About Iconic Leadership Coaching
I help experienced leaders build a steadier, more reliable relationship with themselves — so that clarity doesn't depend on the right conditions, the right preparation, or the right amount of information. Knowing yourself well enough to trust and act on what you're noticing, even when things are uncertain or uncomfortable is what we'll work toward. Instead of another variation on the same coaching frameworks, we'll build a deeper understanding of how you actually operate — and what gets in the way.
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Who I Work With
My clients are experienced leaders who are good at what they do. They've built real careers — VP, Director, Design Lead, Principal — often inside tech companies or organizations where the pace is fast and the expectations keep shifting.
They're reflective, self-aware and curious. And they've reached a point where they can see the patterns clearly enough to know they want something to actually change — not just understand it better, but to show up differently.
What tends to bring them is the sense that how they've been operating is starting to cost them something — energy, confidence, a feeling of being connected to why they're doing this in the first place.
They're ready to stop looking outward for the answer and start trusting themselves more reliably.
My clients hold titles like
- Vice President
- Director
- Design Lead
- Principal
My clients work in
- Product Design
- Design Ops
- Research
- Content Strategy
MY PROCESS
A Client-Focused Approach
In today's fast-paced world, there isn't a lot of space to stop and reflect. That's why in our sessions, I create an energetic container that allows you to explore your issues, reconnect with your sense of power, and find authentic resolutions.
Discover
Design
Practice
Lead
At the beginning of our coaching partnership, we walk through an onboarding process that establishes what you want to accomplish. Sessions are client-led, meaning we will focus on what’s most important to you in our time together. Each session ends with a homework assignment so that you’re putting your discoveries into action.
Discover Your Career Potential
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About Courtney Kaplan
Throughout my life, the consistent thread has been an eagerness to explore problems and find beautiful solutions. Understanding how to ask questions, listen carefully, think broadly, gather wisdom from clients and creative partners frequently resulted in beautiful solutions to real problems.
Experience
Prior to coaching, I worked in the design field for over 25 years, first as a designer, then as a Principal at Hot Studio, a consulting firm in San Francisco. Most recently, I founded and led the first Design Operations discipline at Facebook, where I developed a global team of Design Program Managers (DPMs) from the ground up. I have studied with the Institute of Generative Leadership, Strozzi Institute, Martha Beck’s North Star Training and Newfield Network Certified Coach Training. These programs have helped me see the interconnection between our professional and personal lives.
I experienced many career changes and challenging work environments which have required reinvention and pivots. These experiences revealed that the more I changed myself on the inside, the more my outside conditions changed, too. This was a radical transformative breakthrough; one that greatly informed the coaching work I do today. We don’t need to wait for something outside ourselves to change in order to live the life we want. We can be the change.
