TESTIMONIALS
JESSICA FOX
In Spring 2019, I found myself in a rather extraordinary situation professionally. I had been with an organization for less than a year and had somehow ended up at the helm of a large and diverse knowledge-based revenue driving department. The personalities were big, the expectations of success were even bigger, and mentorship opportunities were thin given how near the top my position was.
It was then that I turned to Jessica Fox for help. Having Jessica as an outside thought partner has been invaluable to me and the growth of my business. By starting with a deep dive into who I am as a person, professional, and leader, we were able to establish a baseline for our work- and what strides we’ve made on all fronts. Our conversations range from the functional to the theoretical, and Jessica’s fastidious reminders of how and when my saboteurs rear their heads has been game changing. Jessica provides pointed and effective feedback that drives insight and appropriate action, and I can’t imagine what my year would have looked like without her. Coaching with Jessica started as a necessity and is now a gift to myself (and to my team!).
-Director,
Art & Technology Company
My journey of finding an executive coach began with the motivation to get outside perspective on how I can grow into being a better leader, and co-worker. While I experienced good mentorship internally, I wanted to work with someone who could give me an objective view. When coaching started I struggled on various fronts and partially felt defeated. Jessica allowed me to completely reset and gain a new perspective. Working with Jessica has been a great, and eye-opening experience, and Jessica made working towards my areas of development felt very natural. You can tell that Jessica truly cares about who you are as a person first and foremost to then translate what she’s learned into how she can coach you through growing your strengths and work towards your areas of improvement. She taught me how to use my strengths, but not overuse them and also how to build on other people’s strengths rather than carrying the weight on my own. While I expected executive coaching to be impactful, it’s hard to grasp the change I’ve experienced in just 6 months actively working with Jessica. I still sometimes wonder how she did it because it felt like such a natural evolution. I can’t recommend working with Jessica more. It truly has changed my day-to-day at work, how I bring myself to work, how I work with other people, and my general sense of happiness at work.
– Director,
Platform Services, Marketing Technology Company
I began my corporate engagement with Jessica knowing that I was ready to write the next chapter of my career, but with a case of writer’s block when it came to imagining or articulating what that next chapter could be. Working with Jessica gave me the perspective to see beyond the margins and dimensions of the page I currently occupied, and onto a fresh sheet of paper that was oriented to me and my values.
If I was the writer, Jessica was the deft translator. Throughout the course of our engagement, she translated my objectives – from overarching professional aspirations to specific goals for a particular meeting – from the language I use to speak to myself into language that would be clear and compelling to others. This translation process began with Jessica posing clarifying questions that let me distill paragraphs of thought into a core message that was powerful without being heavy. After this editing, Jessica suggested ways of framing each core message for maximum impact on its target audience.
I’ve already seen and benefitted from the power of this translation process. It has framed conversations I wouldn’t have known how to have a few months ago, and reframed my thinking about my past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities.
– Director,
NY Cultural Institution
I began working with Jessica in early 2019 to assess my career path, professional strengths, and roadblocks. I was feeling stuck in my position and knew that with conscious investment I could both improve the position I was in and think pointedly about what I might do in the future. We addressed a host of things from interpersonal issues and conflict resolution to leadership style and developing new leadership skills. By the fall of 2020 I was recruited for a new job to lead a major non-profit arts organization. Jessica was instrumental through the interview process, pinpointing how and where I could improve and sharpen my resume, interview skills, and presentation to—at the very least—ensure that I was wholly satisfied with my efforts and that the endeavor would be excellent preparation for the next opportunity. Happily, I got the job and could not have gotten there without her expertise and support. Executive coaching is an investment in oneself and your future. I knew I was at a crossroads and am so grateful that I had the clarity of mind to work with ClearPath and connect with Jessica.
– Director,
New York Art Museum
I first came to Jessica when I was entertaining the idea of changing industries and I thought I just needed some help with improving my resume. After our initial call, she laid out a tailored plan that included enhancing my resume, but also understanding what my strengths are, clarifying my goals, and ultimately, giving me the ability to create a story about myself that I could relay to anyone. After our sessions, I had the tools in hand to begin making the change and I was excited about it. Later that year, I was presented with two career opportunities and I knew I had to call Jessica before I made any decisions. In addition to knowing what questions I should be asking myself in order to make the right choice, she walked me through several negotiation scenarios and built up my confidence. I felt extremely empowered during this time-sensitive process thanks to her. It was all happening extremely fast, and after our initial conversation, Jessica was with me every step of the way and I know I made the right choice and got the best offer for the role. I’ve recommended her to family, friends and colleagues as she has truly helped me get to where I am.
– SVP, Leading Global Art and Luxury Brand
I am always looking to grow personally and professionally and I sought a collaborator to listen to me, look me in the eye and very directly call me on my BS. I want to be the best leader and coach to my own team; to achieve this, I need radical and direct feedback from an unbiased and external party. It would be easy for me to see a coach that was more like me than Jessica, but it would not be nearly as effective. She creates a space that is psychologically safe enough for me to process freely and has an innate ability to round up my thoughts, distill my challenges and help me see solutions clearly. As a result of working with Jessica I’m less attached. I’m approaching issues about which I care deeply or problems that arise with less heat. I have learned to be calmer and send myself down a learner path and ask questions. I don’t need to have all the answers. The miracle of coaching is being guided to solving problems yourself, and if I start to veer off the path, Jessica is there as a guardrail and rights my direction. I’m always surprised by all of the things that bubble up during a session. Things I don’t know I need to discuss or process, but they percolate up and out, and I come out of the room feeling reset and focused.
– Christopher Williams, Vice President, Capacity Interactive
Working with Jessica over the last several months has been a rich and transformative experience. She made an investment in my success and helped me see my true impact more clearly. Jessica also taught me to challenge the assumptions I was making about how others view me, what it really means to lead, and the value I bring to the table. Every session resulted in new insights for me to reflect on and apply. Through this process, I learned that when I’m focused on strategy, I’m more confident, composed, and poised. Quite simply, our sessions have impacted every area of my life, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Jessica. She is a true champion for her clients’ personal and professional growth.
– Jennifer, Communications Director, Software Company
Working with Jessica was invaluable. She helped me recognize that having strengths is one thing, and acknowledging them and utilizing them to their fullest potential is another! She taught me how to play to my strengths through low risk opportunities, offering guidance, support and feedback the whole journey. She really helped me push myself outside my comfort zone and gave me the tools necessary to continue to grow within my career and other aspects of my life. Because of my coaching with Jessica, I feel so much more confident in my role as a senior member of my company. I no longer need to hide behind others. I would recommend Jessica to any professional. We all have opportunities to grow, and having someone like Jessica help you through that process brings you to the next level!
– Manager at one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 2019
When I was offered coaching by my organization to help smooth my transition into a new leadership role and improve my executive presence, I did not know what to expect. I came into it with curiosity and an open mind. Jessica is personable, empathetic, and she very much put me at ease. She proved to be truly dedicated to my success and helped me develop the self-awareness and tools to put my best foot forward. As a result of our working together I’m more comfortable being a leader, communicating directly, mentoring my team, and best of all it feels authentic. Jessica both challenged and supported me (even in response to my occasional wee-hour email) and as our work together sadly comes to a close I’m grateful that I’m leaving with the tools to continue growing. Coaching with Jessica has been a valuable and impactful experience.
– Design Director, Global Architecture & Planning Firm
Jessica is an extremely helpful coach. She offered insightful perspectives and shared resources and techniques. Jessica is a great listener and challenged my thinking. I was able to grow my confidence and move beyond my comfort zone on a variety of topics. I highly recommend Jessica if you need coaching.
-Director of Finance, Educational Management
Jessica is a rockstar—and makes you feel like one too. My company offered coaching sessions to me after a promotion, so I was facing new responsibilities and navigating a different leadership position. Jessica and I started by mapping out a strategic plan that was attainable and completely customized to me, and she stayed laser-focused on helping me see different perspectives and finding solutions that would actually work for me. Jessica elicited great insights and thoughtful questions in literally every.single.session. I appreciated that she was truly invested in making sure I could be successful. Over the course of several months, I found myself turning to her for advice and really wondering, “What would Jessica do?!” “What question would she ask in this situation?!” Jessica also was terrific at helping me question my assumptions and challenged me in a very supportive way. I didn’t want a critic, and Jessica helped me grow tremendously while still having my back. I’m so, so grateful for our time together!
– Kate Brinkerhoff Angus, VP Head of Accounts, Brilliant Ink
I was always amazed at the depth of information that Jessica unearthed during our hour-long sessions. Jessica was incredibly effective in surfacing some of the underlying beliefs that weren’t serving me in the workplace, and in helping me understand the deeper motivations which drove me. Her knowledge of leadership and psychology was very helpful in moving me towards actionable steps I could take to address what was holding me back, and her commitment and follow-up ensured I got the most out of our time together. I truly feel more prepared for my next role – and the roles after that – thanks to Jessica!
– Andrew, Management Consultant
I sought out coaching as I was looking to relocate and transition out of the art world, where I had built a 15- year career. I needed to do a full scale assessment of my skills, and professionally package myself to appeal more broadly to employers. What was especially valuable about working with Jessica was the opportunity to do some big picture thinking about how my skills could be applied in new contexts. She also provided outstanding resume help (I received universally glowing feedback), and she supported me in framing my story, and gave me the opportunity to practice telling it several times in a low risk environment. Through coaching I was able to expand my view of the job search so I felt I was selling was myself and my values just as much as my skills and experience. Jessica challenged some of the assumptions that I had going in to the process, and in the end I was truly able to communicate that the skills I developed in the art world are not just transferable to a broader business context, but also create value for my employer. I went through 10 individual and group interviews during the selection process for my current role, and felt confident and prepared throughout, largely due to the work Jessica and I did together. I successfully negotiated a very beneficial contract with signing bonus, and I have an exciting, challenging new role, where I am learning every day, and where I think I can make a major positive contribution. I am thrilled to be in my new job, and so happy that I successfully pivoted from the art world.
– Director, Program Management
I was introduced to Jessica while working towards my MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business. I had never worked with a coach in a professional setting and didn’t know what to expect. I went into our first meeting with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the interaction was. In just our first hour, Jessica was able to ask questions that pushed me to think about some of my personal and professional goals in ways I had not previously considered. I walked away from our first meeting with some actionable ideas regarding how I can best use my time at Stern to achieve these goals. Each time we met we were able to build on insights from previous sessions as Jessica was always able to pick up right where we left off. Our conversations have taught me to be more proactive in the pursuit of my professional goals and will allow me to resume my professional career with an added sense of confidence.
– Michael, Investment Banking
In searching for a workshop to improve my team’s dynamics and communication, I was concerned that bringing our many individual differences out into the open would potentially be counter-productive. Jessica’s understanding of my apprehensions and our team’s uneven past experiences with facilitations informed her design of a workshop tailored specifically to our needs. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Jessica created a team-building workshop that both supported and challenged us. In just a few short hours we had a deeper understanding and acceptance of individual differences and also were able to reframe our view of our differences as gifts to be leveraged to function overall as a more effective team. Each team member walked away with a newfound self-awareness, as well as fresh insights and appreciation of others on the team. Jessica introduced us to a new common vocabulary through MBTI to explore personality and behavior that we have continued to use to help frame conversations and meetings going forward. This has been incredibly helpful to improve our overall communication. Jessica’s facilitation has left a lasting positive impression on me and my team, and I could not recommend her more highly.
– R. Patel, Chief of Staff, Columbia University
I was prompted to work with a coach by a family member after having worked exclusively with one executive for 16 years, and I wanted an opportunity to explore what a career transition might look like for me. I was at a pivotal point in my career where I needed guidance in understanding what direction I should go, and I sought perspective around my ultimate goals and how to best represent myself. Working with Jessica helped clarify quite quickly that remaining in my industry was the right direction for me. Furthermore, she helped me define the job I wanted, one which I created based on industry and organizational needs, but not typically existing within most of the companies in my field. Working with Jessica I had the opportunity to flush out my ideas, understand how I wanted to pitch the position and recognize my value. Ultimately our work together got me exactly the role I wanted and I feel I am where I should be.
-Melissa, Senior Manager, Culture & Careers, Douglas Elliman
Jessica’s intuitive grasp of my challenges and perceived roadblocks enabled me to change directions and leave a long-term, senior position to pursue work that would be more satisfying and sustainable long-term. Jessica asked all the right questions and provided the support that I needed to make this transition. Through our meetings, assessments, and interview coaching, I gained clarity and confidence in my direction and took a job in the field of my choice. If you’re considering a change, don’t wait! (Thanks, Jessica!)
– Betty Leigh Hutcheson, Grant Writer, Rubin Museum of Art
It is hard to believe how far I have come with Jessica’s coaching. When I first met Jessica, I was on the brink of quitting my job. I loved my company and industry, but was feeling burnt out by responsibilities that drained my energy and did not play to my strengths. With unwavering support, Jessica kindly pushed me to tackle my imposter syndrome and helped me to recognize and leverage my value within my company. Fast forward 12 months, I was able to carve out an ideal role for myself and have been promoted to US Head of Business Development, taking on a significant senior management role and doing more of what I love and less of what I don’t. Jessica kept me on task in forging a path forward that previously seemed untenable. I am grateful for Jessica’s support that allowed me to take risks. My year-long journey with Jessica was a gift that I gave to myself, and I look forward to continuing to work with Jessica to help me become a more effective, successful executive.
-US Head of Business Development, Art & Luxury Industry
PATRICE KEITT
Patrice genuinely cares about my professional growth and success. She has an approachable style that she flexes to accommodate topics ranging from business issues to communication strategies. Throughout, she remains focused on business outcomes and is realistically optimistic in a very refreshing way.
At the end of each session, Patrice always leaves me with something to do — a question to ponder, an article or podcast, a worksheet to use as a thought started. I have found these practical applications of her coaching to be so useful; they help me solidify what we talk about when we meet and put things into action.
– Vice President,
Enrollment and Service Operations
We invited Patrice to speak to our women’s leadership organization on the topic of “What Am I Really Doing with My Life?” after many members expressed a desire to re-evaluate their life choices.
It was a tough ask: We have women from many different fields and in all stages of their careers, from those just starting out, to those in more senior management ranks, to some taking time away from work.
But Patrice knew how to help us all no matter where we were on our journey, because she understands how to help people find answers within themselves.
Making her discussion universally understandable, she explained how life goals and career goals closely are connected, and gave us take-home exercises to explore this relationship. She shared key questions to ask at any point in life, captured in a series of memorable phrases. She offered great, easy-to-understand frameworks, with clearly actionable steps. All within a one-hour discussion!
The group truly loved and appreciated her blend of practical, memorable advice rooted in self-reflection and understanding. She was warm and empathetic, but also firm in her guidance – just the balance you want in a coach.
“Really felt inspired!,” as one member put it the next day.
We are starting a new coffee group to follow up on her wisdom and ideas, and I am looking so forward to putting some of her ideas into action myself!
– Editorial Executive and Women’s Leadership Organization Member
I have been working for almost two decades as a lawyer and have not looked for a job in over 10 years. I wanted to work with an executive coach who was also a lawyer to get ideas on how to improve my resume for a new job search and was referred to Patrice Keitt. Working with Patrice was invaluable. Not only did she help me prepare a highly competitive resume — my initial goal — but she helped me identify and crystalize my professional story and how to market myself with potential employers. Patrice is insightful, perceptive and a very good listener who helped me tremendously. I highly recommend her!
– Legal Director, Non-Profit
Patrice’s experience and knowledge of the luxury retail sector partnered with her coaching style made her a great fit for us when defining how to address opportunities we had in our business through developing our managers and key leaders using one-to-one coaching, and focused workshops for our commercial teams. Wellbeing and Positive Psychology are themes we continue to explore in our business, and Patrice’s ability to weave this into our work has added immense value.
Patrice was able to quickly build credibility and presence with our teams and has strength in understanding the reality of the situation and challenges faced, through creating safe, trustworthy and creative environments for everyone to be open and transparent, and to challenge traditional thinking and ways of working, with an open, thoughtful, collaborative and facilitative approach.
In leading the way forward and helping our teams to plan for the future, Patrice was able to keep everyone engaged and on the journey to ensure accountability and the utilizing of each team member, driving engagement and emphasizing purpose.
– Jay Barrett
Senior HR Manager, US & Global Projects
Stella McCartney
I sought out a career coach when I realized I had been unhappy in my career in finance for the past several years, despite having tried a few firms with very different cultures and clients, and wanted to think through next steps. I was referred to Clear Path Executive Coaching, and Patrice responded to my inquiry. When I read about her background, I thought she would be a great fit for me given her own experience making a major career change after spending several years in corporate law on her path to becoming an executive coach.
Patrice and I went through several exercises during our initial conversations, and she was able to quickly assess my state of mind. She helped me come to the realization that my career did not reflect my values, which was increasingly making me unhappy and unmotivated. In addition, she led me through several thought exercises that helped me recognize that even if I was able to achieve some of the outward measures of success in my field, it was unlikely to provide true personal satisfaction since I was not excited about the work I was doing or the results achieved. I came to think of Patrice as my “career therapist,”, which was exactly what I needed to gain the perspective and confidence to leave my job.
I am now working with Patrice as I launch my own business in an area of finance I am more passionate about. The transition to entrepreneurship is my first time being completely self-directed in my career, and has been a learning experience in managing my own time and thinking through every aspect of building a company. I appreciate that Patrice is well-versed in effective goal setting and project implementation techniques used by some of the world’s most successful businesses, and can help me use these processes to prioritize my own time in achieving both near-term and long-term goals.
I do not think I could have made such a major career change without Patrice’s support, or without her objectivity in helping me think through the risks and potential outcomes of the various paths I was considering. She was able to draw on her personal experience in her career evolution, professional experience as an executive coach, and her academic knowledge of what drives behavior, performance, and satisfaction in the workplace to help me think more clearly about my decision. I would recommend Patrice and Clear Path to anyone feeling stuck or considering a significant change in their career path.
– Senior Vice President
Financial Institution
I liked my job overall but there were aspects that were missing or that I wanted to change. When considering coaching, I worried that a stranger wouldn’t be able to help in my specific situation and that the advice would be too generic. However, Patrice came to me through a recommendation, so I gave coaching a try.
There is so much that has been valuable about our work, including
– the discipline of doing something at least once a week;
– getting an outside perspective to see things from a different angle;
– being able to role play and prepare for conversations;
– being able to “zoom out” and have someone connect dots for me and see the big picture and really challenge my preconceived notions of what was possible and what was desirable;
– getting great suggestions on steps to take to move things forward.
As a result of our work I received two job offers, was able to negotiate with one of them hard and be fully prepared with back up options. I found a new role that met my needs.
A big part of doing that was realizing what my true priorities were, I thought I knew what they were but then when the rubber hit the road I realized they weren’t what I expected and Patrice helped me gain that clarity.
Patrice is great! She will keep you going when you want to quit. She asks questions in a way that makes you re-examine your assumptions and leads you to draw your own conclusions. She is really motivating.
– Managing Director
Financial Institution
I had spent 15 years building a career in a field where the expertise is sought after and the subject matter is interesting but the way I was working was, well, no longer working for me. I respect my company’s mission and while I hoped to spend a long career there, I thought I would need to make drastic changes and be prepared to move on to another organization. I felt stymied at my job, and couldn’t understand why I was having trouble with work interactions. I was emotionally drained, and it was affecting my home life too. I knew there was a problem, but I couldn’t even pinpoint the problem or even start to address it because I didn’t even know where to start! A friend introduced me to Clear Path, and Patrice Keitt became my coach. Patrice and I met through a series of calls over 4 months; this worked really well for my schedule and we sometimes met on a weekend. I always looked forward to these conversations.
Through targeted exercises Patrice helped me start at the beginning (really at the beginning) to pinpoint work and life experiences that energize me, to tease out why these were such positive experiences, and to focus on structuring work to have more of these positive experiences. She introduced me to the corporate athlete concept and proven mind-body exercises that foster high performance. Through in-depth Myers-Briggs analysis and scenario debriefs, I began to understand how personality differences and my own biases were resulting in my unsatisfying work communications. Patrice’s friendly but firm (and often funny) coaching helped me adapt my spoken and written communications so that my message can be understood by colleagues whose personality styles are quite different from mine. And the underpinning for each coaching session was a package of carefully curated and thought-provoking articles and books Patrice sent my way – these were such a treat and always highly relevant.
Through my work with Patrice, I was able to explore, learn and dream; to structure my work and life in ways that satisfy me; and to better connect with others. This deeply rewarding and hard work happily paid off in a recent promotion, without leaving my current employer and without abandoning the subject matter expertise I had built. I am grateful for Patrice’s coaching and will continue to work with her as my career evolves and I pursue those ever-important positive experiences that keep me going.
– Compliance Officer
National Research Firm
I was unhappy with my job and not sure what I wanted to do next. Patrice and I connected on the phone after I was referred to Clear Path Executive Coaching. She has a great, positive energy and we clicked right away. Her approach was methodical, while being completely centered around me and what I was hoping to achieve. Each meeting and exercise built on the last session and it all helped me identify what I enjoy and gave me the ability to articulate what I was looking for. Once we established what I wanted to do, Patrice helped me update my resume and prepare for interviews.
Her guidance and help was invaluable. Because of Patrice, I not only have a great resume but a new job! I greatly enjoyed working with her and highly recommend her to anyone looking for guidance and/or career change.
– Vice President
Financial Institution
I have been working with Clearpath and Patrice for the last three or four months. This work has helped me navigate through a very challenging professional transition. I had never worked with a professional coach before and I have found the relationship and collaboration to be transformative. The tools that Clearpath provides have given me opportunities for reflection, but more crucially, have helped me to look forward with clarity, confidence and a new sense of my professional goals and purpose. Since beginning this work, I have been able to align my professional passions with a deeper understanding of my skills. I know that this work will propel me forward and ground my decision making as I take the next steps in my career.
– Executive Director
Cultural Non-profit
A little over a year ago I was looking to make a major life change, moving my family across country and leaving an institution I’d worked at for a decade. I had the benefit of a few supervisors over the years providing guidance and direction, but had lacked mentorship or an experienced professional outside of my own supervisory channel who could provide me with insight. I was stuck trying to figuring out how to take the first step. I had a good friend introduce me to Clear Path and within a short time, I had an intake call scheduled with Patrice.
From our very first chat, Patrice offered advice and suggestions to better myself and work towards my goals. More importantly, Patrice helped me articulate my goals, and as I sought out opportunities, ensure I was keeping true to my intent vs. searching for quick solutions. Some of the specific skills Patrice helped me with included self-reflection, resume review and editing, pre-interview coaching, and mindfulness. Now a year into the position I obtained, I often find myself referring back to some of our initial conversations and the resources shared with me. I am confident that the tools Patrice introduced me to will have lasting benefits in both my personal and professional life, and would not hesitate to engage again.
– Andrew Vinard
Director, Core Facilities
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS)
Over the past several years, I have retained Patrice as a coach to present various leadership topics at accounting firms I have worked at.
Patrice is an extremely knowledgeable and engaging facilitator – adept at putting people at ease and creating a safe space for discussion and exploration. She consistently delivers content that is up-to-date, well researched and actionable. Because of her background as both an attorney and CEO, she is comfortable in a corporate environment and understands how to tailor material so it resonates with the audience.
I’ve also engaged Patrice for one-on-one coaching for individuals for leadership development issues, from communication and presentation skills to stress management and emotional intelligence, and have witnessed positive results. Clients find her to be thoughtful and effective in helping them evoke change and achieve their goals.
Patrice is my “go-to” coach for both group facilitation and one-on-one coaching for staff and I always find working with her to be both valuable for my organizations and a pleasure.
– Chief Human Resources Officer
PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP
I was looking for a career coach to become a more effective communicator, create more productive work relationships, and get an outside assessment of my potential. I was drawn to Patrice because of her experience working in a corporate environment and her focus on mindfulness. Patrice helped me understand my strengths, identify areas of improvement, and gave me the tools to tackle any situation that may come my way. She treated me like a partner throughout the process and gave me the space to discover my own solutions. The knowledge I have gained through coaching will help me throughout my life, no matter where my career takes me.
– Tamora Petitt
Associate Creative Director, Head of User Experience
JENNIFER ZASLOW
I am the founder of a rapidly growing professional services firm and had never worked with an Executive Coach. By pushing me to stay focused on the big picture and ask myself hard questions around purpose and mission, Jennifer has been instrumental in helping me clarify my priorities and evolve into becoming a more effective CEO. This work has also had a direct impact on my business, helping me to re-define how I manage time and staff so that I have the mental space to ask myself “what’s next?” for my business. Since we began working together, CI has been named by Crain’s New York Business as one of its Best Places to Work in 2016, 2017 and 2018. I recommend Jennifer highly to anyone looking to grow personally and professionally.
– Erik Gensler, President, Capacity Interactive, Inc.
“I started working with Jennifer shortly after stepping into an interim leadership role for the first time in my career. This role was thrust on me very suddenly, in the middle of a tumultuous time for both NYCB and SAB, and I had little prior leadership experience. I was recommended to Jennifer by a colleague and immediately felt that it was a great fit for me after our initial meeting. She is a great listener and really helped me talk through the initial challenges, worries, and complications I was having. She sent me great readings to assist as I developed my strategies and helped me role play difficult conversations that were looming in front of me. I’ve always felt better after a session with Jennifer and felt that my confidence was restored if I was struggling through some tough leadership moments.
I then launched into an intense search process where I was one of many candidates for the permanent leadership role. Jennifer was invaluable during this process, from building my resume, to the extremely intense interview process, to the culmination of receiving the job. I don’t believe I would be standing in my leadership role today without Jennifer’s help, guidance, and support over the last 18 months. I was able to successfully transition into my new role quickly because of all of her assistance and I am truly grateful for everything she gave to me.”
– Jonathan Stafford | Artistic Director New York City Ballet & The School of American Ballet
Strength, integrity, wisdom, a sense of humor and an ability to “tell it like it is.” These were the qualities for which Jennifer was known as a Vice President of The New York Public Library; they are also the qualities that have made her a natural as an Executive Coach. Having successfully navigated her own career transition, Jennifer knows that change is powerful and possible – and she takes a stand for change in her clients. Jennifer also brings decades of “real-life” experience to this work, having successfully lead teams through institutional transition, and risen to meet the challenge of ambitious goals.
– Louise Shea, VP for Human Resources, The New York Public Library
I gained a great deal of clarity while working with Jennifer. She asked the types of questions that moved me to think beyond my typical exploration zones and my typical behavioral and language tropes. I found that when working with her – over a period of months – I was able to learn how to get beyond my ‘comfort’ self in ways that allowed me to connect with aspects of myself that were calling out for recognition. I’m a reflective individual, and Jennifer taught me to honor that even more dearly than I had been. She’s a gem of an individual and a gem of an Executive Coach.
– Lori Schuldiner Schor, International Grants Manager, NY NY
Working with Jennifer has been a transformational experience in my professional life. I enlisted Jennifer’s help during a period when I was deciding whether to leave a high-level position at an institution I love, but was finding difficult to navigate, or take the “next step” elsewhere. Jennifer is intuitive, insightful, warm, firm, and direct, and has helped me immensely, both in terms of finding solutions to short-term problems and dealing with long-term issues. Our conversations have yielded some surprising, and welcome, revelations about myself. Most importantly, she not only helped me remember my key strengths, she also helped me identify my key values, an important insight to have during a transitional time in my life.
– Senior Development Officer, New York Non-Profit Organization
I met Jennifer when I needed a champion who could provide both practical tips and empathy during a difficult career transition. Jennifer is that rare coach who blends deep emotional intelligence with real world experience.
Because Jennifer is a terrific active listener, she immediately figured out that I was stuck at work and needed to find my voice in order to make necessary changes. She taught me about the power of being “mindful” while living more fully in the present. If this sounds “new age-y,” be reassured that it isn’t. I’ve conducted business meetings that went far better because I’ve taken Jennifer’s advice to heart.
I looked forward to each session because I knew I would be with someone who was in my corner at all times and because she and I had developed a plan of action that had realistic, achievable milestones along the way.
– Chris, Non-Profit Executive
I was going through a difficult period, personally and professionally, when a colleague recommended I speak with Jennifer Zaslow. My colleague explained that when she was at a professional crossroads, Jennifer helped her determine a new career that was most gratifying. As luck would have it, Jennifer and I had worked together many years prior, so I knew her to be a capable and cordial person – with a wonderful sense of humor. Any reservations I might have had about speaking with a coach were allayed as soon as we reconnected on the phone. It was particularly helpful that Jennifer’s background is also in development and fundraising. She brought her expertise in the field to our coaching sessions, providing me with invaluable insight into the sector.
Over the last six months, Jennifer helped me to clarify my priorities and urged me to take my time to find a position that best suited me. With her guidance, I was equipped to ask the right questions and make a thoughtful decision about my next move. I have recommended working with a coach – and specifically working with Jennifer – to anyone who asks how I was able to navigate this particularly challenging time in my life.
– Senior Non-profit Development Professional
Jennifer’s wisdom helped me appreciate and strengthen the unique value I was adding to my team, to everyone’s benefit. She increased my confidence and guided me through difficult workplace situations with wonderful perspective, support, and kindness. My investment in our work together was so worthwhile. It allowed me to maintain my well-being and equilibrium and propelled me to succeed and achieve professionally in ways I hadn’t been able to imagine.
– Sheila Zarba-Campbell, Major Gift Officer, St. Francis House
After working 30 years, primarily at one company, I took a year off and found myself needing help as I began a job search. I had no real answer to the question everyone was asking me, “what do you want to do next”, and I’d completely lost confidence in my professional competence and achievements. Working with Jennifer Zaslow and the reference resources she recommended, I discovered why I was critical of myself and potential opportunities, and I learned to adapt my mindset to a positive, productive one.
Over the course of several months, Jennifer fully supported me through the process of negotiating two job offers and during a time when I found myself in a new job that turned out to be the wrong one. She motivated me to be decidedly proactive through drawn out conversations I was having with a company that turned out to be the right one.
Jennifer Zaslow is warm, engaging and an incredible coach. My family noticed a measureable difference in my outlook and well-being soon after we started working together. She really listens, retains every detail, and then furthers the conversation with insightful observations and questions that lead you answer your own questions. I attribute my current professional satisfaction to the coaching process and will definitely consider working with Jennifer again as my priorities shift to maintaining a healthier work-life balance than I’ve typically achieved in my career.
– Senior Director, Art Auction Industry
I decided to work with Jennifer because I wanted to address challenges in my current position and figure out where I was going in my career. I felt underutilized in my job and as a result began to lose sight of my talents and passions. I also knew I was ready to make a move, but I wasn’t sure what that move should be or what my long-term goal was.
Jennifer’s perspective was crucial to the process. Because of her vast experience, she was able to bring context to my career trajectory and help me understand where I was coming from and where I could be going based on my skills and interests. She helped me envision what I could accomplish in my career.
Jennifer is incredibly insightful and I felt that she really understood me within just a couple sessions together. She helped me recognize my strengths and understand the unique skills I could offer an employer. She helped me to move past the limiting beliefs that I had been holding on to and figure out what kind of work I am best suited for. As a result of our time together I was able to successfully market myself to an organization that will better utilize my strengths and find a position that will advance my career.
– Ashley S., Nonprofit Professional
After several decades working inside nonprofit organizations, I was ready for something new but I didn’t know what. Jennifer has deep experience in my field, and she understood the types of personalities and challenges that made up my every day. Once I realized that my personal values could, and should, align with my professional ones, the path forward became clear. Jennifer brought a wealth of knowledge and resources. She is an intelligent listener, a great advocate and I highly recommend her.
– Jill, Nonprofit Management Consultant
As a high-energy person with a mind jumbled with ideas, ideals, ethical dilemmas, and feelings of confusion, I knew I needed someone to help me prioritize my goals, organize my time, and ultimately, bring me to my fullest potential. As an educational tutor, I do these very tasks to help my students, so I was able to recognize that I, too, needed my own personal advisor. Jennifer was able to guide my thinking and my action in our very first session and help me determine weekly and monthly action steps that included everything from phone calls, to self-reflection, to meditation. Without the gentle yet firm guidance and strong conviction of Jennifer, I never would have made the decision to expand my business or get it off the ground in only a few short months!
– Lauren Farrell Gardiner, Co-Founder and Tutor, Confident Minds Tutoring
I started working with Jennifer as I was planning to take some time off and then transition to a new market. I was concerned that I would not be able to find a job, and Jennifer helped me to build my confidence. Jennifer helped me to identify my strengths and passions, preparing assignments that allowed me to learn more about myself and my career objectives. She worked with me to refine my resume and hone my interview skills. She continued to support me as I began interviewing for positions, providing insight and guidance on questions and salary negotiations. Jennifer’s coaching helped me to land my dream job, and I am so grateful to her!
– Development Officer, Cambridge, MA
