Don’t just take my word for it — read my client success stories:
“I adore Susan Nelson. Not only is she a lovely person to know, she is one of the most knowledgeable People executives I have ever encountered.”
‘Wisdom’ is not a quality that great execs necessarily have, as it connotes a combination of expertise and perspective within a state of calmness that is scarce in Silicon Valley. But it’s one of the first things I think of when I think of Susan.
Rarely do we have the chance to stop, reflect, and think about ‘where we are and where we are going’ in our careers. By creating a space for introspection and self-reflection, Susan helps people find answers within themselves and will fill in any gaps keeping her clients from doing their very best work.
‘Sharp,’ ‘knowledgeable,’ ‘a gifted leader,’ and ‘a pro’ are words that I have used to describe a small subset of the most impressive HR people I’m acquainted with. While I can use all of those words to describe Susan, she also has the elusive ability to pinpoint someone’s best qualities, remind them what they are capable of, and help them approach their career with new energy and enthusiasm.
When Susan begins working with someone, she doesn’t come in with a standard set of tools. She’ll start by listening. Once she takes everything in, rather than simply delivering on ‘the first ask,’ she’ll also parse out needs they may be unaware of. From there, she helps bridge the gap from ‘current state’ to their desired new reality.
If you aren’t where you want to be in your career or simply want to tap into her deep HR knowledge, Susan is the mentor/teacher/coach and guide to get you where you want to go.
Jen Campsey
People Consultant, Fidere.io — Los Gatos, CA
“Coaching with Susan was very empowering and a career game-changer for me.”
Before working with Susan, I was having difficulty influencing and managing conflict with key players in my leadership team. I felt my career growth stalled in areas where I wanted to lead, and it negatively impacted my productivity and motivation. The increasing stress began to affect my home life, emotional and physical health, family and marriage.
It was at this time that I began working with Susan. She quickly assessed where I needed support and developed an exceptionally relevant and comprehensive coaching plan for me. She was able to match her approach to fit my style and needs effortlessly. Her knowledge, combined with her eagerness to share from her own previous experiences, was instrumental. These insights helped me modify my perspective to see changes for me to make. Her flexibility to pivot and help me tackle my real-life work scenarios and challenges in real-time put her coaching value at another level.
With Susan's coaching, I successfully navigated this stressful period. I came to hard realizations about my work environment and the reality it was no longer a fit, nor healthy for me. I was able to raise tough facts to the surface, stand my ground, and maintain my integrity, for which I am immensely proud of having the courage to do. I am so grateful I had Susan as my coach, supporting me through it all.
Now, I am well poised and have an incredible game plan for my next opportunity, where I will be in the driver's seat from day one. My confidence has increased immensely, and I am excited about exploring leadership opportunities to build out/lead a small team and leverage my knowledge and experience. I have gained the tools and know-how to ensure a strong and healthy team fit, so I can skyrocket in my next opportunity. I have the confidence to ask the tough questions, level-set on expectations, and build strong, functional working relationships with my management team from the very beginning.
Coaching with Susan was very empowering and a career game-changer for me. It was all about ME: my personal growth and attaining my goals. Her coaching was customizable with her right alongside supporting my growth.
Anyone who may be struggling navigating work relationships or influence situations with their leadership team, holding back on making their accomplishments known, standing up for themselves, managing bad managers, and not receiving due credit for their work should definitely work with Susan…you will benefit immensely. You should be asking yourself why you don’t already have her as a coach!
Danielle Valliere
Customer Success Manager — Boulder, CO
“I have clarity on what’s important and I feel more grounded and calm as I tackle each day.”
As a working mom who grew up outside the U.S. I was having a difficult time figuring out how to balance parenthood, work, and household responsibilities without the extended family and support systems I was accustomed to. I was feeling overwhelmed, anxious and spinning my wheels over making a career transition while still having time for my family.
In working with Susan, I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone in my struggles and felt very safe sharing with her. She is very flexible, patient and met me where I was. She draws upon her own knowledge and experience, but is also extremely resourceful and open to learning to help me in all aspects of my life.
Susan’s coaching helped me gain greater awareness about my values and what my true priorities were. I was able to let go of what I thought I should be doing and realized that I valued time with my daughter and changing careers was less critical at this stage in my life. With her help, I was able to accept and make peace with this shift and now I have clarity on what’s important and I feel more grounded and calm as I tackle each day.
I would definitely recommend Susan as a coach to anyone who is struggling with the competing pressures of being a working mom and wants to find time for the things that matter most.
Carolina Gavilanes
Education Specialist — Austin, TX
“I know the answers are within me. I just needed someone to ask me the right probing questions to allow the answers to emerge.”
As a high school teacher, homeschooler, mom to six children, and wife, I was having a difficult time finding time to balance it all while taking care of myself (exercising, eating well). My self-doubt about my effectiveness in homeschooling my kids was weighing on me.
I was feeling negative about myself and my life, both personally and professionally. My constant state of self-doubt left me feeling anxious, worried, stressed, which would show up in tense and unproductive interactions with my family and other people.
Since coaching with Susan, I have gotten clear on my personal goals so that I am more mindful and focused on achieving them. For example, with Susan’s encouragement and coaching, I now make more time to eat nutritiously and regularly by planning my meals throughout the day, despite my hectic (and varying) schedule. My exercise is also much more consistent, thanks to the accountability she provided throughout. I now find that I am much calmer and more relaxed in my day-to-day interactions with my family. My kids and I have both noticed a marked difference in my mood when I’ve taken time to put my nutritional and fitness needs first.
I especially appreciated Susan’s patience and her ability to help me reflect, as I know the answers are within me. I just needed someone to ask me the right probing questions to allow the answers to emerge. She gave me the opportunity to voice my insecurities and anxieties about the decisions I’ve made and where I’m heading. Most importantly, she helped me to reflect, listen, and trust myself throughout the process. She always had my best interests in mind.
Through this process, I have learned so much about myself, my goals, and how to accomplish them. With Susan’s invaluable coaching, I have put in place practical steps, so that I can maintain my progress long after our sessions have completed. Taking time to reflect on my accomplishments, no matter how small, has increased confidence in myself and my decisions.
Coaching with Susan has been one of the most beneficial investments I’ve made in myself and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with her. She helped me to grow and develop as an individual and the process helped me learn so much more about myself. I know I would not have achieved or progressed on my goals as quickly had it not been for working with Susan. Thank you so much!
Thanh Barretto
High School Teacher & Homeschooling Mom of 6 — San Jose, CA
“Susan has been instrumental in preparing me for this career change that I know will create the lifestyle I desire for me and my family.”
As a working mom of two who was considering a mid-career change, when I first came to Susan, I was challenged with balancing my work with my personal life and was feeling overwhelmed and questioning if my new targeted career was the right fit for me, given my work experience.
After working with Susan, I now have confidence in my skills and can see clearly that my past experience will be sought after in a variety of careers. With her help, I have made significant progress towards making this career shift a reality. Through our bi-monthly meetings, I’ve made myself attainable goals and have therefore acquired new, relevant skills. Susan helped immensely on updating my resume and doing mock interviews.
The sharing of her knowledge in the application/interviewing process gave me such insight. I now feel more than ready to apply and interview for open positions.
I really enjoyed working with Susan and felt like our communication styles really meshed. She has such a natural intuition about what I needed to hear and what questions to ask. Her questions really gave me so much to think about and she was able to draw upon her own past work experiences and family life to help me realize that I was not alone.
Susan really cares about helping her clients succeed. It was clear that she did her research and was well prepared for each session. She made good use of our time together and kept the conversation focused on what was most important to me.
This opportunity to be coached by Susan came along at just the right time and it has been instrumental in preparing me for this career change that I know will create the lifestyle I desire for me and my family.
Sara Wildman
University Educator and Instructional Designer — Campbell, CA