Design skills & leadership accelerator
Best for designers looking to expand their impact and increase strategic influence to lead at scale. Strategic partnering focused on mastering the "invisible" work of high-level design leadership. We focus on building both hard and soft skills, moving beyond individual craft into organizational strategy. This package provides real-world frameworks for navigating the complexities of large-scale tech environments (like Google) and driving cross-functional alignment.
What's included
My coaching style is thoughtful, collaborative, and grounded in your lived experience. I don’t follow a fixed framework or offer one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, our sessions are shaped by what’s most present for you and what will create the most meaningful movement forward. We work by slowing down just enough to see clearly — naming patterns, tensions, and assumptions that may be influencing your choices. From there, we identify small, intentional shifts you can experiment with between sessions. These aren’t “assignments,” but invitations to notice what changes when you act with more clarity and agency. I bring structure where it’s helpful and spaciousness where it’s needed. I’ll reflect what I’m hearing, ask questions that open new perspective, and help you translate insight into action that fits your context. Throughout our work, the goal is not to fix or force outcomes, but to help you develop trust in your own decision-making and direction.
- Mastery of stakeholder storytelling and executive communication frameworks.
- A customized set of tools to effectively drive design strategy across multiple teams for your organization.
- Practical frameworks for enabling effective co-creation with other teams as well as engineering and product partners.
Meet your expert
Alena F.
Designing resonance for your life’s work through strategic coaching
I didn’t start with all the answers. My own journey was a series of intentional pivots—from Engineer to PM to Designer. I learned the craft on the job while navigating the complexities of 18 years at Google. I specialize in helping leaders move from dissonance to resonance. In high-pressure industries, it’s easy to lose your sense of self. I spent nearly two decades navigating the pressures of scale, leadership, and imposter syndrome. Rather than following a traditional ladder, I carved my own path to become a leader focused on scaling frameworks and strategy. Along the way, I navigated the transition into motherhood and discovered the transformative power of coaching. Today, I help designers and tech leaders audit their skills, protect their energy, and negotiate their environment so they can own their unique journey with confidence.
