Like many, my life was not a picket fence sort of life. I grew up in difficult circumstances - more difficult than most - and one where I was not seen for who I really am or for my own uniqueness (the kind of special uniqueness we all have and for which we all deserve to be recognized for as young people). For some people, this means they shrink or stay in the shadows. For me, my difficult life fueled my desire to be “normal,” successful, kick ass - and be very seen.
I began my career in 1990 and rose up through the ranks of the ad agency world working on brands like Levi’s, Intuit, P&G, Lexus, General Mills, Honda, Coca Cola and more. I was a marketing leader in the entertainment industry with NBC, CBS and FoxSports and spent three years building a customer experience-led Marketing Practice for Slalom Consulting in San Francisco, servicing clients like Gap, Athleta, Sephora, Salesforce and Atlassian.
I went on to help build five Bay Area start-ups in executive marketing roles, including two solar companies one of which was Sunrun, now the largest consumer solar company on wall street; one retail women’s fashion brand, ModCloth, which sold to Walmart; a fintech company called Unison that is changing how we buy and own homes; and a software platform called Torch for coaching and mentoring that seeks to create more conscious leaders.
cari’s bio
While my professional career soared, I found I was less and less content – less fulfilled, more anxious and deeply lonely. I yearned for happiness it seemed everyone else had but somehow “skipped” me. I began to bridge my fast track career with a more personal endeavor. In 1998, I became obsessed with personal growth and self-awareness. I began an active study of mindfulness and meditation, and by 2005, I was teaching at Spirit Rock in the Family Program and coaching in Meditation. I earned multiple certifications in mindfulness from Google’s Search Inside Yourself and UC Berkeley’s Greater Good & Science. All while maintaining executive roles and continuing my career as a marketing leader.
But in 2020, the covid pandemic hit and prompted me to re-evaluate how I wanted to use my talents and passions. I left my corporate role and launched a new career as a full-time coach, earning a certification from UC Berkeley’s Executive Coaching Institute, a program created and facilitated by the Haas School of Business. In 2021, I was accepted to Stanford’s Facilitator Training Program to help lead their famed Interpersonal Dynamics or “touchy feely” course in the Graduate School of Business.
Today, I combine my years of therapeutic training ad my years of corporate life. I am a dedicated secular practitioner of meditation and somatic healing. I work with business leaders, yes, but I like to think I work with any and all human beings. Some come to me to help them get a promotions. Others come because they are in deep suffering at the hands of anxiety or depression or disconnection or loneliness. Or all of the above. You’d be surprised at how linked life’s challenges ad opportunities can be!
I offer one:one work, relationship work, group work, retreats, organizational alignment, conflict resolution work and strategic future-telling work. I hope we can meet. And I hope we can “work” together.
Fair Pricing Philosophy
I believe in pricing that feels fair to both the client and practitioner. I have chosen to make my rates public as I imagine this is a large factor in your decision making. I have many options that allow you to work with me and give you flexibility and also ensure I can make a decent living as well. Sessions range from $250-300 for life and personal growth sessions to $700 for executive c-level coaching. Everything in the middle is $350-450 a session depending on commitment. I bill as a retained coach in either a monthly retainer or a package of sessions that you can use as a tax write off under “growth and training” if you wish. I do not take clients on a by-session basis unless you have completed 6 months of work with me. At that time, you can move to an a la carte plan where we will discuss a flat rate price. My hope is that by making my pricing both transparent and lower than expected, I can make this work and help accessible to more people.
Values
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Everyday life offers “treasures in the trash”- even the expected can be alchemized into something extraordinary.
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Courage and the willingness to step in creates innovation and change - kindness creates community and willingness for others to follow.
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Our collective wisdom holds more answers than we realize - trust it, back it up with real data and take action to change the world.
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Our more meaningful work is done in service to those we work with - I pledge to serve you and your mission to help you and in turn, I help the world.
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My practice is to commit to being conscious, to be bold and speak from the heart and mind, without flinching from outside forces.
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I love what I do. It is creative. It is hard stuff. It is world changing. But it damn well better be fun or it’s not worth doing!
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University of California, Berkeley
Certified in Executive Coaching through BECI
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Stanford University, Graduate School of Business
Trained Facilitator, Interpersonal Dynamics “Touchy Feely”
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University of California, Berkeley, School of Greater Good & Science
Graduate of the Mindfulness & Meditation Certified Practitioner Program, Two Year Program. Taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, produced by Sounds True.
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Search Inside Yourself Executive Certification
Certified SIYLI Executive
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Yoga For Trauma Training Program
Certified in Yoga for Trauma
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California State University, Long Beach
Bachelors of Art, Journalism
my vision
To live in a world of enlightening humanity - where we care more about each other and the planet than we do about egoic folly. Deepening self-awareness and self-understanding has the power to change lives and the world - and when we wake up to who we truly are, then our power to influence and change the world around us is multiplied, infinitely. Whole Self = Whole World.
About coaching
Executive Coaching helps create more self-aware, mindful, impactful and inspiring human beings. Coaching fosters an active, energetic and collaborative environment where you can be completely present to yourself and your goals. It allows natural intuitive intelligence to come forward, providing you with the information, insights and answers you need. Coaching is not consulting, but rather a facilitated experience that creates the conditions and space you need to uncover your own power and potential.
And in turn, you can then create those conditions for others, in the organizations you lead and even in your family and social life.
My coaching sessions are goal-oriented, data-based, loosely structured but directed. I use many creative modalities making each session highly engaging, active and rich with content. I work with C-suite leaders, founders, high impact leaders, up and coming managers and people looking to make a change to help them fulfill their own dreams and realize their own potential.
I work as a retained coach and also offer packages. I negotiate with my clients to find the best budget solution for you. Sessions are typically one hour and are done over Zoom or in person.
About meditation & Mindfulness
Meditation helps to hone and build focused concentration on something greater than our thoughts - it puts us into direct touch with “awareness.” Awareness is both a noun and a verb. Through the practice of cultivating awareness as a verb, we can develop better listening skills, patience, compassion and peace. By connecting with awareness as a noun, we can dive into connection with something much greater than ourselves. This alone can lead us into more grace, ease and happiness. You kind of have to do it to understand it!
Mindfulness is the practice of sitting in awareness - or presence - and making choices in how we will respond to the worlds in and around us. It helps us to understand our own meta triggers and emotional articulations. As importantly, it helps us to slow things down so we can be more mindful of how we will respond to others.
It has been my direct and abiding experience that the more we practice meditation and mindfulness, the better leaders we are. My work life was changed through this work. Most of my growth came as a result of these practices. Now, I offer this path to you.