One-on-one coaching for tech leaders

Learn to show up and lead as your happiest, most inspired (and inspiring) self

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You’re stepping up as a leader. You have a chance to make a real impact. You’re making big decisions that affect your whole organisation.

But it’s hard to do on your own.

You have an idea of what you want to do, but you want to know that you’re making the right choices — and that you’re doing things in the best possible way.

You’re not alone. Everyone I’ve worked with, from ICs all the way to CEOs, is dealing with the same thing. It all comes back to confidence.

That can look like:

Struggling with work-life balance because you have trouble delegating and trusting anyone else to do it right.

Not knowing how to develop a personal brand that showcases your best self because you don’t how to do it in a way that feels authentic.

Getting stuck in the problem instead of taking action, because you’re afraid of making the wrong choice, so you keep putting it off.

Feeling like you can’t show up as your whole self at work — and knowing you could have a much bigger impact if you just let yourself shine.

Spending all of your time in meetings — and not making time for the strategy that can take you to the next level.

But here’s the thing: confidence isn’t some innate quality that great leaders have.

Confidence is a skill that you can develop.

What I do

Here are a few of the things we can work on together. Coaching is available in 3, 6, and 12-month packages.

Want more details or to talk through how I can help? Contact me.

Coaching

  • Personal branding and influence

  • Creating a truly aligned career path

  • Getting over imposter syndrome

  • Landing your first director level or C-suite role

  • Becoming a better manager

  • Getting over burnout (and how to avoid it in the first place)

  • Career development as a new parent

  • Dealing with challenging people at work

  • Finding the role that will make you happiest (and get you the salary you deserve)

  • Public speaking

Through working with me, my clients have had some pretty big wins.

Things like:

Being recognized as experts and thought leaders in tech — winning awards like CTO of the year, being invited to speak at some of the biggest conferences in tech, and being invited to become board members (paid!).

Making massive career moves, like landing their first executive role (and more than doubling their salary in one go) or going from director to VP in under two years, with multiple promotions along the way.

Tackling imposter syndrome head on — and finding real, lasting confidence as leaders, going from self-doubt to knowing they can handle their role (and feeling like they actually deserve all the success that’s coming their way).

“I feel so lucky to have been coached by Yota for this last 6 months — and even luckier to continue this journey together for 6 months more!

We’ve been focused on developing my leadership skills, especially in creating an inclusive feedback culture, handling conflict and growing my strategic abilities. Yota has a lot of energy, and is an expert at bringing insights and an alternative perspective. She’s not a passive coach who will ask the same classic reframing questions. She’ll challenge you to grow, and hold you accountable to the plans you make. If you invest the time and energy, you’ll be repaid with generosity, empathy and the great reflections that Yota brings.”

Paul McKenna, Engineering Manager at Kry

 

Meet your coach

Hi, I’m Yota — a software engineer turned coach with 15+ years of experience, a master’s in positive psychology and coaching, and a focus on leading with authenticity and heart.

I’m here to be your coach, your advisor, your mentor, and your biggest cheerleader. My approach blends coaching and mentoring — so I’m right there with you, brainstorming solutions, sharing my experience, and working with you to find your answers.

Insights are always partnered with action, so you leave every session with a set of next steps.

Here’s what makes working with me different

And what makes it possible for my clients to get such great results

 

I know tech

I started out in life as a software engineer, working my way up into senior roles at Yahoo and Amazon before becoming a coach and the founder of a 5000+ person tech community. I know what it takes to make it in tech, and I can share all of that knowledge with you.

I’m an accredited coach with a master’s in coaching psychology

I have an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching, and am accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Everything I do is evidence-based and rooted in the psychology of performance, so it gets real-world results.

I’m here to support all of you

That means creating an inclusive, non-judgmental space for you and your teams, and making space for your mental and emotional health, your overall well being, and your performance — at work and in life.

Want to know more? Learn more about me

How it works

Interested in working with me? Here’s how to get started.

  1. Send me an message and tell me a bit about you and what you’re looking for.

  2. Watch your email — I’ll send over a few questions to find out more about you, and we’ll book a get-to-know-you call.

  3. Hit reply and send over your answers.

  4. We’ll get on a call. This gives us a chance to connect, get all of your questions answered, and make sure we’re the perfect fit to work together.

  5. We get started! If it’s the right fit, we’ll get to work on a coaching plan. And if it turns out I’m not the right person to help you right now, that’s totally okay. I’ll share resources or a referral to help get you on the right track.

You belong here

My work is driven by the desire to help create a tech community — and a world — that’s more diverse, inclusive, empathetic and kind. That means being mindful of the experiences that make you who you are — including race, gender, sexuality, and ability, along with everything else. And it means not just recognising and respecting those differences, but celebrating them.

Whatever your identities, this work is here for you. 

How I work

I believe in a world where we can bring our whole selves to work, because our work is strengthened by our humanity

So that’s how I work — I’ll show up as my whole self, and create a space where you can show up as your whole self.

Together we’ll work through everything that comes up as you build your career and find your way as a leader: the doubts, the fears, the conflicts — and, of course, the big wins and epic celebrations.

Because you might have a sense of your own potential, but what a coach does is really shine a light on your strengths, and help you build a career that fits you perfectly — and take it to the highest level.

Ready to get started? Let’s go.

I’ll help you develop the skills you need to tackle challenges on your own, and know you’re making the right decisions. My goal is to make myself redundant after a few months 😉.