All About Rikki
My Origin Story, aka Why I Became a Coach
This is one of my favorite questions. Truly.
When I first graduated from Wesleyan University with a double major of Mathematics and Theater - I know, weird combo, right? - I found myself a tad confused on how to utilize my seriously strange mix of skills in the workplace.
After spending a summer at Harvard Business School in their admissions office, I was excited to land a role at a New York City hedge fund. From there, I jumped to a finance start-up. And was promptly laid off when I wasn’t interested in becoming a glorified personal assistant - no shade on the assistants, that job is way too hard for me - thank you for being amazing at what you do!
Lucky for me, my extremely supportive parents gifted me some sessions with a career coach.
And that brilliant career coach broke my brain. For the first time as an over-achieving, non-stop perfectionist… I was partnered with someone who was truly listening. They weren’t telling me it was “all going to work out,” and they weren’t applying their own opinion to what was the “right” next step for me.
Suddenly, I felt empowered - with a trusted partner at my side, I was confident in navigating the unknown.
Then she dropped a bombshell;
“I think you’d actually be quite good doing what I do for a living. I don’t want to sway you, but maybe you should consider becoming a career coach yourself!”
Flabbergasted at the ripe age of 24 I informed her I certainly didn’t have enough of a career to help others sort theirs out!
So I went off and built an impressive career.
I worked in the Global Strategic Design Office for Johnson & Johnson as a Project Manager. I shifted into a Senior Project Manager role for VSA Partners - a branding agency that served massive Fortune 500 clients on multimillion dollar projects.
From there, I jumped to Veryday - a human-centered service design agency that was headquartered in Stockholm, but after 60 years, they decided to open a New York branch. I helped them run the New York office, sat on the leadership team, and was running global projects for huge healthcare brands. I was in love. I loved the team, the clients, the work. I was ready for the long haul.
But nothing good can stay good forever. Acquired by McKinsey, our nimble, warm, empathetic dynamic team of designers was suddenly part of a monolith and we were jumping on planes multiple times a week. We took those global projects into overdrive - serving government arms, healthcare companies and more. I found myself jumping from Nigeria to Japan. I barely knew what city I was in on any given day. I was running multi-day 500+ workshops to develop innovation. It was, in short, too much. An interesting challenge - but not one I signed up for, or felt sustainable as I was planning to start a family.
Once my NYC friends stopped inviting me to outings since I was “never in town,” and I hadn’t seen my husband in a month - I knew it was time to make a change. So I joined at a clinical trials start-up as their Director of Product Marketing.
Then, in February of 2020, I had my first kiddo.
Having a kid makes you really re-evaluate things. Having a kid at the height of a global pandemic that had shut down all clinical trials does too. Having cut marketing - who needs it if there are no trials to run? It was time to go big.
So I turned to my husband and teacup human and said, “you know what? It’s time to finally apply all my brilliant skills to coaching. I’ve spent the last 12 years building an incredible career - working for amazing clients, building and leading wonderful teams - but my favorite part has always been the coaching portion of my work. Coaching my team members, my stakeholders - finding that clarity.”
His response? “Finally.”
Now I’m the Career Co-Pilot to brilliant professionals who are navigating those tricky moments in their careers
I work with professionals in tech, media, design, finance, consulting with an unconventional path or desire. They might be navigating a layoff, a pivot, a promotion they didn’t expect to have to handle now. Or maybe they’re a parent re-entering the workforce realizing their career needs to be reshaped since family needs changed. They might be leading a team all by themselves and feeling super alone without guidance, support or mentorship. They could be a founder questioning their current state and considering making moves.
Together we get clear on what they want, what they want to do next, and how to show up in a way that’s fully aligned with their values, goals, and the reality of what’s happening in their world. Curious to learn more? Go ahead and book a discovery call.
Curious about having me at your office, corporate retreat, company off-site, or on your podcast?
My Approach: What Makes My Coaching Different
Everyone has an “angle” right? Truthfully, finding your coach is like finding a therapist - you need to find the person who fits with you. I’m not for everyone, and that’s okay! If we meet and decide not to work together, I’ll do my best to offer other folks or resources who’ll be a better fit.
But, if you still want to hear what I think sets me apart it’s this: I combine human-centered service design techniques, design research methodologies, and years of being a suicide prevention counselor to be fully present with you.
I’m weird, I’m silly, and we’re probably going to be laughing as much as we’re going to be dealing with the tough stuff.
And if you’re not into swearing like a sailor, you likely will not enjoy our time together.
A Human-Centered Service Design Approach
I have a plethora of tools in my toolkit - but we’ll build a process that works for you. No copy-pasting of a rigid formula or framework that isn’t really one-size-fits-all. We’ll tailor the process to you, your needs, and your goals. We’ll also look at your career, holistically - as much as we want our career to exist in a vacuum, the reality is that our self-worth, our relationships, our bigger life goals all come into play when it comes to our careers
Joyfully Dancing on The Edge of Discomfort
Who says that hard things have to feel so shitty the whole time? Most of my clients comment how surprised they were to discover that even though we work through really difficult, complex topics and emotions, we can still have fun throughout the process. So together, we’ll push right up against your edges, and then we’ll dance on the cliffside to have some fun, too
ICF Certified
I hold a PCC-level credential from the ICF - the International Coaching Federation
800+ Hours
I’ve spent over 800 hours coaching senior professionals
6+ Years
I spent over 6 years working on a suicide prevention and crisis intervention lifeline for LGTBQ+ youth
Industry Expertise
At this point, I’m not sure if there’s an industry I haven’t coached in yet - unless you’re an astronaut, please, I want to partner with an astronaut
Trained by the Best
My coaching education is with the powerhouses: both Co-Active and Coach U
400+ Individuals
I’ve partnered with over 400 professionals for career and leadership coaching
What Clients Say About Working With Me
"I was overwhelmed by choice, and Rikki helped me develop a strategy and tactics to feel more control over my career direction. I now make more confident and thoughtful decisions. Coaching with Rikki has more than been worthwhile."
— Courtland
"Also, like amazed and relieved at what 35 minutes with Rikki can do. Rikki not only will get you to where you didn't even think you needed to get — but will help you see that that is the way. And make the process fun and joyful."
— Jake
"Rikki's superpower is being very approachable, friendly, on your side, non-judgemental, and empowering. The most surprising thing about doing this work was that this process wasn't as painful or arduous as I expected. The process was wonderful."
— Rylan
Subscribe to the Learn Something New(sletter)
Receive semi-regular emails that include actionable work and life hacks, as well as updates about new opportunities to work with me. Unsubscribe at any time.