I came to Louise in the midst of a frustrating job search because I wanted to make a pivot within…read moremy industry in the near term. However, I was also thinking of changing careers in the long term to something completely different. I had a lot of confusion about how to move forward with both of these career goals, and Louise immediately understood my situation and provided relevant insights right away. From the very first session, she helped me find clarity and determine what is most important to me. Working with Louise felt like talking to a warm and wise friend. I felt seen and like she truly had my best interests at heart. My sessions with Louise left me feeling hopeful and more at ease. She helped me say no to things that didn't feel like the right fit, so I could ultimately say yes to something that does. I highly recommend working with Louise if you're having any career uncertainty. She is a wonderful person to have on your side and she will be your biggest cheerleader!

Louise is EXPERIENCED, warm, grounded, straight shooter, really cares, reads clients well…read more Compassionate, kind, and not a push over. She wants the best work situation for me (whatever that might look like). She's an incredible positive energy in my job search. Fee: Very well priced. Hourly, not package deals like some career counselors. I'd prefer to go under/over the limit as needed. More hours for areas you need help and less where one is well skilled. Passion/What you love: She is always looking for one's passion/s and figuring out work inspired by it. Homework: She often gives homework assignments at the end of the session. Have a paper and pen ready to quickly write what she says; she doesn't send graphic organizers with directions. Ask if you don't catch a detail. The homework is for you so ask if questions come up. Resumes/Cover Letters Louise gave excellent guidance for my resume and cover letter and sent me off to write. She could've pushed for more hours to write my resume/cover letter with me, but she didn't. It's on me to ask for more active writing time together. I get in my own way with these documents and realize I need to book more time for accountability.

Earlier this year, I found myself at a crossroads in my career. I had worked hard to become a…read moreProduct Manager and, while I found success, I also faced some real challenges. Being a new father, balancing work and life as a PM was tough--and on top of that, I wanted to master my current role so I could confidently move into the next phase of my career. I reached out to my mentor and dear friend Vikas, who suggested I connect with Merideth. I'm so glad I took his advice. What I appreciated most about working with Merideth was that she didn't just side with me on every gripe or frustration I had. Instead, she offered a fresh perspective that challenged me to see things from a more balanced viewpoint. She then helped me develop skills to address these challenges constructively, empowering me to manage difficult situations with more confidence and clarity. Merideth also helped me carve out the time and space for self-reflection and discovery, allowing me to dive deeper into understanding my strengths and what truly brings me joy. This led me to realize that much of my focus had been on trying to conform to what I thought others wanted, rather than leaning into my strengths and passions. Merideth helped me build a framework to approach career decisions with confidence--both in my day-to-day work and during my recent job search. This enabled me to be selective about the opportunities I pursued and comfortable walking away from those that weren't the right fit. If you're looking for a coach who can help you grow in your career, I can't recommend Merideth enough. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to hear more about my experience, or contact her directly. You won't regret it.

I practiced law for many years and stepped away after my second child was born to spend time as a…read morefull-time caregiver. When I started to think about how and when I would re-enter the workforce, I hit a mental block. I didn't know if I wanted to go back to lawyering or to pivot to something new. I also wasn't sure how I would focus my career exploration, in light of the time constraints of being home all day with two small kids. I engaged Merideth for a 3 month coaching program to help me navigate these challenges, and I am so thankful for my experience with her. Merideth helped me gain clarity about what I want my life to look like once both my children are in grade school, and how I want my work to fit into that vision. Through working with Merideth, I was able to assemble a list of career "non-negotiables" with respect to the skills I want to use, the values I want my work to reflect, and the way I'd like to structure my work schedule. Moreover, Merideth and I fleshed out concrete ways of exploring my interests in small, focused steps, and compiled a list of concrete career ideations about which I am truly excited. In addition to helping focus my career planning, Merideth helped me work on my mindset. Even though I am an accomplished person who has met "long shot" goals in the past, it is a major challenge for me to imagine I can curate a career I am passionate about, and in which I have control over my time and energy expenditures. Merideth helped me with this mindset shift (and I continue to work on it). Merideth also taught me about the "negative tapes" we all play in our minds, and how it is possible to re-record them. Doing this work required more vulnerability and self-reflection than I initially anticipated, but it has empowered me to indulge interests I'd long dismissed as "impractical," and to see new possibilities for myself. Merideth is warm, friendly, caring, and a great listener. She is also an excellent accountability partner. The process of completing her Career Compass exercises was so thorough, I have peace of mind that I have left no stone unturned in examining my values, skills, and preferences. I am also so grateful to her for continually reminding me of what is possible, and that I am capable of having a satisfying career that is compatible with the personal demands of this season of my life. Thank you, Merideth!

Joie is an incredibly coach. She is awesome. When you first meet with her, she has this brightness…read moreabout her. She immediately eases you. She has a great depth of knowledge and experience in what she does. She has great intuition. Her wisdom and clarity -she can zoom in what the issues are and works on them with you. She has so many tools and resources up her sleeve. My meetings with Joie were important in figuring out the root of my problems. Her experience with emotional intelligence, something I knew nothing about, is/was invaluable. Since I have met with her, I, still to this day, utilize the tools and insight she has given me. Thank you for always having a smile when we meet. Your kindness, your support and understanding - I appreciate you. You have made a difference in my path to healing.

She is a marvelous speech coach. She is my "go to" person when I have to prepare for a major…read morespeech, officiate a wedding or a funeral. She is soooo good at what she does. She has the ability to provide a stellar analysis of my speeches and offer of ways to improve them in remarkable ways. Her masterful advice and guidance calms me down which in turn enables me to make meaningful and powerful presentations. She even shows me how to modulate my breathing to make more impassioned and empowered speeches. A session with her is a gift that I give myself when I need to do a fabulous job!

Audrey is the best writing coach I've ever worked with. She is attentive, kind, and offers great…read moreediting advice. Audrey's rates are also the most affordable I've found. I highly recommend working with her!

Kid: I love Miss Patrice and Studio Time so much. I really learn a lot and can't wait to go there…read moreagain! Mom: My daughter just LOVES her Studio Time art class, it is by far the best part of her week. She's so happy and she feels so proud of her work. I'm so touched by it. So much positivity and creativity abound! Miss Patrice is a magical fairy and her magnificent instructors are fabulous with the kids.

Today I took a class with Patrice in her fantastic studio. The classes are very small and…read moreintimate. I worked on a Day of the Dead Teatro for Dia de los Muertos. It was fantastic. I am sad the class is over and more inspired to create than I have been in a L.O.N.G. time. I can't wait for her holiday gift making classes. She also offers classes for kids (morning/afternoon/saturday), call early to register early, because space is very limited and the offering is like nothing else in Alameda.

I asked Alicia if she would coach me on public speaking and storytelling because I have been having…read moredifficulty learning the content of several very challenging social justice workshops. As a result of my work with her this past year, I can now deliver several pieces of my workshops with more confidence and authenticity. This increased confidence has allowed me to feel more joy in doing something that is really scary but very important to me. Having regular meetings with Alicia helped me stay accountable to myself and make slow and steady progress on what felt like huge, overwhelming long term goals. While I thought I would spend all my time with her practicing my presentations, she recognized that slowing me down and giving me tools to tend to my fears, self-doubt and self-criticism first was important to eventually being able to share these powerful teachings with groups effectively by bringing more of my full self. As a result of my work with Alicia, I feel more hopeful and less discouraged in my own capacity to make the kinds of contributions I want to make. I highly recommend her as a coach and just as a very special human being.

I came to Alicia after viewing student videos from her storytelling workshops. I was so inspired by…read moreher students' authenticity and courage on stage and their ability to tell very personal stories. I had a 20-minute live presentation in January that I was stressing out about, so I contacted Alicia to help me prepare. It was sooooo helpful. Alicia and I connected easily and she made me feel very safe and comfortable while also holding me accountable and asking me a lot of questions to help form my presentation. She also taught me several tips and exercises to get back into my body and release some of the anxiety that was building up in my mind. With her compassionate guidance, I successfully presented my talk in front of a live audience of around 180 attendees. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and I'm so glad I had the support of Alicia during this time. Looking back on this time in my personal development, I realize I was going through a transition of being more expressive and expanding the way I thought about myself as a creative person. I was wanting to take more risks and come out of my shell more. This type of transition can be very scary and lonely, and I'm so glad that I had Alicia's support, guidance and non-judgemental listening while I went through the ups and downs of finding my voice. I highly recommend Alicia's coaching services for anyone that might be going through a similar transition and in need of some extra support and confidence boosting!

I booked Lauri's speaking mastery lab after deciding to commit to bringing a personal story out to…read morea larger audience. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect but after Lauri's guidance I went from nervous and closed up on stage to open and speaking from a much deeper and more powerful place. My biggest takeaways are the power of breath and silence. I'm excited to take more programs with Lauri soon!

Lauri worked with me as a life coach over a period of time that was full of soul-searching and…read moredifficult decisions in my career. The kind of visioning work she led me in, I come back to again and again. As I continue to make big decisions about where to apply my efforts and energies, I have those strong visions helping me take each next step. Also, I felt Lauri extremely present with me in our work (even over the phone!). I noticed that I showed up in a different way when talking to her. I was very honest, very myself, and very open with her. Her professionalism and her warmth made that possible.

Sue Schleifer is a wonderful life coach. She helped me identify what I could do to make myself more…read moreeffective, efficient and happy. When you discuss an issue with Sue, she thinks about how to best approach a variety of solutions and then has you make lists and commitments to yourself about how to move forward. Sue never tells you what to do, she helps you talk through the direction you choose to be most beneficial. Once I discussed a nagging sentiment about an issue I didn't even realize was an issue; she asked me what I thought I had to do about it. I hadn't come into the session even realizing this was a problem for me but left with a solution that worked very well. Whether discussing career, family, kids, world worries, Sue is a great listener who really wants the best for her clients. I worked with Sue years ago and still benefit from what we learned together. Should you want to take a good look inside, there's no one better to do it with than Sue.

It's no fun seeing the days go by and not getting much further along on my manuscript. Uggh! So…read morefrustrating, and with so many other tasks needing my attention, I felt really stuck. Working with Sue was a great joy and relief: she is clear, well-organized, and quite helpful. She knows how to get me moving along, and to keep me moving forward. Hard to believe, I finally had a draft complete, and Sue's editing suggestions were excellent and right to the point. I highly recommend working with her.