What Clients Are Saying

“Given the amount of change I was going through personally and professionally, I was telling friends that I would have gotten overwhelmed or lost my cool if I didn’t have an executive coach. You helped me manage gracefully through it all.  You helped me listen to myself and value my own judgment and impression of things.  I am trusting my own thinking more and have more confidence in my approach. 

One thing I appreciated about you Rayna, is you really listened.  You asked me about my strengths in our first session and you remembered that or a core value and reminded me of that when I was struggling with something a few weeks later.  You approached me with such curiosity, wanting to truly know me and understand my perspective.  Thank you for truly listening.

As you go up the chain, you don’t have a lot of people to talk to.  Exec coaching was one of the best perks of my organization. Prep for our sessions made me swift through my challenges, organize and prioritize them. After our session, I went back with specific actions on my top 20% issues which improved my performance drastically.  Going home now, I feel like I’ve done everything I could and feel good about myself and you played a major role in getting there!”. – Neelima, C-Suite Executive

“Working with Rayna was a breath of fresh air.  When we started our journey, I was feeling overwhelmed and lacking confidence as a new supervisor.  I had a lot of ideas and concerns but was operating within a box because I did not want to be vulnerable and make others feels that I was not capable of leading my team.  I felt that I had to be able to do it all.  After working with Rayna, all of my concerns disappeared.  She helped me feel comfortable by creating a psychologically safe environment which allowed me to be vulnerable.  The vulnerability helped me lighten up, embrace new ideas, and increased my confidence as a leader.  I experienced some tense work situations, and she coached me to successful outcomes.  The additional resources she provided to help me understand more about myself and others were invaluable.  Working with her was transformational.  I have gone from being overwhelmed to overly excited about my leadership journey as I embrace the possibilities that lie ahead!!!” – Carolyne, Federal Agency Senior Leader

“When I first started coaching with Rayna, I was in a pretty negative head-space professionally. I knew I didn’t want to stay in that space but couldn’t figure out how to get into a more positive and productive mindset. Rayna and I connected right away – she has an open and trusting demeanor and I immediately felt like I could work through any challenge with her. Through her open-ended questions, she helped me to bring clarity, awareness and an action plan to each of the challenges we talked through. She helped me to see areas where I could step into my own power, advocate for myself and how I could do it in a way that maintained relationships and stayed true to myself. Every coaching session left me feeling empowered and with more clarity about the steps I wanted to take in order to get out of my own way and accomplish what I wanted to do – and most importantly – with a clearer and more positive way of thinking. After every session I felt as though a weight had been lifted and I knew that I had a true thought partner in Rayna – a coaching partnership that left me in a much better place than my first session.” – Bridget, Federal Senior Executive

“I sought Rayna’s coaching help because I had a substantial change in my work situation, and needed to build a new program from the ground up and on-board a number of new staff.  This required a big change in approach, vision and thinking.  It was an exciting opportunity, and I was eager to undertake it, but also felt overwhelmed by the prospect and lacked confidence in my abilities.  Rayna was unfailingly positive in her approach to the situation, asked appropriate questions, provided many helpful tools and references drawn from her extensive experience, and was able to create an environment where I was able to really think through all the issues and find a positive path forward.  She really helped me see the big picture, and guided me towards finding appropriate solutions and addressing challenges.  What I appreciate most is how she helped me draw upon my own strengths and the lasting effect this has had upon my outlook.  I frequently reflect upon her words of wisdom from our work together, and have definitely changed – for the better—my approach to just about every challenge that is put before me.  This was one of the most positive and beneficial experiences of my professional life, and I can’t thank Rayna enough for her insight, guidance and friendship.” – Anne, FDA Leader

“When struggling to find answers to life’s challenges, sometimes a friend’s sympathetic ear isn’t enough.  Friends mean well, but they don’t always have the ability to motivate in a positive way.  Rayna provides the sympathetic ear and so very much more.  Her effective tools and extensive library, coupled with her boundless positive energy and knowledge, helped to define issues that I was struggling with and a means for dealing with them.  Through surveys, questionnaires, research and probing conversations, we were able to determine something that I knew but was hesitant to admit:  I am a creative person trapped in a technical field.  After working with Rayna, I am more confident about moving forward, trying new things, and stepping outside of my comfort zone, at my own pace and on my own terms.” – Alan, Engineer (and Creative Person!)

“Working with you has been a wonderful opportunity to self-reflect about my life as a whole with an unbiased observer to talk with me.  When we first began working together I was feeling really run down.  I was managing things okay but something wasn’t right and wasn’t sustainable.  The timing for coaching together was perfect to see why the path I was on wasn’t sustainable as I recognized that I was out of balance.  I truly appreciated your ability to ask questions that allowed me to see things from a different perspective.  The “lenses” like stepping back into the observer role empowered me to see situations from a different point-of-view.  You created the environment that allowed me to put my guard down, which is hard for me.  Through our work together I have been able to focus on what I need to be at my best so I can help others be at their best.  Coaching was my opportunity to reset and course correct to be the person I want to be.  You helped me reflect on situations at work and asked questions that challenged me and allowed me to see my blind spots.  You also provided me with models of good leadership and lots of relevant literature to help me delve further into ways to improve my leadership skills and be at my best.  Thanks for everything!” – Adrienne, HHS Leader

“I liked your methods and easy-going, fun-loving approach to problem-solving.  You were honest with me, but in a very non-threatening way.  You let me know right up front that I would need to be the one to make the changes, and that you could not do that for me.  With your questions and ways of thinking about things (like your models), you make me think and come up with my own ideas.   I learned that I CAN change/improve and should not give up on myself.  It just takes determination, and a plan.  I thank you for the insight and guidance you offered throughout my coaching experience.  Hopefully, all coaches are as successful as you!” – Pam, Intelligence Leader

“I admire so much the way you see the world, your vision and purpose, the commitment you have to your path, the healthy boundaries you manage along the way, the ga-jillion tools you have collected, the authentic openness to understand the people you help — from wherever they are.  I was feeling hesitant about calling you when I did because I knew I had more to figure out.  I didn’t even know if what I had articulated so far would make sense.  But, I pushed myself forward because I wanted to commit to this work.  I wanted to get this chapter of life right.  Now I can see that timing was just right because you are providing the very tools and sounding board I need to clarify, further commit, and find the energy to create and sustain the changes!” – Michelle, Intelligence Leader

“I enjoyed the process and greatly enjoyed our coaching sessions. You are a pleasure to work with and I feel that I have grown immensely as a result of our time together, the tools you have given me, and the strengths you have helped me to realize.  You are a beautiful person and a hell of a coach.  Thank you so very much.” – Paul, Intelligence Senior Leader