When I retired early after a career leading engineering teams at Google and beyond, I knew I wasn’t done with the work that had become most rewarding to me: coaching. While I was still at Google, I started a coaching practice to help engineers and leaders navigate the unique pressures of high-growth tech. I saw firsthand how a single shift in strategy could help an engineer overcome imposter syndrome or turn a new manager into a confident leader. Now, I’ve decided to scale that practice to share those insights with a wider audience.
I created this Playbook to be a living resource for the tech community. Think of me as an empathetic partner and guide, leveraging my experience to help you navigate the complexities of a high-growth career.
The “Easy Factor” Philosophy
Whether you’re writing a resume or leading a team, my guiding principle is simple: Make it easy for people to see your value. Recruiters and executives are busy; they won’t dig for your impact. This Playbook is designed to help you hand it to them on a silver platter.
What’s Inside the Playbook?
I’ve organized these resources into curated Collections so you can find exactly what you need:
- The Interview Collection: This is your technical and behavioral “Field Guide.” It includes my foundational [9 Step Roadmap Series] designed to help you master behavioral interviews, the evolved [STAR(L) Framework], and strategies to optimize your [Resume for Maximum Impact].
- The Mental Health Collection: A safe space for discussing the internal hurdles of a tech career. I share strategies for navigating imposter syndrome, anxiety, and stress. This collection focuses on treating these not as “bugs” to be fixed, but as conditions to coexist with while still delivering high-level impact.
- The Communication Collection: Starting with my [Feedback Model], I am building a series of guides on the “human” side of tech—because technical skills land the job, but communication skills build the career.
- The Resource Collection: My vetted [Tech Career Toolkit], featuring the books and tools I recommend to my own coaching clients (and how to use them effectively).
A Holistic Approach: More Than Just Tactical Guidelines
I designed this Playbook to be more than just a series of robotic steps to follow. It is a collaborative space where we work together to build a career that is both high-impact and sustainable. My approach is rooted in “Google-caliber” strategic thinking. It is always tempered with the understanding that we are human beings first and engineers second.
- Sharing My Former Hiring Manager Perspective: To truly stand out in a competitive market, you need to understand the view from the other side of the screen. As a former hiring manager, including at Google, I don’t just coach you on how to answer questions. I help you understand what leadership is actually looking for. Sprinkled throughout this career playbook, you’ll see hiring manager insights which will give a sense how working with a former hiring manager gives you a leg up.
Hiring Manager Perspective
When we discuss your job search or interview prep, I bring a hiring manager’s perspective to every session.
- A Commitment to Your Well-Being: Having navigated the intense pressures of high-growth tech myself, I know that things like imposter syndrome, anxiety, and burnout aren’t “bugs” to be fixed, but rather “features” we learn to co-exist with compassionately. You will see Well-Being Reminders throughout the Playbook—these are invitations for us to pause and ensure you are taking care of yourself while you strive for excellence.
Well-Being Reminder
Reminder to take a minute to take care of yourselves.
- Leveraging AI Responsibly: We are navigating the AI revolution together, and I believe we’d be foolish not to leverage these tools appropriately. With my AI Polish reminders, I’ll show you how to use AI to amplify your own unique thoughts and polish your results. However, we always start with a human-in-the-loop approach—using “Reality Checks” to guard against hallucinations and ensure your work remains authentic and accurate.
AI Polish
Remember to always start with your own thoughts. Then use AI to polish the results.
AI Reality Check
AI hallucinates! Never accept the output with reviewing it first.
Let’s Build Your Path Together
I’ve written these strategies for the ambitious IC aiming for management, the new EM feeling underwater, the job hunter battling a tough market and the anxiety that often comes with it, and the veteran leader who wants to get better at their craft while managing the stress of high-stakes environments.
Explore the Playbook, use the frameworks, and when you’re ready for a personalized strategy session—whether for a high-stakes interview or a complex performance cycle— let’s chat.
I've spent over 25 years navigating the software engineering landscape—scaling teams, fostering well-being, and mentoring the next generation of technical leaders. After 6.5 years at Google, I built a coaching practice to help talented engineers and techies unlock their potential and build the momentum that transforms careers. I'm the coach who meets you at your pivotal moments and helps you make the most of them.