Where your energy becomes leadership.
You got every promotion.
Something still feels off.
That's not a leadership gap. It's an energy gap, the distance between how you're leading and how you're actually built to lead. Render closes it.
You're showing up, delivering, doing the work well. And somewhere along the way you started mistaking burnout for a leadership problem. It's not. You've been leading from a performed energy instead of your own, and performance is exhausting in a way real leadership isn't.
You're not underperforming. You're leading from the wrong energy.
What is Render?
Same substance. Full resolution. A render is what happens when everything real about something finally becomes visible. Same substance, full resolution. That's the whole method here: not adding new leadership skills, closing the gap between the energy you're actually operating from and the one other people can see and respond to.
❋ First RenderA short self-assessment that surfaces which energy level you're actually leading from right now, catabolic (tear-down, reactive, fear-driven) or anabolic (build-up, resourceful, creative), versus the one you think you are. Five minutes, immediate result, a short breakdown of what it means for how you're showing up.
❋ Mini ELI PackageThe ELI assessment, a 90-minute live debrief with Nicole, and one follow-up action-planning session using the leadership wheel exercise. The lowest-cost way to work with Nicole directly, and the most common first step before Lead Yourself.
❋ Show Up in the RoomA live cohort on executive presence and influence, for design leaders who have the energy and clarity but not yet the room. Group coaching calls, a private cohort community, structured practice between sessions.
❋ Lead YourselfThe flagship program. ELI assessment, drives/drains audit, six bi-weekly coaching calls, async support, and three written outputs: your superpower statement, role design map, and 90-day action plan.
❋ Lead by design for organizationsTeam workshops and engagements for design orgs navigating growth, restructuring, or a leadership gap. From a single session to a multi-month engagement.
Please fill out an inquiry form.
Find the tier that matches your actual energy right now.
Not everyone needs 90 days of 1:1 coaching on day one. Some people need five minutes and an honest read on where they're actually leading from. Some need a room full of people practicing the same shift out loud. Here's the full path.
Senior designers and design leaders who keep getting told they're "ready" for something and don't know what that means
Anyone exhausted by performance and unsure if it's the org or them (it's neither, it's the energy underneath both)
People who want their next move to come from clarity, not from running away from something
Who this is for
Coaching Credentials
15+ years in design leadership across Spotify, Refinery29, and Squarespace
What People Are Saying
I met Nicole when I was only a few years into my career. Before she was officially a coach she was my manager, but the best part of having her as a manager was her ability to empower me to grow. She has been there through tough conversations with collaborators, a layoff, and promotion paths. It's very easy to focus only on technical skill when thinking about growth, but navigating a career is more than that. Nicole has true care for the individual and uses that to support them through any ups or downs.
In this current season of growth, coaching sessions with Nicole have been so affirming and have helped me realize what kind of designer I am, so much so that I don't question if I am the right level. She's helped me feel confident in my performance and my style as a designer as I face the obscure box that is staff level and beyond. She's honest, empathetic, and motivating. Everything that I loved about her as a manager, and return to her for as a coach.
— Senior DesignerThrough coaching, Nicole not only helped me gain ownership and clarity over my career goals, but she also positively influenced how I operate as a designer. Through our work together, I’ve learned a lot about myself, what I value and how to overcome blockers.
— Lydia S., Design ManagerMy coaching sessions with Nicole have been WONDERFUL. She’s given me tools to reflect on my own habits and assumptions, helping me identify and clarify what’s holding me back. Thanks to her guidance, I’m now much clearer on my goals and path forward.
— Lily L., Design ManagerFollow Us on Social
