Hi! Are you new around here?
Great to have you. And overdue introduction and more about me.
Hi! It’s been a minute since I’ve written an introduction here. I’m Courtney Kaplan. I’m a leadership coach, teacher and writer. I help my clients build confidence, strong communication skills and authentic leadership skills.
This usually looks like being more joyful, more authentic, and more successful at work. My coaching develops stronger leaders that take care of what’s most important - instead of getting overwhelmed with the urgent. And in this beautiful complex world, I work with clients to make sure they can lead, coordinate and communicate with their teams, clients, and communities for successful outcomes.
For over 30 years, I’ve worked in design and technology. I was attracted to this industry because of the invention, innovation and problem solving inherent in design. To understand underlying problems and make something better felt really exciting. In 2013, I was a Principle at Hot Studio when it was acquired by Facebook (Meta) and started the first Design Program Management team. Meta was growing incredibly quickly and I created a new job to create a team to support product design, research and content strategy teams in an ever-changing environment that could get pretty chaotic. Today, design ops has flourished in many companies as a discipline that helps bind, organize, direct and drive amazing organizations.
But through all the years in design, I had a side hustle and deep interest in coaching. I obsessively read books about interpersonal relationships, better communication, how people build a meaningful lives. I am fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves, our capacity to change, and how we get stuck (and unstuck!). How exactly can we unlock our potential for growth? And how do we direct this in ways that are personally meaningful to us? I remember talking with a friend asking her if I should consider going back to school to get a masters degree. She looked at my bookshelf and said, “I think you already did?”
In 2019, I made it official. I left Meta and trained with Newfield Network as well as Institute for Generative Leadership. (I’m still a voracious student).
Today, I coach 1:1; teach leadership skills and run team workshops.
I work with clients and teams to support them as they step into power, become clear communicators, make measurable progress in their lives and create a life aligned with their values (otherwise, what’s the point, right?)
Having a coach means having someone on your side, with deep experience helping you find your own inner wisdom, amplify your own answers, and holding the space for you to unpack the complicated stuff.
I’m happy when I see my clients integrate inherent leadership talent with joy, freedom and choice to create a satisfying and renewing life. If that sounds interesting, let’s talk about coaching!
TBD is published a few times a month to shed light on many of the topics that come up in my coaching sessions. Have a question? I’m happy to hear it and include it in a future issue of TBD.
I’m thrilled to have you here! Thanks for reading!