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Hi, I’m Renée and I’m an executive coach

The question

Sometime ago, I was at a reception for Stanford alumni, standing with a small group of MBA grads. 

Someone offered the icebreaker: “Let’s go around and introduce ourselves - Your name, where you live, and what you do for work.”

I felt confident answering the first two questions (I’m Renée, I live in LA - it even rhymes!). But for the first time since joining the “professional” world over a decade ago, I paused before answering the third question. I had been Renée the Wall Street associate, Renée the VC investor, Renée the MBA student, and most recently, I had been Renée the fintech strategy and operations manager. 

Now, my answer felt more complicated: “... and I am an executive coach.” Would people understand what an executive coach does? Would they judge my decision to take a less traditional path post-MBA?

My path to becoming an executive coach

Before entering the workforce, the only coaching I knew of took place on my high school tennis courts and in my martial arts dojo. After graduating from Harvard and joining J.P. Morgan, I learned that several of the managing directors in my division worked with executive coaches. This intuitively made sense to me given that each partner was running multi-billion dollar businesses with hundreds or thousands of people reporting to them. Nonetheless, my curiosity was sparked. 

5 years later, arriving at business school, my understanding of executive coaching evolved. Many of my favorite Stanford GSB professors and lecturers were CEOs, startup founders, and renowned industry leaders who spoke openly about their transformational experiences working with executive coaches. 

One faculty member shared how their coach supported them as they navigated key career inflection points and transitions. Another walked students through how their coach helped them gain clarity on their startup’s strategic vision during a painful period of their entrepreneurial journey. Another even shared how their coach helped them build a stronger marriage – bridging the gap between personal and professional. As the stories piled up, I was keen to learn more about these seemingly magical individuals!

the lightbulb moment

As a first-year MBA student at Stanford GSB, I completed the university’s flagship course “Interpersonal Dynamics” and was selected as a Fellow for the Arbuckle Leadership Program. Through this experience, I came to know a handful of executive coaches who facilitated this and other leadership programs. I learned how different coaches operated with specialties ranging from effective communication to authentic leadership to career development to positive psychology. 

In my second year of business school, I had the opportunity to move from being coached to coaching first-year MBA students as they navigated various challenges in their personal, academic, and professional lives. This was my lightbulb moment - I had found a career that aligned with my innate strengths and fed my passion for making a positive impact on people, teams, and culture. 

After graduating from Stanford, I joined Robinhood, excited to gain experience in strategy and operations as the company went through hyper-growth and prepared for an IPO. During this time, I completed additional coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute and the Newfield Network while continuing to coach peers outside of Robinhood and colleagues internally. 

Making the leap

Each client I worked with gave me an increased awareness of what makes a strong coach and a growing clarity that this was a role for which I was uniquely suited. I am energized by building relationships, committing to continuous learning, and guiding others on their journeys - I lean into my natural enthusiasm, ask powerful questions, and perhaps most importantly, listen with an empathetic ear. The only outstanding question was: Would I choose to follow the guideposts and transition to this new career?

—

The group looked at me when it was my turn to introduce myself. I smiled and said,

“My name is Renée Motley, I live in LA, and I am an executive coach”

Additional resources to learn more about coaching:

Curious about how coaching works? Send me a note at renee@sharpend.co. I love to share my knowledge of the impact of this work and how coaching can support your personal and professional growth at different stages of your career and life.