Coaching for senior product, design, and tech professionals leading through complexity
AI’s disrupting everything, but humans still need thoughtful leadership. You need someone who gets both.
You've guided teams through evolving delivery models, shifting priorities, and constant change.
You know how to deliver when things get messy. But lately, something’s shifted, and it’s harder to name.
You’re craving space to think, feel, breathe.
You’re leading through tech shifts, AI integration and uncertainty without a roadmap.
You’re asking bigger questions: Is this it? What’s next? Is there a better way to lead?
You're watching AI transform your industry while trying to keep your team confident and engaged
If you’re searching for clarity and space to figure out what’s next with someone who’s lived through the cycles of product hype, reorgs, and high-stakes decision-making, that’s where I come in. I help you cut through the noise and question the assumptions keeping you stuck.
Let’s figure this out together.
“I leave our conversations feeling empowered to solve whatever challenge I’m immediately facing, as well as how I can derive more happiness and success out of my career (and, frankly, life). I cannot recommend working with Jacob enough!”
— Lindsay M, Meta
Hi, I’m Jacob,
A design and product leader who believes honesty is a strategy and who’s spent over two decades leading product and design teams at Meta, frog design, Grubhub, JPMorgan Chase, PayPal, and American Express.
What have I learned?
That leadership advice in one context often falls apart in another.
My coaching blends PhD-level organizational change research with expanded coaching tools (including psychedelic integration for those interested). Coaching that combines academic depth with the honesty you need to make progress.
Client Love ♥
“I feel more knowledgeable and competent in coaching others more effectively. His open and non-directive approach to mentoring me was exactly what I needed.”
— Marena S, former Amazon
If these hit close to home, it's time to make a change…
Your usual ways of handling pressure don’t cut it anymore.
The complexity feels relentless.
Everything looks good on paper, but something feels off.
You're questioning if this is really it.
You don't have a safe space to process the hard questions…
or admit when you're not sure what's next.
Your team’s worried about AI and roles.
The tech part’s easy, the people part is messy and neglected.
Your team feels off. Trust is low, silos are growing.
You can feel the disconnect, but aren’t sure how to fix it.
You've done the workshops and read the books.
You want transformation, not just tools and tactics.
Stop surviving. Start leading.
How i help
Whether it's coaching for you or your team, here's how I help
If you're navigating leadership challenges personally or your team is struggling with alignment and change, I work with you in two ways:
1:1 Coaching for Product and Design Leaders
When leadership feels more like crisis management than intentional direction, you need space to step back to:
Question the assumptions keeping you stuck
Get clear on your next career move or leadership approach
Make sense of AI integration and organizational changes
Make decisions based on your values, not others' expectations
Build your leadership, not imitate a model
Coaching for teams under pressure to adapt
When change is constant and AI is reshaping roles, facilitated sessions help your team adapt together:
Tackle AI disruption as a team, not as isolated roles reacting individually
Build shared clarity when org. shifts leave priorities unclear
Encourage conversations that aren’t happening, but need to happen
Get high-performers engaged instead of quietly checking out
Build the kind of trust that doesn’t crumble during change
Client Love ♥
“Jacob gave me the tools I needed to find my own path to answers. If you want build long term capacity for growth and discover the tools to help you get there, Jacob is your guy.”
— Ryan F, Facebook
Everyone’s talking AI implementation. You’ll be the one helping humans make sense of it.
Your team isn’t resisting AI. They’re trying to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting world and looking to you for answers. They're worried about their relevance, their roles, their future. Meanwhile, you're leading while managing your own questions.
Most AI advice focuses on implementation. Here, the focus is on what it means for humans. Drawing on my PhD research and 20 years of leadership experience, I’ll be your sounding board as you turn AI overwhelm into team trust.
Let’s stir things up.
What happens when coaching meets real-world experience
This isn’t coaching that sits outside your reality.
It’s coaching shaped by two decades in the thick of it, building teams and making decisions when there’s no perfect answer. It’s support that cuts through the noise and goes deeper than frameworks.
Permission to not have it all figured out
Challenge that makes you sharper, not defensive
AI-era leadership that keeps teams human
Coaching that challenges assumptions, not competence
Frequently Asked questions
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Most executive coaches come from HR or general business backgrounds. I've spent over two decades actually leading product and design teams. I know what it feels like to be in the room when "strategy" meets reality, when AI integration plans hit team anxiety, and when you're balancing shipping products with developing people. The frameworks I use are built for the complexity of cross-functional collaboration, design thinking, and the human side of technology work.
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Both. I work with individual leaders through 1:1 coaching and facilitate team coaching sessions for leadership teams under pressure to adapt. My team coaching focuses on building trust and alignment that withstands change. We tackle AI disruption as a team challenge, build shared clarity when org shifts leave priorities unclear, and create space for conversations that aren't happening but need to happen.
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My work blends real-world leadership experience with research-backed frameworks and deeper integrative tools, like Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic practices, and (for clients who want it) psychedelic integration. I’m also pursuing a PhD in Organizational Development & Change, so the work’s grounded in both practice and evidence. But honestly? It’s less about the tools and more about the space we build. No performance masks. No sugar-coating.
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Three key differences: formal training, integrative approach, and research focus. You get someone who's ICF certified with training from Columbia University, not just experience-based advice. Many tech coaches rely solely on experience; here, you get both experience and coaching science. You get a systems view that looks at team dynamics and organizational context, not just individual leadership.
-
It's one of the expanded coaching tools I use when appropriate for certain clients. I'm certified through the Psychedelic Coaching Institute. This work is always optional and only used when it serves your growth. I’m always happy to chat about this part of my coaching, just drop me a line.
Frequently Asked questions
-
Most executive coaches come from HR or general business backgrounds. I've spent over two decades actually leading product and design teams. I know what it feels like to be in the room when "strategy" meets reality, when AI integration plans hit team anxiety, and when you're balancing shipping products with developing people. The frameworks I use are built for the complexity of cross-functional collaboration, design thinking, and the human side of technology work.
-
Both. I work with individual leaders through 1:1 coaching and facilitate team coaching sessions for leadership teams under pressure to adapt. My team coaching focuses on building trust and alignment that withstands change. We tackle AI disruption as a team challenge, build shared clarity when org shifts leave priorities unclear, and create space for conversations that aren't happening but need to happen.
-
My work blends real-world leadership experience with research-backed frameworks and deeper integrative tools, like Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic practices, and (for clients who want it) psychedelic integration. I’m also pursuing a PhD in Organizational Development & Change, so the work’s grounded in both practice and evidence. But honestly? It’s less about the tools and more about the space we build. No performance masks. No sugar-coating.
-
Three key differences: formal training, integrative approach, and research focus. You get someone who's ICF certified with training from Columbia University, not just experience-based advice. Many tech coaches rely solely on experience; here, you get both experience and coaching science. You get a systems view that looks at team dynamics and organizational context, not just individual leadership.
-
It's one of the expanded coaching tools I use when appropriate for certain clients. I'm certified through the Psychedelic Coaching Institute. This work is always optional and only used when it serves your growth. I’m always happy to chat about this part of my coaching, just drop me a line.
You don't have to know exactly what you need, but you do need someone who’s been there to help you figure it out
You can be good at your job and still feel disconnected. You can lead effectively and still question your leadership. The best leaders don't wait for that disconnect to go away. They recognize it as information worth acting on.
Trust that instinct.