About Coach Em
I don't believe most people need another person telling them what they should be doing.
Most people already have insight, experience, strengths, and instincts. Sometimes they just need space to slow down enough to access them.
My story
I came to coaching through people, not theory.
I spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy — leading teams, developing people, and watching how human beings respond to pressure, change, responsibility, and transition. I saw people rise in ways that surprised them. I also saw people get stuck, burn out, or lose sight of themselves in the middle of doing everything right.
That experience made me deeply curious about what actually helps people thrive — not just perform, but feel like themselves. It led me to pursue a Master of Science in Positive Psychology and professional coach training through MentorCoach. What I found in that work confirmed what I'd already seen in practice: people are more resourceful than they realize. They often just need the right conditions to access what they already know.
Coaching became a natural next chapter — a way to bring together everything I'd learned about people, leadership, and well-being into something that actually serves the individual in front of me.
What I believe
Coaching isn't about fixing you. You're not broken.
People are more resourceful than they realize. Strengths matter. Awareness matters. Attention shapes life. Small, intentional choices matter more than dramatic reinvention.
I draw on positive psychology not because it's relentlessly optimistic, but because it's evidence-based and focused on what's working — your strengths, your values, your capacity for growth. That's a more useful starting point than cataloguing what's wrong.
Growth doesn't require becoming someone completely different. It usually requires getting clearer on who you already are — and making choices that reflect that more consistently.
What it's like to work with me
Thoughtful. Curious. Direct when it's useful.
I ask a lot of questions. I notice patterns and reflect back what I hear. I help you identify and use your strengths — not just name them. And I'll challenge your assumptions when doing so serves you.
I'm warm, but I'm not a cheerleader. I'm practical, but I'm not prescriptive. I'll sit with you in the uncertainty when that's what's needed, and I'll push when you're ready to move.
The goal isn't to have all the answers. It's to help you trust the ones you already have — and act on them with more intention.
Background & credentials
Experience that informs the work.
Master of Science in Positive Psychology
Formal academic grounding in the science of wellbeing, strengths, resilience, and human flourishing.
Professional Coach Training, MentorCoach
ICF-accredited coach training program focused on evidence-based, client-centered coaching practice.
20 Years, U.S. Navy Leadership
Two decades leading, developing, and supporting people through high-stakes transitions, uncertainty, and change.
You don't need to show up with the perfect goal or the right words.
You can start with: "Something feels off, and I want to understand why." That's enough. The discovery call is free, low-pressure, and just a conversation.