Coaching

Expert guidance for engineers and engineering leaders

15 years building production systems. 5 years scaling teams as a CTO. Now back to hands-on engineering at August Health.

I help you ship better software and grow your impact—whether you're building or leading.

How Coaching Works

Format

1:1 video calls where we work through your specific challenge

What You Get

  • Tactical frameworks from real experience, not generic best practices
  • Honest perspective on trade-offs from someone who's made these decisions
  • Follow-up async support via Slack/email between sessions

Flexibility

Book a single session to tackle a specific problem, or schedule multiple sessions for ongoing support

Booking

Choose your track below and schedule via my calendar

Pricing

$200/hour

Intro rate for first 10 coaching clients

I'm building out my coaching practice and offering a limited intro rate. After my first 10 sessions, pricing increases to $300/hour.

Book a single session or multiple sessions as needed. Includes brief async follow-up for clarifying questions.

Technical Coaching

For engineers making architectural decisions and shipping production features

Who It's For

  • Engineers implementing production features and making architectural choices
  • Developers learning to use Claude Code, Cursor, or similar tools effectively
  • Senior engineers navigating complex technical trade-offs
  • Developers stuck on hard technical problems

Common Topics

  • System architecture and design decisions
  • AI integration: production LLM features, RAG, agents, tool use
  • AI coding workflows: Claude Code, Cursor, MCP servers, practical setup
  • Rails application architecture and ViewComponents
  • Code and architecture reviews
  • Engineering in regulated environments (healthcare, fintech)

What You'll Walk Away With

  • Clear direction on your technical decision
  • Trade-off analysis specific to your context
  • Implementation approach that fits your constraints
  • Confidence that you're making an informed choice

Career & Leadership Coaching

For senior ICs growing influence and engineering leaders scaling teams

Who It's For

  • Senior/Staff engineers who want to grow impact without managing people
  • Senior ICs considering leadership transitions (or deciding not to)
  • First-time engineering managers, directors, or CTOs navigating growth
  • Engineering leaders scaling teams and making organizational decisions

Common Topics

For Senior Individual Contributors

  • Growing technical influence without formal authority
  • Career navigation: IC vs. management track (and how to decide)
  • Staff/Principal engineer growth and expectations
  • Technical leadership and high-stakes decision-making

For Engineering Leaders

  • Scaling engineering teams (especially the chaotic 10→50 phase)
  • Hiring strategy, team structure, and organizational design
  • Managing technical debt while maintaining velocity
  • Leadership transitions: IC → manager → director → CTO

What You'll Walk Away With

  • Clarity on your career direction and next steps
  • Frameworks for growing influence or scaling your team
  • Realistic perspective on what each path actually looks like
  • Confidence in your decisions (from someone who's done both paths)

Why Work With Me

Still Building

I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer at August Health building clinical software. My advice comes from ongoing practice, not past glory. I'm in the code and making these decisions today.

I've Done Both Paths

15 years as an individual contributor AND 5+ years as a CTO scaling teams from 0→50+ engineers. I can speak credibly to both the IC and leadership experience because I've lived both—and chose to return to building.

High-Stakes Experience

I shipped FDA-cleared medical device software at Buoy. I understand engineering in regulated, high-consequence environments where decisions matter and mistakes are expensive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is coaching right for me?

Coaching is for specific, bounded problems where you need an outside perspective:

  • You're stuck on a technical decision and need help thinking through trade-offs
  • You're navigating a career transition and want guidance from someone who's done it
  • You need to unblock a problem and get moving again

Coaching is not right if:

  • You need a part-time technical leader for your team (that's Fractional CTO)
  • You want someone to implement the solution, not just guide you (that's consulting)

Why is the rate $200 instead of $300?

I'm launching my coaching practice and offering an intro rate for my first 10 clients. This lets me build testimonials, refine my approach, and make coaching more accessible as I get started. Once I hit 10 sessions, pricing increases to $300/hour.

If you're seeing this, you can still book at the intro rate.

What's the difference between coaching, consulting, and fractional CTO?

Coaching: One-off or occasional sessions for specific problems. You drive the agenda, I provide perspective and frameworks.

Consulting: Fixed-scope projects where I do hands-on work (AI integration, architecture reviews, etc.). See Services for details.

Fractional CTO: Ongoing strategic guidance for your entire technical organization. 3+ month commitment, 4-12 hours/week. See Services for details.

If you're not sure which you need, book a free intro call and I'll tell you honestly.

Which track do I need: Technical or Leadership?

Simple test:

  • Is your challenge about code, architecture, or implementation? → Technical Coaching
  • Is your challenge about people, career, or organizational decisions? → Leadership Coaching

Many people book sessions in both tracks at different times. That's fine.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on your challenge. Some problems get resolved in a single focused session. Others benefit from 3-5 sessions over a few weeks.

After our first session, I'll give you my honest take on whether you'd benefit from follow-up sessions or if you're good to go.

Do you only work with Rails teams?

No. My technical coaching works across stacks—I've advised teams on Node, Python, Go, and others. Rails is a strength, but the architectural thinking applies broadly.

The Rails LLM Course is Rails-specific, but coaching is not.

What if I'm not sure what I need?

Book a free 30-minute intro call. We'll talk through what you're trying to accomplish, and I'll tell you honestly whether coaching makes sense, which track fits, or if you'd be better served by consulting or fractional CTO work.

No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a conversation.

What's your background?

15+ years building production software. Previously CTO at Buoy Software where I grew the engineering team from 0 to 50+ engineers and shipped FDA-cleared medical device software.

Currently Senior Software Engineer at August Health building clinical software for senior living. I coach and advise because I still build—my advice comes from ongoing practice, not past experience.

Not Sure Where to Start?

Book a free 30-minute intro call. We'll talk through what you're trying to accomplish, and I'll tell you honestly whether coaching makes sense and which track fits your needs.

No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a conversation to see if there's a fit.