Hi, I’m Will.
I’m a leadership and career coach for thoughtful, high-performing professionals—especially when success looks good on paper, but something feels off.
I help you clarify your True North and author a grounded way forward that doesn’t require self-abandonment.
Calm focus. Trusted direction. Intentional growth.
My Coaching Philosophy
Work takes up a big part of our lives. The most meaningful careers bring together direction—staying true to your core values—and aliveness—doing work that genuinely lights you up. Holding both at once can be daunting. I know, because I’ve lived it.
Coaching offers a steady way to pause, reflect, and listen more closely to what’s really going on. Together, we clarify what matters, name what feels misaligned, and translate insight into choices you can actually act on. From there, we shape a path that fits who you are and the life you’re living—so your work doesn’t just perform well on paper, but feels more alive and more your own.
My Path into Coaching
For most of my career, I’ve worked on complex projects and within global teams, alongside people navigating change, uncertainty, and high-stakes decisions. I kept noticing the same pattern: the moments that stayed with me weren’t the deliverables—they were the conversations where someone slowed down, told the truth about what mattered, and chose to stop running on someone else’s definition of success.
Being coached during graduate school made that pattern impossible to ignore—and impossible to dismiss. I realized that the questions I cared most about—purpose, values, how we grow and evolve—weren’t side interests I needed to justify. They were the heart of the work. I trained in Integral Coaching to bring both a business lens and a human lens into those conversations—with rigor and care.
Today, I partner with thoughtful professionals who want their work to reflect what they know matters—especially during moments of change or transition. I bring calm focus, useful distinctions, and practical structure—so insight turns into steady, real-world momentum without self-abandonment.
The Compass & The Flame
The Compass is orientation and discernment. It reflects trust in your values—and the direction that genuinely makes sense for you, not just what looks right on paper.
The Flame is energy and aliveness. It’s the felt sense that your effort matters, and that your work gives something back in return.
Compass & Flame began as a quiet reflection during my own pivots. I had chased big destinations—like living and working in China—and later felt my priorities begin to shift. What stayed constant was the search for direction that felt true, and the desire to keep curiosity and meaning alive. Today, I help clients bring direction and energy together in a way that feels real, sustainable, and unmistakably their own.
How I Work
Coaching is a partnership that looks at the full context of your life and work—not just a single problem or decision. We move in a clear, steady rhythm:
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We start with where you are—what fuels you and what drains you—and listen for the deeper themes at play. Together, we look at your goals, pressures, patterns, values, and the systems you’re operating within, so you can see more clearly what’s shaping your experience.
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We design simple guiding structures and practices that fit your real goals and your real life—so insight turns into something you can actually live by. Often, this is where we capture your True North Narrative: a clear compass you can return to as you make decisions and choose next steps.
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You try things in real life. We pay attention to what happens, learn from it together, and refine the direction as new insights emerge—so your path keeps adapting as you do.
This isn’t about advice or quick fixes. It’s a human, grounded process for strengthening awareness, expanding choice, and sustaining growth over time.
Why Work with Me
Whole-person lens, real-world edge.
Integral coaching, grounded in real-world leadership experience—so the work holds up in how life actually happens.
A steady partnership.
Clients feel seen, supported, and usefully challenged—never judged or pushed.
Clarity that supports action.
Distinctions that sharpen insight and help you work with complexity—without flattening it.
Growth that holds under pressure.
Together, we shape habits that fit your real life, then keep refining as your context evolves.
Credentials & Experience
These experiences shape how I listen, how I challenge, and how I stay grounded in the real context of your life and work.
Formal Training:
Integral Coaching®, New Ventures West
MBA, UC Berkeley Haas
Master of Information & Data Science, UC Berkeley School of Information
BA (Hons) Economics & Chinese, Davidson College
Experience & Commitments:
14+ years in consulting across complex projects and global teams, including extended work in Shanghai and Adelaide
Equity & belonging leadership work at KPMG and Berkeley Haas
Business-proficient Mandarin, with two-year rotation in Shanghai
A strong commitment to confidentiality, ethics, and trust
I coach to support people in reconnecting with both their compass and their flame—so they can move with clarity and feel alive in the work they’re doing. From there, we focus on what matters, shape aligned practices, and keep refining until insight becomes steady, lived momentum.
A Little More About Me
I’m based in Greensboro, North Carolina, with my family. I care about community, good questions, and the kind of work that leaves people feeling alive and fully themselves. Outside of coaching, you’ll find me daydreaming about our next trip, getting lost in electronic mixes, or hunting down great coffee. I work with clients via video across the U.S. and internationally, and I also meet in person in the NC Triad.
If any of this resonates, I’d love to connect for a 30-minute chemistry call to see if working together feels like a good fit.