and works with clients all over the world.
Akira Toda
Akira is a professional life coach and strategy consultant, and the Founder and CEO of Akira Marketing. He has more than 10 years of experience of teaching design thinking at business school. Using his specialty in strategy, marketing, design thinking, and life coaching, he helps people define and realize their own success in work and life. His coaching style is natural, calm, and relaxing and he coaches in English and Japanese. He is based in Orange County, California and works with clients all over the world. He has an MBA from UCLA.
Matt Keller
I specialize in working with people from all different walks of life in the areas of career, education and overall life exploration. I am passionate about helping people see the big picture and examine a variety of paths that will lead to greater fulfillment and satisfaction. Using my over 20 years of experience in human resources I have a unique insight into career paths and using innovative ways to develop your career and life outside of work.
Laura Norris
Laura is Associate Professor and founding Director of two of Santa Clara Law’s most innovative offerings - the Tech Edge J.D. program and the Entrepreneurs’ Law Clinic. The Tech Edge J.D. is a specialized law degree program being piloted in 2018, designed to prepare law students for practice in technology-related industries. The Entrepreneurs’ Law Clinic, now in its sixth year, uses 2L and 3L students to provide free legal services and workshops to the Silicon Valley’s vibrant entrepreneurial community.
Carlin (Carly) Janson
Carly is a certified executive and leadership coach and consultant who has served emerging and established leaders across the globe for two decades. In addition to her private coaching and consulting practice, Carly serves on the leadership team of the Career Management Center at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she oversees career development for all MBA and mid-career students. She leads Stanford Business School's Career and Life Design program, which she co-founded in 2014.
Lara Klein
As a Career and Leadership Coach at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, I support experienced professionals in creating a meaningful and rewarding career and life. Drawing on various tools and frameworks, including Designing Your Life and Positive Intelligence, you can count on me to support you in making your next career move. You will gain clarity on what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, what your priorities and interests are, and what career possibilities you’d like to explore. I will walk with you on your journey, help you develop a powerful and engaging Story, and support you in navigating any challenges you may encounter along the way. Prior to becoming a Coach, I spent more than 15 years in HR (mainly tech and entertainment industries), which has given me an understanding of a wide range of roles and job functions. I have a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley and an MBA from San Diego State University. I am a graduate of Accomplishment Coaching, and am trained in Designing Your Life, and Positive Intelligence.
Karen Xiaolin Wang
Karen is a Chinese psychotherapist and co-founder of Wisdom Academy. she has over ten years’ experiences in the development field with the United Nations, with focus mainly on community-based psychosocial support for children. She is also a certified Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) teacher, through the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University School of Medicine and Compassion Institute (CI). Her particular strength is in providing support for children and their caregivers.
Cynthia Hunter Lang
I am a certified diversity life coach with additional training in design thinking. I have many fun and creative ways to help you overcome productivity blocks, improve relationships and find happiness. Let's work together to design the life you are meant to live. I coach in English and Portuguese.
Kathleen Stafford
Stafford McConville serves people and organizations who do good work and do good in the world by providing executive coaching for teams and individuals, and HR/People advisory services primarily to small businesses and non-profits. Kathy spent 2+ decades as a financial executive in the biotech industry before finding her calling on the people side of the business. She has led the People/HR function in the biotech, cleantech, and maker space, and provided coaching and advisory services to a diverse array of people and enterprises. She believes there is a better in each person and organization, and loves nothing more than seeing that better unleashed into the world.
Tobi Marcus
I assist my clients in developing the clarity they desire - in intention, direction, and action. My approach blends over 25 years of strategic planning experience with my deep commitment to an integral coaching philosophy.
Gabrielle Santa-Donato
Gabrielle is a fellow, lecturer and program manager in Stanford’s Life Design Lab. She has spent the last 5 years working in the ins and outs of design thinking application at Stanford. She currently catalyzed and leads the Life Design Studio -- a movement to bring life design to universities globally. Her workview is to help people discover their unique learning potential. Over the past decade, she has trained professionals to use the design process in K12, higher ed, and in corporations locally and internationally, with companies like IDEO U, The Design Gym, and others leveraging design to solve wicked challenges. Gabrielle received her BA from Dartmouth College and her M.Ed. from Harvard.
Laura Francis
Laura Francis is a coach, designer, educator and advocate. Through active listening and collaboration she leads her clients through a sustainable and actionable framework for their future growth. After earning a double BA in International Relations and Psychology from UC Davis, she began her career living and working in Japan. Over the last 30 years she has held positions in education, logistics, sales, art and software. She is a certified college and career counselor specializing in teens, young adults and those re-entering the workplace.
Sara Mirza
Hi! I’m Sara. I’m a career and life coach with a background in human resources and organizational behavior. I have both my BA and MA in Psychology, with a graduate level concentration in Counseling. With my training in methodologies like Designing Your Life, HMI’s Resilience Coaching, and Hypnotherapy, I weave aspects of design thinking, mindfulness, and mindset coaching into my practice.
I believe that our careers should be a source of joy in our lives, and I love supporting my clients as they design careers and lives they love.
Mayumi Ishii
I help aspiring entrepreneurs and students design their business and personal growth strategies. I draw upon my own experience of 8 different career pathways - including my first with McKinsey Tokyo and Los Angeles - and starting 3 successful companies. I specialize in cross border business in the US and Japan. Fluent in Japanese.
Lisa Kavanaugh
As a former CTO, Certified Coach and Digital Nomad for 7+ yrs, Lisa combines decades of experience to partner in the creation of more meaningful impact in her client's personal and professional lives. She is the Founder of REBELxLABS, a collection of programs designed to shortcut your journey to a life of connected freedom working and playing from anywhere in the world. Her mission is to serve those that are ready to hit the reset button, step away from the status quo, take time to reconnect with who they really are and what they really want, and design a life in deep alignment with that knowing.``
Carol Pugh
Carol is an experienced, certified coach whose private practice is focused on working with individuals in transition. Carol’s warm, supportive, but direct style also serves her corporate clients where she coaches in both large and small companies, particularly in the tech space. She believes that everyone has the power within themselves to choose to make their life better. It may take a huge transformation and it may only require some little baby steps. No whining allowed – if you don’t like how things are, change them!
Alix Franquet
I work with clients who wonder what's next and want to figure out what might be holding them back. A sounding board and a catalyst for personal and professional growth, I use a tailored approach combining positive psychology, design thinking, and mindfulness. I have experience in the tech industry, hold a BA and an MBA from Harvard, trained as a coach at UC Davis and am ICF certified. I coach in English and in French.
Nicole Stephen
Nicole Stephen, founder and principal consultant for Miramar Group is a results oriented, proven partner who brings over 20 years of applied experience working across industries and cultures to help individuals, teams, and orgs accelerate growth and realize their potential. An I/O psychologist by training, Nicole is passionate about making a difference in the world - through serving all types of organizations and all types of people.
Mos' Okediji
You deserve to grow and thrive personally and professionally but something is getting in your way. As your coach, I will create a safe and courageous space for you to harness the power of the genius within you. I’ll partner with you so you can accomplish your career or business aspirations so you can live a life full of meaning! I’m a certified Design your Life coach, Coactive trained coach and a Sr. Learning and Development professional at a Silicon Valley company. I bring my whole self to my clients through design thinking, empathy, storytelling, innovation, authenticity, and most especially, fun.
Debbie Stauffer
I believe that everyone starts with all that they need, and it’s my job to help create a new awareness about potential and possibility. My coaching and training practice is designed for individuals and organizations managing change and innovation. I am a certified executive and leadership coach with a focus on design thinking, mindfulness, and character strengths, and my career includes work as a startup founder and entrepreneur, venture capitalist, educator, coder and civic leader. I am also an accredited yoga instructor, and I often encourage wellness in coaching conversations.
Jenn M Choi
Jenn is an Empowerment Coach who empowers real humans to make BIG ASS changes and design the life + work they dream of. She leverages her transformational life coaching, positive psychology, life design, change management, marketing, tech consulting, and entrepreneurial experience to guide clients to reach their dreams. She’s also a Founder, Writer, Speaker, and Content Creator who tells inspirational personal stories and shares practical life + work lessons to empower people all over the world.
Amy Koop
I'm an executive and mindset coach who works with individuals looking to make transformative change in their lives, often in the form of career transition. I've been a marketing executive for 15+ years and an endurance athlete for 20 years; these foundations have given me the experience and tools to know how to inspire, create and maintain lasting change.
Ashley Prince Murphy
Ashley is a coach, leader, and mother who loves building the future. With experiences ranging from strategic planning at Fortune 500 companies to NFL cheerleading while pursuing a Stanford MBA, Ashley’s curiosity and bias toward action can help you build a compelling next chapter.
Linda Baumgardner
Linda Baumgardner, MFA, CPCC, PCC has dedicated the past 11 years of her life to teaching, mentoring, and coaching. Working primarily with creative young adults, she is passionate about helping her clients make the positive changes they wish to see in their lives. Her experience as a professional lighting designer adds an element of imagination and innovative thinking to allow your creative expression to come to life more fully. Her work guides the process of uncovering who you really are, what you really want, and making decisions to honor that. Working together, she helps you build a future that reflects the real you.
Jessica Agnew
I am a Navy veteran. I am a team-builder and professional coach. I am a corporate learning and development specialist. I am a wife and mother. I am a world traveler and adventurer. I am an athlete. I am a lark. I am a lifelong learner. I am all of these things, all of the time. Navigating my way to a deep and thorough understanding of each aspect of myself while exploring how they align with my values has profoundly accelerated my career. I have enjoyed the opportunity to apply my passion for team effectiveness and coaching in the military, the corporate environment, and as a professional coach. My role as coach is to help you understand, access, and utilize each element of your identity as you design your life and career around your values, then act as your co-pilot as you navigate your way towards fulfillment.
Agnes Le
Agnes is a career strategist who helps high achievers in mid-career transition redesign their career and life vision with greater confidence, clarity and curiosity. She draws upon two decades in career development, a Stanford MBA and a specialized Masters in Career Management from the University of London. Currently, Agnes teaches the class “Building a Career of Meaning and Impact” at Stanford Continuing Studies as well as facilitates the popular Interpersonal Dynamics course, (a.k.a. Touchy Feely) at Graduate School of Business. Previously, she was the former director of Career Advising for the Stanford Graduate School of Business and coached students at two other top business schools in Europe (Cambridge Judge in the UK, and IESE in Spain). A big believer of growth-mindset, Agnes has continued to look for ways to step outside her comfort zone: whether it was getting a Stanford MBA, coaching CEOs, launching her own business, hiking to the base camp of Everest, or running 12 marathons and even a few ultra-marathons.
Kandis Rodgers
Kandis is a dedicated career counselor committed to the personal and professional success of others. An advocate for personal empowerment and social good, Kandis is motivated by seeing others achieve their goals and enhance their communities. Kandis’s approach to working with others is holistic, embracing the whole individual during their continuous journey towards career happiness. Kandis is currently a Career and Internship Specialist with UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. She provides an unique perspective to career guidance, finding the intersection between student drive and employer need.
Merry Woodruff
Merry, Founder of BeingMerry.com, is a Professional Certified Coach working with others to increase their awareness of how they spend their days and align that with how they navigate their lives. Merry's certifications in mindfulness and wellness support the optimization of well-being: managing transitions and stress, balancing work and life, focusing on priorities and values, and feeling confident in present and future decisions. From the new career launcher to the mid-life changer to the early retiree, her clients transform their lives by playing active and deliberate roles.
Besides coaching private clients, Merry works with individuals through BetterUp! Leadership Coaching as a Fellow Coach. With mindfulness and self-compassion at the foundation, she works with clients to let go of self-judgment and meet themselves where they are, so they may have a clearer sense of where they want to go, without anything holding them back. Merry is located in San Diego, CA, and works remotely through Zoom.
Susie Burrus
Susie is a coach and life design/career counselor who works with people from all walks of life seeking personal growth and/or hoping to achieve greater clarity in relationships and work. As an accredited professional life coach and Designing Your Life coach, she directs her clients toward a more purposeful and intentional life by helping them develop and explore actionable and sustainable frameworks developed through conversation and exploration activities. Prior to becoming a coach, she spent 15+ years in the private sector in a variety of capital markets and real estate roles and ~9 years in the education arena which has given her insight into a wide range of career paths, industries and job roles. She also works as an MBA admissions consultant and earned her MBA and BA from Stanford.
Sandi Smith
Life is too short not to be happy, so I help people who are ready to take their self-work to the next level to design their F-Yeah life. Whether you're slogging through change, starting over, or simply want to squeeze more juice out of an already awesome life, I partner with you to get you moving and become your true badass self. I coach in English and Spanish. To help people and organizations find their happy, I apply wisdom gleaned from over 20 years of leadership and marketing roles at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Kashi Company, coaching certifications from Martha Beck Wayfinding and Design Your Life, and an MBA in Organizational Development from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management. Let’s get started!
Catherine Dalipe
Catherine is a global executive with career coaching, leadership coaching and group mentoring experience. She is dedicated to supporting professionals at inflection points in their lives who are ready to explore and step into new challenges while committing to creating rich, engaging and meaningful lives from a place of authenticity and agency. Combining over 30 years of leadership experience in international education management and consulting for global organizations, start-ups and family-run enterprises, Catherine enjoys building workplaces that support their employees to thrive. She is a Certified DYL Workshop Facilitator and also serves as Community Relations Manager for The Designing Your Life Group and Fieldbrook Advising. She is a passionate advocate for design thinking as a methodology to empower people to design a life and career with joy, purpose and fulfillment. Catherine is based in San Diego, California and works with clients all over the world.
Dr. Sheetal J. Patel
Have you ever had that moment where something you've learned clicks? That's the ``aha`` moment. I find joy and energy working with people and organizations to find those aha's. When we learn about ourselves, we are empowered to go above and beyond what we thought was possible, and open the door to new opportunities. I am Co-Active trained coach who has worked with a range of clients, from students just starting out in their work lives to executives and Fortune 500 organizations, to understand their own core stories and values that can lead them to the opportunities they seek. In addition to coaching, I co-founded and run the Integrated Learning Portfolio Lab at Stanford to research, teach, and coach people to find their personal and professional stories and create their own digital presence. I look forward to working with you on your journey.
Sigal Laufer
I’m an ICF certified coach with 15+ years of Human Resources experience working in High-Tech companies such as Meta (Facebook), Twitch, Amazon Web Services, and Intel. As a coach and an HR leader I’m passionate about unleashing peoples’ potential to achieve their best self. I do so through thought-provoking and a creative process that inspires people to maximize their personal and professional potential. I work with executives, managers, and individual contributors who are looking to make a shift in their life and career while tapping into my coaching and industry experience.
Ron Morita
By applying design thinking principles, I help people find joy in their life journey, confidence in their agility and resilience, excitement in continuously learning and growing, and the fulfillment of doing things which they value. I am an executive coach, life coach, high tech product executive and social impact leader. I help executives rising in their careers and senior executives who are seeking to design more fulfilling lives and careers. I successfully redesigned my career and my life and I share my methodology through my coaching practice.
Joy Baker Peacock
Joy is the Managing Director of two of Santa Clara University School of Law’s most innovative offerings - the Tech Edge J.D. program and the Privacy Law Initiative. The Tech Edge J.D. is a specialized law degree program designed to prepare law students for practice in technology-related industries. Joy enjoys advising law, undergraduate and high school students and women returning to work as they navigate their career paths. As someone who changed careers herself several times from being an entrepreneur, lawyer, stay-at-home parent, innovation executive and higher education capacity builder, she is passionate about helping people identify and achieve the careers and lives they dream of and design for themselves.
Linsly M. Donnelly
I bring 20+ years of experience spanning strategy consulting, consumer products, media, and technology - including leading start-ups from inception to exit - in order to help leaders and teams answer the question: How can I love Mondays? As I’ve partnered with colleagues and investors to excavate visions, devise roadmaps and support their best - Next - I’ve learned the key to savoring Monday’s fresh-start promise is connecting what you have to do with what you want to and feel meant to - do. Getting this connection individually and collectively rests in understanding the power of mindset and how much mindset…matters. Today's science around neuroplasticity coupled with positivity bias programs offers many paths into mindset mastery. The question becomes - what path most resonates - with you. I partner to make the expertise and toolkits around understanding and managing your own mindset - in order to thrive in your best...Next...easy and repeatable.
My work supports:
- Professionals considering what is their best…Next..in life.
- Teens on the cusp of defining options and paths.
John Tarnoff
John Tarnoff is an executive and career transition coach, speaker, and author who supports mid and late-career professionals in defining, planning, and achieving more meaningful and sustainable careers. Fired 39% during his 35 years as a film producer, studio executive and tech entrepreneur, he learned how to turn setbacks into successes in a volatile business. He reinvented his own career at 50, earning a master’s degree in spiritual psychology to share his career lessons with others going through similar challenges. Since leaving entertainment in 2010, John has coached individuals, groups, and led career workshops for university alumni, including for UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business. Corporate coaching clients have included Bank of America, Bridgewater Assoc., Levi-Strauss, Softbank, TD Ameritrade, Paramount Pictures, and Thrive Global. He is the author of the best-selling ``Boomer Reinvention: How to Create your Dream Career Over 50`` and has been named a Top Influencer in Aging by PBS/NextAvenue.
Dawn Sharifan
I have the honor of supporting leaders, founders and growth oriented humans on their journey in life, utilizing multiple modalities and learnings both academic and practical. I have worked as a People and Leadership Executive developing expertise and empathy through start-ups, professional services and Fortune 100 companies. I earned my ICF certification in 2016 and have hungrily perused continuing education and skill development since. I believe that self-awareness is the key to everything and try to live my life with courage and kindness.
Shannon Seaver
Shannon has worked in the career development space for 20+ years including working for a federal government contractor, community-based organizations and state/private higher education institutions and most recently Edtech. She spent the last 12+ years working in higher education career services, serving as a strategic partner in developing several large-scale career programs that focused on supporting individuals in their career journey. Additionally, she has managed a career center as well as supported graduates as part of the Job Corps Program, the largest nationwide job training program for young adults. She loves empowering individuals by providing them with the tools, resources and opportunities to succeed while helping them to define their “WHY”.
Dr. Meagan Guenther
Dr. Guenther is a Certified Positive Psychologist and Licensed Educational Psychologist specializing in activating approaches to prepare, support, and help individuals in making strategic changes for the optimization of their health, wellbeing, and success. Through Designing Your Life (DYL) Coaching, Meagan supports clients in developing a design thinking mindset and in leveraging design thinking processes to live their lives by design. Additionally, for clients whose symptoms of anxiety, depression, learning disorders, and/or neurodevelopmental disorders (such as Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder) are negatively impacting their ability to access, participate in, and progress in their education or career, Meagan applies her doctoral training in the neuropsychology of behavior and learning to offer traditional psychological services such as assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Meagan is experienced in providing services across settings, from hospital behavioral health units to university psychology clinics to private practice. Her private practice, Ēvolvere Psychology, is based in Westlake Village, California and offers in person services to clients from Westlake Village and surrounding areas such as Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, Hidden Valley, Calabasas, and Malibu.
Steve Thompson, CPCC, ACC
Helping people discover their greatest and most impactful potential and happiness in life is my purpose, whether that is in their personal life, work life, or whatever path they are on. My experience as a healthcare provider, teacher, coach, mentor, entrepreneur, and advisor allows me to see different perspectives and approaches to a problem and to guide my clients to find the best path for them. I am certified as a Co-Active Institute Coach with credentials as CPCC and an ACC and a certified Working Genius facilitator. Some of the toughest paths to navigate are those that surround change and transition. Change is constant and momentary, while a transition is a journey. Unless the period in transition is managed well, one can struggle and feel stuck and may wander making short-term decisions that don’t move them forward. Creating a vision and plan for how to navigate the many ups and downs, curveballs and bean balls, joys, and frustrations in life, and that will ultimately appear is where I can show up for clients.
Kevin Bailey
Hey there, I'm Kevin - your ADHD Life Coach and Consultant. With my background as a certified coach, former Deloitte Change Management Consultant, and Organizational Learning Leadership Specialist, I've spent years helping people navigate the challenges of life and work. But my lights me up is helping ambitious neurodivergent professionals avoid burnout, manage overwhelm, and start finishing things. I know firsthand what it's like to struggle with ADHD. It can feel like you're always behind, always struggling to keep up, and always wondering why you can't just get things done. Whether you are clinically diagnosed with ADHD, or simply a creative thinker with professional ambitions, my coaching is designed with your needs in mind. So, if you're ready to start your journey from overwhelmed to finishing, hop on over to my website. Let's work together to unleash your full potential!
Julie Espinoza
Julie Espinoza’s 35-year career in early childhood education has laid a strong foundation for her current coaching practice. As the Education Director at Families Forward Learning Center for 20 years, Julie oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Early Childhood Center and Family Literacy Programs. She also worked as an Early Childhood Education (ECE) instructor for UCLA Extension, as a trainer for a teacher training project for the California Department of Education and California Preschool Instructional Network, and as a mentor teacher in the California Mentor Teacher Program. Over the past two decades, Julie has seen firsthand the transformative power coaching can have on a teacher’s life and work, sparking new ideas and enabling new educational and vocational pursuits. Her coaching practice fills a gap for ECE teachers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds by providing them with the type of reflective coaching that allows them to create pathways and become the educators they want to be.
Sunita Sayana Lokuge
Sunita is a forward-thinking leader with significant experience in career coaching, human resources, organizational development, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Her mission is to help individuals find jobs where they can flourish as their authentic selves and experience a sense of belonging. She is a Certified Career Coach with a DEI certificate from Cornell University. She has sharpened her skills in designing high-impact career readiness programs and coaches diverse professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs to find jobs and excel in their workplaces. Through her leadership and entrepreneurial experiences in career development, she deeply understands the latest employment trends. Her corporate experiences have helped her build an expansive network in the private sector, NGOs, governments, and VCs. This gives her a readily accessible platform to help individuals expediently find mentorships and jobs that match their career aspirations. For her formal education, she holds a Bachelors's in Engineering and a Masters's in Computer Science.
