Career Transition Strategy & Founder Advisory

Strategic coaching for mid-to-senior career leaders navigating intentional pivots, unexpected restructurings, or founding their own ventures.

Career Transitions

For professionals looking to:

  • Design a professional life that aligns with their strengths and values

  • Gain clarity about where they want to go

  • Develop an actionable strategy for how
    to get there.

Engagement Process:

  • Career Audit: Introductory session to identify goals and your previous experiences

  • Active Coaching: 3-6+ months of coaching that translates core values and strengths into a targeted market strategy, executive narrative, and milestone-driven search campaign.

“I came to Mariel during a particularly challenging transition, and from our very first conversation, she brought not only clarity and structure, but empathy, insight, and deep care. Mariel asked the kinds of questions that helped me reconnect with my values, my goals, and the type of work that truly excites me. She didn’t just offer guidance—she offered momentum. She has a rare gift for helping people tell their stories in ways that feel authentic and compelling. I truly cannot recommend her enough.”

– Carly, HR Director, Clark Construction Group

“I sought Mariel's coaching… needing to be more deliberate about my long-term goals. The clarity I gained was immediate. Within just our first two sessions, we identified three distinct career paths tailored to my personality and talents, and outlined a concrete, actionable plan to explore each one. Mariel truly listens to what's important to you and is brilliant at helping you map out achievable milestones to reach your goals.”

– Rod, Partnerships Manager, Google

“Mariel was an incredible coach during a pivotal season in my career. I’ll always be grateful for her support as I navigated a months-long interview process just three weeks postpartum—she brought calm, perspective, and confidence when I needed it most. Beyond storytelling, case prep, and interview strategy, Mariel helped me think deeply about my long-term career path and guided me through the decision to switch firms. She’s thoughtful, strategic, and genuinely invested in her clients’ success.”

– Allie, GTM Leader, OpenAI

FAQs

  • A successful career shift is not a passive job search—it is an intentional design process.

    (1) Empathize & Audit: Unpack what energizes you, review past energy drains, and identify your unique superpowers

    (2) Define: Clarify non-negotiable personal values, compensation targets, and life guardrails.

    (3) Ideate: Develop multiple viable pathways.

    (4) Prototype & Test: Conduct low-stakes conversations and stress-test target industries before fully committing.

    This approach de-risks a transition, replacing it with structure, momentum, and fun.

  • High-achieving mid-to-senior leaders at an inflection point, such as:

    • Intentional Pivoters: Leaders seeking to step into higher-impact corporate leadership or switch industry sectors without starting from scratch.

    • Executives Navigating Reorgs or Layoffs: High performers managing unexpected corporate restructurings.

    • Corporate Leaders Transitioning to Founders: Executives stepping out of enterprise organizations to launch a startup or build an advisory practice.

  • Each engagement is custom-tailored to the individual and their unique goals. This may include:

    • Executive Narrative & Positioning: Distilling complex, multi-hyphenate career paths into a concise and compelling narrative tailored to your “buyer’s needs.”

    • Asset Refinement: Review of your resume and LinkedIn profile to attract executive search recruiters, boards, and venture networks.

    • Interview & Case Prep: Rigorous interview architecture and narrative framing for executive-level rounds.

    • Offer Calibration & Negotiation: Strategic sounding board to evaluate compensation packages, equity, scope, and cultural alignment.

  • Moving from corporate leadership with large teams and embedded infrastructure to founder-CEO requires a fundamental psychological and operational shift. To support you in this, we’ll focus on:

    • The Founder’s Mindset: Cultivating resilience and decision-making in the face of ambiguity and self-doubt.

    • Preventing Isolation: Serving as a confidential, objective sounding board to stress-test your strategy and test critical hypotheses.

    • Life Guardrails & Sustainable Pacing: Helping you identify and maintain the operational boundaries you need to protect your energy while building enterprise traction.

  • Transition engagements typically run over a 3 to 6+ month period, meeting bi-weekly or monthly depending on the nature of your transition. Between sessions, clients receive ongoing review of messaging assets, application strategies, and real-time interview debriefs to ensure continuous forward momentum.

Schedule a career strategy call