I’m a social scientist who helps people break out of invisible traps and make whole-life changes easily and naturally. I am a mom of two, an experienced leader, a coach, and the creator of the highly-rated podcast Allowed. I blend a deep evidence-based approach with a fiery passion for the fully-alive human experience, allowing people to know their path forward, no matter how hidden it was before. I get to witness and support the transformation of organizations and the leaders who run them. My clients don’t need more data, more consulting, more ideas, or more strategy. They don’t “need” anything at all – except more time and the ability to get more out of the resources they already have. They need an unbiased, supportive, skillful ear to help them quickly arrive at solutions allowing them to grow beyond the limitations of today. How did I become an executive coach? I’m often asked how I became an executive coach. It wasn’t a planned career for me and I certainly didn’t follow a linear process to get here. In the late 90’s, my startup career started when I helped lead two different companies that were part of the first dot-com explosion. In my second startup, we had rapid growth that generated more clients than we could handle. However, we had an unsustainable culture where internal conflicts meant each new client drove us into a deeper crisis. Back then, no one knew what was ahead for this emerging ecosystem and when the bubble burst in the early 2000’s, taking the stock market and thousands of companies with it, it was anyone’s guess what might happen next. I wanted greater clarity and ability to help create this future but I didn’t want to wait 20 years. I decided to apply to the prestigious Haas School of Business. As I earned my Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, I had the privilege of working with and teaching some of the best of the next generation of tech founders, from Revolution Foods to Indiegogo. After earning my Ph.D., I took a faculty position at the London School of Economics. Yet I was still looking in the wrong place for clarity – I was looking for solutions. I wanted to know what reliably creates scalable success? It wasn’t long before I realized academia didn’t hold many answers; they knew which questions to ask, but there was little consensus about how one could create, scale, and grow a startup reliably.

It was time to move back to where the action was and so I left my job as a professor and returned to San Francisco and the heart of the tech startup scene. Working as an executive, I helped lead my third startup, Britely, to acquisition by Groupon. My inbox began to do something odd: it started filling up with requests to advise and consult for other venture-backed founders and executives. This led me to found Kickass Enterprises as a startup growth consulting company. In 2015, I brought my practice to my hometown of Los Angeles to be closer to family and to the emerging of the Silicon Beach startup ecosystem. After some time to reflect, I realized that I had learned something profound:

The secret was right in front of me.

As I worked with leaders to become better, more authentic versions of themselves, their businesses exploded in sustainable growth. I had come to realize great work was a spiritual journey, not just a business one. The initial shift for them wasn’t external but internal. While I still do strategy and organizational design, my love is in coaching startup execs, founders, and CEOs. Strategies and tactics are critical for companies to scale but a leader’s deep personal transformation is what really moves the needle in all areas of a business – and creates iconic companies that change the world. Today, I work with partner coaches, facilitators, trainers, and culture builders to transform organizations and the leaders who run them. I help you bring the full power of your vision to the world at scale. Learn more about working with me.

With raising a family, running a coaching business, and hosting a podcast, I try to spend as little time online as humanly possible. That said, I’d love to connect with you on Instagram, Facebook or, Twitter. The best way to stay connected though is to join our email community. Each Tuesday, I send an email with the most up-to-date information on the podcast, events, giveaways, tools and resources and more. If you’re looking for a way to get started now or want to get to know me and my style, I suggest you download a copy of my free zone of genius training. I guide you through a process to discover your zone of genius. By discovering your zone of genius you will learn to lead with your fullest potential while gaining more presence, ease and flow. Thank you for taking the time to read more about me and visiting my site. I’m thrilled to begin this journey with you and help support your in your work to bring forth your unique gifts and become the leader you are meant to be. In partnership, Caneel