I’m Stephanie
I coach people who’ve become incredibly good at managing life but aren’t sure it’s still the life they want.
Life changes. Life is change.
As humans, we’re pretty exceptional at adaptation.
But sometimes the adaptations that helped us survive, succeed, or belong start working against us.
Maybe you’ve caught yourself thinking:
Something isn’t working anymore
I don’t feel like myself
I keep telling myself things will settle down “after this project”
I’ve been getting through my life instead of living it
I don’t have time for the things that light me up
Is this all there is?
And maybe you’re making seemingly reasonable decisions because they make sense in the moment.
Your new role has more pressure and visibility, so you skip watering the begonias and get to the office earlier.
That analysis is due tomorrow, so lunch happens at your desk. Maybe we’ll hit the gym tomorrow.
Your kids have soccer practice tonight, so your time in the studio can wait.
Of course that makes sense.
Over time, those choices become your life, whether you realize it or not.
This work is for people who know something needs to change.
You may not know what.
You may not know where to begin.
You may not know what you want instead.
You just know you can’t keep living the way you are.
This isn’t about making perfect choices. Or eliminating tradeoffs. It’s about living more intentionally.
Our choices are limited by what we can see.
Coaching helps us see what we couldn’t before.
Once we see how the pieces fit together, different choices become possible.
We don’t make different choices by trying harder.
We make different choices by seeing more.
Where we begin
You don’t have to figure it all out before we begin.
Clarity is something we create together.
My role is not to tell you what to do. It is to help you see clearly enough to make choices you trust.
I notice shifts in your energy. What lights you up. What weighs you down.
I pay attention to what your words, your body, and your energy are communicating.
Especially when they’re not all telling the same story.
I help you distinguish between what you’ve inherited, what you’ve adapted to, and what feels like your own.
I stay with the emotions and topics that are hard to be with because they’re often the ones with the most to show you.
There’s no judgment here. Only curiosity.
I see patterns in your relationships, behavior, and choices, and invite you to get curious about what they reveal.
From there, we begin making sense of what we find until a clearer picture begins to emerge.
Then we begin experimenting with practical ways to bring that picture to life.
We notice what’s working, what isn’t, and what keeps pulling you back toward old patterns.
Over time, what once felt unfamiliar begins to feel more like home.
Sometimes it becomes a complete life overhaul. Sometimes a small shift changes everything.
Why this approach works
Most of my 25+ year career was spent in human-centered design, helping organizations imagine and create things that didn’t exist yet.
That required more than strategy or execution. It required listening carefully, seeing what others couldn’t yet see, making sense of complexity, and helping teams move toward a shared vision.
Today, I do the same work with people.
Instead of designing products and experiences, I help people redesign the lives they’ve built.
The tools have changed. The work hasn’t.
My background in psychology helps me understand people. Human-centered design helps me make sense of complexity, see patterns, and create clarity. Coaching provides the practical structure to turn insights into intentional choices and meaningful change.
A meaningful life isn’t built by waiting until everything is clear.
It’s built by learning to hold onto what matters while you’re still finding your way.
What clients experience
Clarity becomes action
“Working with Stephanie gave me clarity and real momentum. She is deeply supportive and willing to challenge when it matters. I saw longstanding patterns in new ways and moved forward with greater alignment and confidence in my decisions.”
Elizabeth, Vice President
Clients learn to distinguish
• What’s theirs and what isn’t
• What still fits
• Which voice to trust
• Which tradeoffs are worth making
They trust themselves again
“Working with Stephanie helped me reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose while reshaping the way I relate to my work and myself. Her coaching helped me recognize patterns that were limiting my perspective, return to my work with greater creativity, and trust my own judgment again.
She brings a rare level of insight, discernment, and presence. She creates a space that is both deeply thoughtful and genuinely transformative.”
Diana, Film Producer
Clients often tell me
You saw me
You named something I couldn’t see
I feel more like myself
You helped me bring something back into my life
I know what to come back to when I feel lost
I trust myself to handle what’s next
A bit more about me
I didn’t wake up one day and decide to become a coach. I’ve been headed this way for a long time.
I’ve always been curious about people, earning a psychology degree and sociology minor in college.
Then a 25+ year UX career designing products to fit the people who use them.
Leading multidisciplinary teams. Helping people navigate change.
Eventually, coaching became the place where all of it belonged.
My own life has included many of the things my clients bring to this work: career transitions, caregiving, grief, burnout, reconnecting with my creativity, and a handful of reinventions. Sometimes I burned the house down. Sometimes it got burned down around me.
Life rarely moves in straight lines. Neither do people.
I’m also a musician and artist. I’ve spent my life moving between analytical and creative worlds, often feeling like a misfit in both. It wasn’t until I realized they weren’t opposites, but complementary ways of understanding the world, that I stopped trying to choose between them.
That realization changed far more than my work. It led to some of the boldest and wisest decisions I’ve made, and it continues to shape how I see people and the questions I ask.
Eventually, I saw the throughline. Psychology, design, creativity, and lived experience weren’t separate paths after all. They were all preparing me for this work.
Credentials & Experience:
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
25+ years in UX strategy and leadership at companies including Apple, Dell, Paramount Pictures, and frog
BA in Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Minor in Sociology
Based in Austin, TX working with clients across the U.S. and internationally.
Curious?
You don’t have to have everything figured out.
Whether you’re navigating a transition, feeling stuck, or wondering if your life still fits, we can explore it together.
No pressure. Just curiosity.
Practical details
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No. In fact, that’s part of what we’ll figure out together.
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Most of my clients are accomplished people who have built successful lives or careers but have reached a point where they’re asking bigger questions. They include executives, founders, creatives, people navigating grief or transition, and those intentionally redesigning what’s next.
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No. Coaching and therapy serve different purposes.
Therapy often focuses on healing emotional wounds, treating mental health conditions, or understanding how the past continues to affect the present.
Coaching is future-oriented. Together, we’ll explore where you are now, what’s no longer fitting, and how to move toward a life that feels more intentional and aligned with who you are.
That said, we don’t ignore the past. If past experiences are influencing the choices you’re making today, we’ll acknowledge them with curiosity and compassion. My role isn’t to diagnose or treat mental health concerns, but to help you build awareness, discernment, and meaningful change.
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We begin with a two-hour Foundation Session to clarify your goals, establish direction, and build our coaching relationship. From there, we typically meet for one hour every other week, with room to adjust if needed.
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I primarily coach over Zoom, which allows me to work with clients across the U.S. and internationally. If you’re local to Austin and interested in meeting in person, let me know. When it makes sense and schedules allow, that’s something we can explore.
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If, after we begin, you decide coaching isn’t the right fit, you can end the engagement at any time.
Coaching sessions that have already taken place are non-refundable. Any remaining balance will be refunded according to the terms outlined in the coaching agreement, including work completed outside of our coaching sessions, onboarding, preparation, and reserved coaching capacity.
My hope, though, is that we never get to that point without talking first. If something isn’t feeling right, I’d much rather get curious about it together than have you wonder about it on your own.