Leadership takes Practice

Practice works better with a coach

Claim your Pilot Spot before October 19

One of the first things you’ll notice when you start leading a team is how much easier it is to read about leadership than it is to actually lead real people in real situations with real consequences.

It’s like the difference between listening to your favorite song and singing it in front of a live audience. Listening to the song helps you learn the lyrics, notes, and rhythms, as well as what "good" sounds like. But it won’t help you train your voice to actually sing it, or build up the breath support you need to be heard. It won’t prepare you for the stage fright.

That’s what a vocal coach and rehearsal are for.

Leadership is similar. Reading management books and attending workshops will show you what good leadership looks like, but it won’t teach you what it feels like in your body when a conversation gets tense.

If you’ve ever carefully planned what you were going to say in a feedback conversation, only to go totally blank the moment you were met with defensiveness, you know exactly what I mean.

Test your approach in a sandbox before you commit to it in production

When you practice leadership out loud, you don't just learn new skills—you teach your nervous system that having hard conversations isn't dangerous. In fact, clear and honest communication is how real safety is created. 

You can learn this through trial and error on the job. But that path takes years and leaves a trail of collateral damage—to your energy, your team’s trust, and your reputation.

A far less destructive path is to test different approaches to tricky leadership challenges in a safe space until you find one you feel confident will work — much like you would test new code in a sandbox before pushing it to production. 

Introducing Leadership Practice Studios

Leadership Practice Studios are small-group, virtual rehearsal spaces designed for tech leaders who manage human systems.

We meet live to work through the sticky, messy parts of leading teams, build emotional resilience, and practice using practical tools so you can go back to your work with clear-headed confidence.

• Intimate Group Size (Capped at 6): You will never be hidden in a crowded Zoom room. Capped numbers mean everyone gets direct airtime, tailored guidance, and personal support.
• Real-Time Problem Solving: Each session, we unpack real situations members are facing right now. We won’t just talk about theory—we’ll test different approaches live.
• Impartial, No-Stake Perspectives: Your practice group offers a compassionate sounding board of peers who understand tech culture, but are far enough away from your specific workplace to see the big picture.
• Safe, Anonymous Submissions: Have a situation that feels too sensitive to share with the group directly? You can submit your scenario anonymously beforehand, I’ll change the identifying details, and we’ll work through it as a group.
• Strict NDA & Competitor Separation: What happens in the Studio stays in the Studio. I cross-check enrollments to ensure colleagues from the same company or direct competitors are not placed in the same cohort.
• Low-Stakes Rehearsal: Forget uncomfortable corporate "roleplay." This is a supportive, practical practice space where you can try out different approaches until you land on something effective and authentic.

Are you kidding me with another Zoom meeting?

I get it. The idea of more meetings on your calendar is not your idea of stress relief.

Here’s the thing: part of what makes work meetings so exhausting is that you have to maintain a projection of yourself that meets the expectations of the other people in the room. Holding that facade all day, every day is draining.

This space is different. Here you can:

• Drop your mask. Here you can share the unfiltered version of what you think and feel about work situations—without the repercussions that come with sharing that version of truth with your team or your boss.
• Address issues more quickly. Having a dedicated, scheduled space on your calendar to work through sticky situations makes it more likely you’ll address issues while they are small, manageable, and easy to fix—before they turn into team-wide drama.
• Learn from experienced systems leadership. I spent 10 years at Automattic (the folks behind WordPress.com) where I moved from an individual contributor to leading global support teams across 15+ SaaS product groups, navigating support for new product acquisitions, and scaling remote technical support teams. I developed the Leadership Stack™ framework specifically to help technical leads map "squishy" soft-skills into solvable engineering challenges. I have been where you are and while I can’t make your leadership journey easy, I can make it far less painful.

Is This Right for You?

This IS for you if:

• You lead people in tech—Think Team Lead, Tech Lead, Product/Program Manager, or Service Delivery Manager—a role where you are responsible for navigating human dynamics to meet business goals.
• You want to stay calm and clear-headed during uncomfortable or high-stakes workplace moments.
• You want to build high-trust, effective teams without avoiding necessary conflict, over-functioning, or burning yourself out.
• You want a confidential, judgment-free space to get honest support for real-world situations you can't discuss with your direct reports and would rather not bring up with your boss.

This IS NOT for you if:

• You are an Executive or Director (though you are warmly invited to send the leads who report to you!).
• You are an Individual Contributor with no coordination, cross-functional, or team-leading responsibilities.
• You operate entirely outside the tech industry (we are keeping this initial cohort tech-focused).
• You are looking for operational management training (e.g., how to coordinate work or run a standup meeting) rather than the human dynamics of leadership (e.g., giving hard feedback, managing up, navigating resistance, or handling unwelcome news).
• You want rigid, push-button rules to command or force people into compliance.

Pilot Pricing & Benefits

This pilot is a one-time session designed to test and refine the live practice format.

Because this is a beta run, you get direct access at a lower cost—and an exclusive discount on the full membership when it launches.

What You Get in This Pilot:

• One Live, 90-Minute Practice Studio: A capped 6-person rehearsal session focused on your real workplace challenges.
• Beta Rate: $150 (Standard single-session value: $250).
• Founding Member Lock (50% Off): A lifetime 50% discount on the full program when it officially launches in 2027.

Looking Ahead: The Full Program (Coming 2027)

While this pilot is a single, stand-alone session, the future Leadership Practice Studio program is currently planned as an ongoing membership including:

• 2 Live Group Coaching Sessions per month (capped cohorts)
• Private Slack Community for real-time peer feedback and coaching between live sessions

Participating in this $150 pilot locks in your 50% discount on that future membership—with zero obligation to join when it opens.

Reimbursement & Registration

• Expensable: Covered by most L&D or professional development budgets. I'll send you a manager request template after you complete the interest form, and an itemized receipt after payment to make reimbursement easy.
• Zero Risk: You will only be billed after your cohort time slot is officially confirmed.

⏰ Pilot Sign-Ups Close: Monday, October 19th at 5:00 PM EDT

How It Works

1. Submit the Interest Form: Takes under 2 minutes. Provide your contact information and share your availability.
2. Get Matched: We align you with a compatible cohort of up to 6 peers and send your confirmed single-session time slot.
3. Confirm & Join: Once your date/time works, pay the $150 pilot fee and join us live for your 90-minute rehearsal session.

Have a quick question before applying? Drop me a message or book a 15-minute check-in call.