I help founders, leaders, and creators enjoy the creative process

“Joy doesn’t depend on your circumstances. It’s a state of being that centers contentment and hope.”

A little bit about me.

  • My first memories of creating are of sitting at the piano as a kid, playing songs with my dad, and of building forts on school camping trips. In many ways I still feel like a kid that is curious about the world - I’m just building things in new and different ways.

    • I joined Lyft as the 20th team member, helping the company grow rapidly from 20 to 2,000 employees.

    • I helped launch Redesign Health, an incubator that has built over 60 health tech companies.

    • I co-Founded Lively (now Jabra Enhance), a hearing aid business that was sold successfully to one of the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers.

    • I founded and served as CEO for Sagra, a hospitality business connecting guests with sustainable farms. 

  • I have found that the more I enjoy the process of creating (a business, a project, a family, etc), the better it turns out. It has been a gift to recognize that prioritizing joy isn’t selfish, and to find that it benefits the organizations I am a part of, allowing everyone to sustain energy and inspiration for the road ahead. 

    In my own life this looks like building things I love, laughing with my wife, mountain biking in the mountains by my home, playing games over dinner with friends, meditating, and playing music.

  • Too often, the people who bring new, incredible ideas into this world become burnt out, anxious, and depressed. I too have personally felt real moments of doubt, loneliness, and fear. It’s a radical act to prioritize your joy, and once you do your life will transform to help you achieve outcomes you never thought possible. I look forward to helping you bring forward your own joy in the midst of whatever you are building.

Testimonials.

  • “David is exactly the type of coach you want to work with as a CEO and founder. He knows what it takes to win at the highest level with multiple IPOs and M&A events under his belt. At the same time, he’s also seen the darkest and most challenging aspects of founderhood. What separates David from the rest isn’t just the fact that he’s been through it himself and come out the other side to tell the story, but that he’s developed a unique methodology and perspective to help others get the most out of their personal and professional lives.”

    Nick Greenfield (CEO of Candid)

  • "David knows the startup space from all angles. During my time as a startup founder, his experience, coupled with his skills in listening and seeing things from new perspectives, guided me to actionable plans to address the needs of the day, the quarter, and the long term. David also has a special sauce of positivity and a can-do attitude that’s contagious. Working with him is a pleasure."

    Nicole Cadoret (Chief Design Offer at Jabra Hearing, Co-Founder of Lively)

  • "David stands out not just for his intelligence, but also for his genuine kindness — a combination that's rare and invaluable. His deep-seated expertise is matched by his humility, courage, and an infectious enthusiasm that energizes everyone around him. In launching my own business, I've been able to see how David helps guide teams with a steady hand, motivate individuals to push beyond their perceived limits, and uncover their best selves in the process."

    Avantika Agarwal (Founder of Superliminal)

  • "David's greatest gift is his innate ability to listen, empathize, and motivate those closest to him. It is not easy to find someone who is completely present in a fast-paced start-up environment, and I found David had a unique way of slowing down the chaos by untangling complicated issues."

    Max Leinweber (Managing Director at Badlands Hotel Capital)

  • "David is one of the most self-aware leaders I've worked with. As a member of David's leadership team at Sagra, I was fortunate to experience his empathic style firsthand. David is a leader who makes you feel cared for, who cares about the whole person, and the whole business. Using his high emotional intelligence and awareness of the relationships within the team, David was able to create a remote work culture of connectedness - something rare and extraordinary in today's world. David is an expert shepherd, leading from behind to help others rise up, and come into their strengths."

    Dani Wieder (VP of Marketing at Collective Retreats)

Why you’re here.

You’re a founder, leader, or creator who feels stressed, uninspired, or lost.

You care deeply about what you’re building, but you’ve noticed that you are deriving less and less joy from your work.

You want to regain your motivation and joy in your work and personal life.

You want to replenish your energy and inspiration, but you aren’t sure how to approach it.

You are looking for a partner to support you in this journey.

You see the value in having  someone by your side who can help you see past blind spots and reconnect with your inner motivation.

How I can support you.

  • Your habits largely determine how much creativity you can access in a given project. These habits also determine how you'll feel once your ideas become a reality. When you build a product or company you build personal habits along the way, and those habits stick with you. If you habitually work from anxiety and worry, then you’ll be anxious and worried even if your creation is “successful.” Together, we’ll explore how making changes to your habits using research-backed methods can greatly improve your creative expression and sense of enjoyment with the outcome.

  • When running an organization, it can be easy to lose track of what you are aiming for among a sea of priorities. The reality is most companies fail because they do too much, not too little. I’m here to help you focus on your priorities, stay connected to your “why”, and help you do the same for others.

  • Joy is something we feel in our bodies, so we cannot prioritize our enjoyment without first getting clear on what it physically feels like (and doesn’t feel like). Together, we’ll build your capacity to feel your way through situations and decisions, strengthening your gut. 

  • As a leader or creator, you don’t always see the full picture. You can be unaware of what is driving your behaviors, how people experience you, the culture, and the relationships amongst the team. I am here to help you see into the overlooked areas, enabling you and your team to more easily create better results.

  • When leading you are often so focused on celebrating the accomplishments of the business and the team that you rarely get to witness or appreciate your own growth. I am here to help you recognize and mark your important milestones, keeping you motivated and inspired to move foward.

FAQs

  • I have found that the coaching structure below best helps clients get what they need from a coaching relationship.

    • During our kickoff call we will explore what initial areas you would like to focus on and we will start a document that will help us save what you have learned, reflected on, and are practicing after each session.

    • We will meet for 1 hour a week via Zoom or phone (you can of course reschedule as needed).

    • In between sessions I am available as needed (within reason) via email, text, and phone to support you.

  • A wise friend told me early on in my career that whenever I felt “off” I should use that as an invitation to look inside myself. The heart of my coaching approach focuses on helping you look inside to hear your inner voice and discover what is right for you. This entails becoming clear on how your thoughts, feelings, and emotions shape your reality. As you learn to trust your inner voice over time, you will flourish as a creator or leader because you have developed an inner compass.

    I also believe in taking an experimental, learn-by-doing approach. We will look at the time between each of our sessions as an opportunity for you to try things out in the real world and to bring your learnings into our next session for us to unpack together.

    You can expect me to play the role of a curious and supportive resource who walks alongside you in your journey. I am here to help you become clear on what questions you are asking, what you want, and help you learn to find your own answers.

  • I work with founders, leaders, and creators who want to enjoy the act of building things in this world. Clients typically resonate with the statements below.

    • You are working toward bringing a vision to life or are already doing so (a business, a project, a team, etc).

    • You care deeply about what you’re building, but you’ve noticed that you can get caught in anxiety and worry.

    • You are ready and willing to try out new tools or practices to help you access new sources of creative expression.

    • You are noticing what ideas naturally want to come through you into the world and which feel forced.

    • You are excited to build a relationship with a trusted confidant who knows you deeply and can be with you through the ups and the downs.

    If this sounds like you, let's connect!

  • My coaching fee varies based on the type and amount of work we do together, but you should expect to budget at least $2,500 per month. As someone who has been a founder and CEO and received years of coaching, I view this as one of the most valuable investments I make in my businesses (and it often costs less than hiring one entry level employee).