Grow inward. Lead outward.
Leadership begins within. It is the inner work of seeing yourself more clearly, untangling old patterns, understanding relational working dynamics, and learning to meet others with empathy and accountability. I walk alongside founders and executives through this inner terrain—cultivating the self-awareness, clarity, and relational wisdom that allows them to grow into the leaders their teams can trust and follow.
Ways We Can Work Together
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Individual Coaching
Deepen self-awareness, shift limiting patterns, and lead with greater clarity and impact.
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Cofounder Coaching
An intentional process to build trust, repair tensions, and strengthen the partnership behind your company.
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Team Coaching
Cultivate the human dynamics that build trust, alignment, and more effective ways of working together.
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Workshops
Facilitated conversations that build awareness, trust, and more effective ways of working together.
What They’re Saying
Bruno Stanziale, CEO
Working with Jay has dramatically helped not just myself but the entire organization. Whether it is navigating complex political dynamics, creating culture or achieving company goals, Jay brings incredible experience, empathy, insight and pragmatic, actionable solutions.
Lily Burtis, Cofounder & COO
I was excited to start coaching. I’ve been in therapy for most of my life and always ran into the same issue: my therapists didn’t want to or didn’t feel comfortable broaching work-related topics, despite that they were clearly impacting my mental and emotional wellbeing. For me, starting coaching felt like a relief because I could finally work with one person on my whole self.
I came into coaching hoping for two outcomes: (1) developing a broader set of tools and an understanding of how to use them in order to better handle the inevitable challenges in life, and (2) expanding personal perspective to better understand and contextualize emotions, reactions, behaviors, and needs so that they’re less overwhelming. I genuinely think that Jay is the best coach that I’ve ever worked with. While I think I’ve grown in many ways, the most notable is likely in my communication in both my professional and personal relationships. In particular, I have a better ability to process my thoughts and emotions prior to reacting and have new frameworks for providing feedback and asking for what I need, which has made my relationships with my co-founders, direct reports, and my partner more copacetic, collaborative, and trusting.
Being a startup founder can be extremely challenging, stressful, and draining. Working with Jay has impacted my ability to manage these realities in a few key ways:
Normalization of my experience: Because Jay works with a variety of different executives and founders, he’s able to provide the perspective of a broader group of founders as well as his expertise as a therapist. This is immensely comforting and helpful.
Balance of work responsibilities: As a founder it can be difficult to feel like you’re ever doing enough, because there is always more to do. Working with Jay enables me to better identify where individual responsibility as a cofounder starts and stops and to empathize with the realities of what any individual can accomplish.
Communication frameworks for better management, feedback, and collaboration.
Candidly, Jay is the first therapist/coach I’ve worked with who’s not a female. I was curious about how that would change the dynamic, but have found there to be no impact on the depth of our conversations, my level of comfort, and how effective our sessions are. I think that speaks to the safe and comfortable environment that Jay is able to create, even over zoom, and the quality of his guidance.
Richard Yu, Cofounder & CEO
When I first reached out to Jay, I realized I needed to get out of my own way to be a better CEO and more fulfilled person, as well as work on my self-awareness skills. The cofounder of my startup- a close friend- had also recently unexpectedly passed away, so I was looking for a new confidant with whom I could be open about founder and CEO issues.
Jay has developed into an essential component of support that complements my support from other cofounders/CEOs and my team. My work with Jay is part therapy and part strategy. He helps me understand my inner machinery more clearly and aids with practical problem-solving, like talking through difficult conversations or thinking through the pros and cons of startup decisions.
In the years of coaching with Jay, I have developed a stronger presence and comfort in my own skin, learned to clearly and honestly understand my motivations, feelings, and actions, and developed a healthier mindset and framework for dealing with the rollercoaster of startup life. My coworkers, life partner, and friends have noticed an increased groundedness in my demeanor. I highly recommend Jay as an executive coach.
Bill Snyder, Founder & CEO
I was excited to start my coaching experience with Jay. I was not entirely sure what to expect at first, but Jay listened to what I was looking for and tailored his approach to help me get the most out of coaching. I was looking for a blend of professional and personal coaching. I wanted someone who could serve as a confidential advisor to discuss important topics with me, work through challenging issues and situations that arise over the course of any CEO's journey, and provide counsel on how to approach various challenges.
Working with Jay has helped me develop as a leader and as an individual. I have a better understanding of myself, which translates to being a more effective leader. Working with Jay has helped me connect more effectively with my executive team and fellow board members. It has increased my self-awareness, enabling me to lead more effectively.
I believe all CEOs should prioritize this type of coaching and development, and I highly recommend Jay as an Executive coach.
Aaron Bailey, Cofounder & CEO
When I started coaching, I felt unsure about what outcomes to expect. I was hoping for a sounding board and more clarity on new, really complex circumstances that seem to arise on a weekly basis.
Working with Jay has made a night and day difference. I've grown so much as a person and a leader. I believe coaching is one of the most important investments you can make in a business, and if that investment isn't being made proactively, it will have downstream negative effects.
Beatriz Acevedo, Cofounder & CEO
Working with Jay helped me see challenges through a completely new lens. He has a remarkable way of shifting perspective and suggesting possibilities I hadn’t considered. I highly recommend Jay as a coach.
Alan Besquin, Cofounder & CTO
Jay’s coaching has been invaluable in strengthening my management approach and fostering trust across my team and organization. He has also helped me improve my ability to assess situations with clarity and make business decisions with purpose.
Some Companies We’ve Work With
Let’s Connect
If you’d like to explore how coaching can support your growth as a leader, let’s schedule a call. We’ll talk through your key challenges and outline a path forward to help you reach your goals.