Building leaders who can thrive under pressure.
Executive coaching for leaders who take work personally.
About me
Joe Zakutney
I spent ten years as an operator at Uber, Snap, and DoorDash, and what always got my attention was how people carried the stress of the job. Eventually that interested me more than the problems themselves, so I left tech and got licensed as a therapist. Now I work with leaders so a hard quarter stops landing as a verdict on who they are.
More about me- 10 years at Uber, Snap & DoorDash
- Licensed therapist
- EQ-i 2.0 certified
- Director–VP & founders
Who I work with
Different roles. The same pressure.
One answers to a board, the other to a boss. Pick the one that sounds like your week.
Technology Leaders
Directors, VPs, and senior leaders navigating growth, change, and the politics that come with real responsibility. You carry a number, a team, and expectations that keep moving.
Explore coaching for technology leadersFounders
You own the whole thing, which can make the company’s difficult week feel like your difficult week. No one above you is going to tell you when enough is enough.
Explore coaching for foundersSound familiar?
“Don't take it personally.” I think that's the worst advice in business.
Burnout
The day ends and the stress doesn't.
Managing up
You know what the company needs; getting heard costs more than the work.
A career decision
A bigger role, or leaving. Neither one feels clear.
The conversation you're avoiding
You know which one. It gets bigger every time you rehearse it.
How it works
Six months. An hour every other week.
One engagement, one-on-one. Here is what the six months look like.
- Week one
The EQ-i 2.0
A validated emotional-intelligence assessment. You get the results as a conversation, not a PDF.
- Every other week
Two or three behaviors
Specific enough that someone on your team would notice the change inside a month.
- Over time
The pattern underneath
The behaviors that don't move are usually protecting something. Sustainable change requires understanding what a behavior is protecting—not just trying to eliminate it.
- Between sessions
Text me
For the Tuesday something goes sideways and you have forty minutes to respond.
From a client
This has turned out better than I hoped. I feel like I can choose the version of myself that is in the room instead of just reacting to problems.A client, mid-session
That's the bar. Choosing who shows up instead of reacting on instinct, which is most of what we work on.
Next step
Book a 30-minute call.
No pitch. You tell me what's going on, I tell you whether I can help. If I can't, I'll point you to someone better suited.
Or
Not ready to book?
Send me a note instead. A few sentences about what's going on is plenty.
Message sent
Thanks for writing. I'll get back to you by email.