I’m not sure I want coaching. Why is it helpful?

Coaching will speed up the results you get in your business and personal life, increase your confidence and ability to have fun while doing it, and give you peace of mind you’re on track for your long term goals.

You don’t always need it, but if you don’t want to keep doing this on your own, coaching is a great option that can give you huge results and a big return on your investment.

Is this like therapy?

Coaching is not therapy, and I am not a therapist or psychologist. While there may be times when we dig into your past or understand what underlying pattern is playing into your current challenges, the end goal will be to provide clarity and give you the tools to move forward. If at any time I think there is a topic that is better suited for a trained therapist, I will make a recommendation. That being said, it is ultimately up to you to decide what the best trained professionals are to support you.

How should I pick a coach?

The short version is: Coaching is a highly personal decision. The right coach for you may not be the right coach for your friend. I recommend asking around for recommendations and researching online to see if you align with a coach’s approach and values and what they offer. If you do, ask to set up a free introductory call to get a sense of how you work together. Don’t feel any obligation to continue unless it feels like a fit. Coaching is the most effective when it’s a true fit.

The more detailed version is here: How-to: Find a Coach

How are you different from other coaches?

I combine 20+ years of experience in operations and entrepreneurial organizations with traditional coaching. My approach includes deep empathy and thought partnership along with practical tools, an action-oriented mindset, and advice when it’s in my wheelhouse.

I’m quickly able to understand any industry, job, team dynamic, or personal situation without judgment. I can make sense of any cloud of thoughts and complicated situation and see clearly what the end goal truly is and what steps are needed next. And at all times, I meet you where you are and we work on what’s next together.

What is your approach to coaching?

My approach combines deep empathy, an action-oriented mindset, tactical support, and a 360 view of your business, personal and family goals. I work alongside clients to help build the work and life they want faster and with more fun and peace of mind. I become your partner while we work towards your goals and overcome whatever happens to stand in the way.

We typically meet weekly or bi-weekly and I’m available for support between sessions as needed. We work together to understand what’s happening, what your ideal outcome would be, and how to get there. Then we’ll work together to make real progress, get unstuck and learn new skills along the way. After each session, I’ll send detailed recap notes with resources if they’re relevant.

Do you have any specific areas of expertise?

• Strategy and planning at the personal, team and company level

• Relationship management and effective communication

• Time management, personal productivity and mental wellbeing

• Career planning

• Parental leave support and sabbatical planning

• Generally creating order out of complexity / chaos

• Deep empathy and active listening

Who are your clients?

I work with entrepreneurs in periods of growth and transition in their work. In all cases, my clients place significant importance on their personal life as well as their career and business.

My clients have included founders and senior executives at venture-backed start-ups and established companies including Google, Debevoise & Plimpton, Uber, BCG, MeetUp, JustWorks, Two Sigma Ventures, The New Yorker, Huge, Rolling Stone, and YouTube. My clients have also included founders of businesses across multiple industries including e-commerce, law, civic action, health & wellness, fitness, food and beverage, content, travel, fashion, and real estate.

What does a typical engagement look like?

I typically work with clients weekly or bi-weekly, depending their working style and the complexity of what they’re working through. While we typically start with 6 months and revisit as needed, there’s no minimum engagement. You can stop coaching at anytime if it no longer fits your needs.

Coaching includes:

• 50-minute weekly or bi-weekly sessions - extra time included when available and needed

• Support between sessions by phone or email

• Detailed recap notes and realistic next steps

• Curated tools, resources and connections relevant to what you’re dealing with

• Initial exercise to clarify long term goals and ground coaching

• Review of existing personality assessments/reviews and recommendations for new tools as needed

• Review of any company or personal materials if helpful

• A confidential, unbiased space to clear your head and stay accountable

What is your pricing

For entrepreneurs, I typically start with $1700/month for bi-weekly sessions, $3000/month for weekly. That being said, I’ll work with you to understand their unique needs and budget and we work to find pricing that matches your situation and mine. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have other coaches in mind who might be a better fit.

Can you give me examples of success stories?

I coached a Series C medical device company CEO with 3 young kids as he was feeling deeply burnt out. Together we work to manage a difficult investor, finish his round of funding, hire key people, and reboot how he works day to day. His company is on track to exit and he has renewed energy and focus on his business and career.

I worked with a co-founder and COO of a 20-person healthcare start-up. He had imposter syndrome and felt paralyzed having direct conversations and approaching key parts of his job for fear of failing. I worked alongside him as the company grew to 100 people and raised a Series B. He developed his own leadership style, delegated effectively and led with more confidence. He had his second daughter and used our time to decide to exit the company (smoothly).

I coached two female co-founders of a venture-backed retail start-up from Seed Stage through Series B. The team grew from 15 people to 150+ people with 15+ stores nationwide. I supported the founders as they navigated 3 parental leaves (one overlapping), overcame interpersonal conflicts and maintained a deeply healthy and respectful relationship, and smoothly navigated the departure of one founder after 5 years. I also co-created and led a management training program, established performance management materials, and helped launch their first OKR system.

I worked with a mid-career lawyer as he decided what was best for his career and family. He was 15 years into a successful career in top law firms and non-profits. However, he was feeling unfulfilled overall, demotivated by his boss, and overwhelmed at the idea of having to navigate a career change. He also wanted to account for his wife’s own career change and their two, soon to be three, kids. Together we worked to get clear on what was working and not working about his current work, what he truly felt excited and passionate about, and what options he had for repurposing his experience in a way that was exciting for him. Not long after that, he got a job offer at a law firm that was much more in line with what he was looking for in his career in terms of money, fulfillment and ownership. He found fulfilling outlets for his political and writing interests in his local town. And, he had confidence that if, and when, he and his family wanted to spend a year abroad, they could.

You can read more about other client experiences on my testimonials page. I’m also happy to give you more examples of clients that share similar situations to you.

What qualifies you to coach?

My background is in start-up and SMB operations. I spent 20+ years working directly for founders of small businesses. I studied Entrepreneurship and Management & Organizations while getting my MBA at Kellogg at Northwestern. I’ve completed hundreds of hours of personal and professional development courses and have been coaching full-time since 2017. I also was responsible for teams between 5 and 500 people and have been coaching and consulting full time since 2017.

You can read more about my work highlights and background here and check out my testimonials for what my clients say. I’m also happy to connect you with references.

Is our work confidential?

What happens in our work, stays completely confidential. Coaching does not work nearly as well if clients cannot trust that I will keep all of our work together 100% confidential.

What happens in a coaching session?

We start every coaching engagement with a clear sense of what your goals are. During each session, I’ll meet you where you are. You’ll catch me up on what’s most top of mind and important to cover. Together we’ll decide where to spend time based on short term needs and long term goals.

Some sessions are very tactical. Some sessions are much deeper and can go in several directions. In all cases, we move you forward in a way that feels right to you.

If I have tactical tools or advice, I’ll share those during the call or after. We’ll agree on realistic next steps between sessions. We have shared notes that I take and will send to you after, recapping key points and next steps.

Do you meet in person or by phone?

We’ll meet by phone or video conference call. I occasionally meet in person for other types of engagements but not typically for regular coaching.

How often do we meet?

I typically meet with a client weekly or bi-weekly for 50 minutes, depending on what makes sense for them. Regular scheduling tends to be the most helpful but we adjust the frequency as needed.

What if I can’t make one of our sessions?

You’ll be able to reschedule and I only ask that you give me a few days notice if possible. I also recommend going no more than 3 weeks between sessions to keep the momentum going and stay on track for your goals at a high level.

Would we work together between sessions?

Yes! I am your partner for the full time that we work together, not just on our coaching calls.

At each session, you’ll leave with realistic actions to take before our next call. That may include conversations to have, actions to take in your business, research to do, or exercises to complete. You can email me any time with thoughts/questions and we can schedule an additional time if needed. I may check in and send you relevant articles or other resources to keep you moving forward. I review all completed exercises and documents before our calls if you send them at least a day before.

What if I don’t have time to do the work?

Life will come up and that’s ok. We’ll adapt as we go. Your action plans will always keep those things in mind and we’ll make sure you’re set up to still move forward and make the progress you need. That being said, you should be ready to make time and space to invest in this work and get the results you want. If you’re finding that’s not the case, we just look into why and see if we can create that space.

How much does coaching cost?

There is no cost for the 50-minute Discovery Call or any follow-up conversation to determine if coaching with me is the right fit. We’ll understand what you’re looking to get out of any coaching in an ideal world and if that’s a fit for what I do, I’ll provide a recommendation for a structure.

We’ll discuss what the right package and pricing is for you. I don’t take it lightly that this is a significant investment you’re making in yourself and your work. My intention is that you recoup your investment and much more both financially and in your overall quality of life.

I don’t have the funding for coaching. Do you offer discounts?

Many of my clients pay for coaching through their own business or through their employer. If you’re interested in having your business or employer sponsor coaching and having any questions, just email me any time: laura@lauracastaing.com.

What if things change and this no longer works for me?

There’s no obligation to continue working with me if things change on your end. We can always revisit if things get in the way. If at any time you are not happy or satisfied, then we will end the engagement. There is no commitment.

Will I recover the investment I’m making in this coaching program?

Yes! While I can’t guarantee specific results, my clients turned failing businesses into profitable ones, retained top talent and avoided the loss in productivity and recruiting costs, negotiated significant comp increases, and gained back significant hours in their weeks to focus on more important work.

I’m in! What are the next steps?

Schedule a Discovery Call with me so that I can learn a bit more about where you are and how coaching could support you. After the call, you can decide whether you want to continue to work with me. There’s zero obligation.

What happens on the Discovery Call?

I’ll ask you to brain dump what’s on your mind, with no particular agenda. I’ll ask questions and we’ll explore. Hopefully I can add value on the call. If I think my coaching could be a fit for what you’re working through, I’ll recommend a coaching structure or we’ll schedule another follow-up call. Otherwise, I’ll likely have other coaches or resources I can send you.

Do I need to prepare anything before the Discovery Call?

There’s no need to prepare. That being said, you can always read through this FAQ and my background before scheduling to get the basics so we can focus our time on you.

I have another question that wasn’t answered here. Where do I go?

Email me any time: laura@lauracastaing.com

Interested in working together? Let's talk.

We’ll explore what’s on your mind and how coaching could support you.