How I Work
I help executives and leaders maximize their effectiveness by cultivating transparency and self-awareness, developing alignment between values and actions, and harnessing the power of emotional intelligence.
Whether you’re a startup CEO in the bay area or a serial entrepreneur navigating the markets abroad, I help my clients clarify their objectives, define their approach, and achieve their goals.
As a coach I have worked with founders to identify their blind spots, assisted CTO’s navigating a period of transition, supported new managers defining their leadership style, partnered with executives to elevate their own performance and improve the output of their teams. Regardless of the challenge, I empower executives to maximize their potential.
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Client Testimonials
Alex has played a critical role in helping one of our new executives be effective in his new role. Her coaching has helped make his transition to the executive team smooth and has accelerated his impact on both the executive team and the broader organization.
Zach G. - Founder and CEO
Alex has an incredible gift for breaking down complex problems and helping identify simple solutions. She is patient, methodical, insightful and really helped me connect the dots to find a way forward when I felt really stuck. Alex achieves a great balance of speaking plainly and directly to articulate insights that aren't always comfortable to hear, while also creating a "safe space" to openly explore. Working with Alex was empowering and impactful. I can't recommend her highly enough!
Jacqui G. - Startup Partner Lead, Stripe
I've worked with coaches before, but my work with Alex was on a completely different level. She helped me clarify my objectives, identify barriers, and create a path toward my goals that made them feel attainable. After working with Alex I felt empowered and in control.
Lauren L. - Senior Manager, Deloitte
Engagement Types
SHORT TERM
Sometimes a few coaching sessions are all it takes to get you on the right track. With a clearly defined, time bound, objective we will work together over the course of 3-5 sessions to tackle a defined issue and set you off on the right direction.
MEDIUM TERM
For slightly bigger issues, change management, interpersonal dynamics, defining your passion, we can structure our work over several months, meeting at the pace that works for your schedule, to define success, identify the core issues at play, and develop and execute an action plan.
LONG TERM
For those looking to elevate their leadership style, build emotional awareness, or those interested an ongoing strategic advisory relationship, a longer term engagement is the best approach. The structure will depend on your short term and long term goals.
Sample Topics
Improve Performance
Cultivate high potential employees to maximize growth and impact
Support underperforming team members to improve performance
Empower managers to elevate team dynamics and drive output
With a focus on measurable impact, I partner with my clients on the path to success.
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Navigate Transitions
Partner with employees navigating a new role or period of transition
Define career objectives and structure a successful job search
Identify core values, and improve work/life balance
Whether stepping into a new role or unpacking a complex decision; I help my clients thrive through change.
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Elevating Leadership
Develop and elevate your leadership toolkit
Improve emotional intelligence and interpersonal awareness
Act with intention across your professional and personal life
Whether a seasoned executive or a newly minted manager, honing your leadership style is always worth the effort.
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Case Studies
Intentional Leadership
Challenge: A senior executive at a large financial firm wanted to develop a more intentional leadership approach. Together we focused on refining his communication style, building his emotional intelligence, and identifying and protecting personal boundaries.
Outcome: Team productivity and satisfaction improved, and my client was ultimately promoted.
Career Transition
Challenge: A serial entrepreneur was struggling to navigate a difficult career transition. Through our work she uncovered key motivators as well as some assumptions which were holding her back.
Outcome: She identified several paths aligned with her passions, created a plan for her job search, and ended up receiving multiple offers.
Work-Life Balance
Challenge: A partner at a large professional services firm needed guidance maintaining motivation in a challenging professional environment. Through our work we discovered several mental models and limiting beliefs hindering her job satisfaction. By deconstructing her assumptions we made the invisible visible.
Outcome: Together we developed a sustainable plan to maintain her motivation while maintaining work-life balance.
About Me
I am an Executive Coach and the Founder of the van Helden Group. Whether helping founders define their leadership style , empowering executives to navigate challenging team dynamics or partnering with women navigating motherhood and entrepreneurship, I am committed to driving measurable impact through a collaborative coaching process.
In my work I combine my deep corporate leadership experience (prior to the van Helden Group I held leadership roles at companies across multiple industries including Healthcare, Consumer Technology and Finance) with a willingness to have the tough conversations. Whether you are a repeat CEO or a first time manager, I can promise to be the most honest person in your life. My goal with my clients is always to empower individuals to act with intention and integrity and to harness the tools and skills provided by their unique background and experience to own their path forward.
In addition to coaching, I currently sit on the Board of Directors at KQED and serve as an angel investor to startups in the Bay Area. I hold a BA and MBA from Stanford. A bay area native and a mom of 2 young kids, I spend my free time hiking and camping around the bay area.