I've spent the last two decades coaching leaders at organizations like Tesla, Meta, SpaceX, GE Healthcare, and Boston Children's Hospital. I taught workshops at Harvard Institute of Coaching. I advised the senior leadership team at the New York State Attorney General's Office.

Then I did something unusual: I took a frontline job as a career counselor at East House, a human services organization in Rochester.

Why would someone leave executive coaching to work on the front lines? Because I realized I was missing half the story.

From the C-suite, I could see what leaders were trying to build. But I couldn't see what was actually happening on the ground—where policies meet reality, where culture either thrives or breaks down, where staff either stay or quietly plan their exit.

So I spent time in both worlds. I learned what it feels like when organizational stress doesn't just flow downhill—it floods the basement. I watched good people burn out not from the work itself, but from systems that had stopped breathing.

That experience, combined with my background in polyvagal theory and organizational psychology, led me to develop the Organizational Nervous System Model. It's the foundation of The Breathing Organization.

The 2026 Crisis

Right now, human services organizations are facing a perfect storm. Federal funding models are shifting dramatically. Documentation requirements are intensifying. Competition for talent is accelerating. And many organizations are running on systems designed for a world that no longer exists.

The organizations that will thrive in 2026 and beyond aren't the ones with the most resources. They're the ones that can help their staff and systems move from survival mode into sustainable, responsive operation.

My Approach

I work with human services leaders who know their organizations need to change but aren't sure where to start. Together, we assess where your organization is operating—Frozen, Braced, or Breathing—and create concrete pathways to build the kind of culture that keeps your best people.

This isn't about adding more programs or restructuring your org chart. It's about understanding how stress moves through your organization and giving your leaders the tools to transform that pattern.

Background

• Harvard Institute of Coaching Fellow

• Board Member, Trillium Health (Rochester, NY)

• Founded multimillion-dollar human services nonprofit

• Published in Routledge's "Coaching Supervision: Voices from the Americas"

• Keynote speaker at Harvard and SHRM conferences

• Executive coach to C-suite leaders across technology, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors

I live in Rochester, New York, where I lead weekly meditation sessions and work with Zen students while serving human services organizations preparing for what's ahead.