From Life Sciences to Life Coach

I am a leadership & life coach and biologist. My professional background is in biology/biochemistry, biomedical research, scientific program leadership, and community building. As a scientist, I was trained to ask careful, rigorous questions, to challenge assumptions, and to stay curious about what lies beneath the surface of complex systems. That same orientation now guides my work as a coach, except the system we are exploring is human experience: patterns of behavior, mindset, beliefs, emotions, identity, purpose, fulfillment, and personal and professional growth.

People often tell me they feel unusually safe opening up with me. I bring a grounded, warm, and curious presence that allows clients to be honest, vulnerable, and fully human. I approach everything I do from a place of curiosity. I listen deeply, ask questions others are often afraid to ask, and stay with clients as we explore what emerges. Again and again, I hear clients as well as people in coffeeshops and conferences say  things to me like, “I’ve never told anyone that before,” or “I didn’t know I felt that until now.” Creating that kind of space is central to how I work.

My path to coaching was shaped by a deeply personal experience. Four years ago, I became an altruistic, non-directed kidney donor. (Read the People Magazine story here) While I remain in good health, the experience marked a turning point in my life. It offered me my first unfiltered encounter with my inner emotional landscape and with an inner critic I could no longer ignore. That moment set me on a sustained personal growth journey through therapy and coaching that fundamentally changed how I relate to myself, my values, my life, and people in my life.

Over several years of my own inner work, I experienced firsthand the power of coaching to bring clarity, self-trust, and meaningful change. I also discovered that building communities, teaching, and facilitating are a natural extension of my own learning. In the process I discovered that I have a gift for coaching others and coaching became the way I chose to pay that transformation forward.

Today, I work with a wide range of clients, including knowledge workers in academia, the sciences, and tech, entrepreneurs, coaches, and people navigating major life transitions. I am especially drawn to working with people who value reflection, integrity, and growth, and who sense that something important is trying to emerge in their lives.

With a PhD in biology and experience leading interdisciplinary programs across science, government, and philanthropy, including management of a $130M global research portfolio spanning more than 50 countries and collaborating with cross-functional teams of scientists, technologists, and institutional partners, I bring direct experience working inside complex organizations and coordinating large, mission-driven initiatives.

I am a certified Neurolinguistics Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner and completing my CPCC and PCC certifications. My approach is client-centered, responsive, and grounded in deep inquiry rather than advice-giving. I believe the answers to your life already exist within you. My role is to help you uncover them and translate insight into aligned, purposeful action.