About
I'm a coach, teacher, and writer working with people at moments of transition.
My work integrates deep contemplative practice with decades of experience in leadership and technology.
I help people find clarity and move forward with integrity.
Formation and practice
I spent 25 years building technology at companies including Apple, Meta, Google, and YouTube. I led teams through rapid growth, launched products used by billions, and learned what makes leaders effective – and what burns them out.
Throughout these years, a serious contemplative practice has run alongside. I'm an ordained Zen priest and received Dharma transmission in the Soto Zen lineage. I teach monthly at San Francisco Dharma Collective and lead annual retreats at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.
In 2025, I received formal recognition from Soto Zen authorities in Japan, a distinction held by few American teachers.
What this brings to coaching
The skills developed through decades of contemplative practice – deep listening, comfort with silence, attention to what's not being said – inform every conversation I have.
I don't impose a spiritual framework on anyone. But I bring a different lens for looking at leadership: one that values presence over performance, sustainability over sprinting, and wisdom over mere cleverness.
My books Buddha's Diet and Buddha's Office explore how ancient wisdom applies to modern challenges. The same principles shape how I approach coaching.
Many of the people I work with are leading teams and organizations in a moment of profound technological change. Having spent decades building and leading technical teams myself, I'm familiar with the pressures of scaling, uncertainty, and rapid change – including the questions raised by AI and automation.
The work itself isn't about chasing trends, but about staying grounded and thoughtful as those forces unfold.
How I work
I typically meet with clients twice a month, with communication in between as needed. Some prefer weekly sessions; others want monthly. I can support either.
The initial commitment is six months. Real change tends to emerge over time, not in isolated conversations. Most clients continue beyond that.
As an ordained priest, conversations with me are privileged and confidential – a rare space for honesty that high-profile individuals often struggle to find elsewhere.
Background and training
I studied at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude with a self-designed major in Computational Neuroscience.
I've been named one of Wired's "20 Business Geniuses You Need to Know" and have published in the Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and peer-reviewed academic journals.
I'm chair of the Board of Trustees at San Francisco Zen Center, a faculty member at Esalen Institute, and a trustee of Naropa University.
If this resonates, we can begin with a simple first conversation.