Executive Coaching, Events, and Resources

I am a Managing Partner & Executive Coach at Cornerstone International Group, a leading global leadership enhancement firm that offers executive recruitment, executive coaching, and career navigation solutions. With more than 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality, travel & leisure sector, and executive search, I have developed a deep understanding of the industry by partnering closely with senior executives, owners, and organizations throughout Europe, the US, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. I hold coaching certifications with the ICF (ACC & Level 2) and EMCC (EIA), as well as business & career coaching certificates from the Center for Executive Coaching. My coaching approach is both transformational and strengths-based. I support leaders in uncovering their authentic leadership style, enabling them to lead with confidence and integrity. At the same time, I provide practical strategies and tools that equip them to thrive in dynamic, multicultural settings. This holistic approach ensures that leaders are well-prepared to meet the challenges of today's global business landscape. Originally from Berlin, I had the opportunity to live and work in nine different countries, including China & the Middle East. This international exposure has fueled my passion for working with talent, fostered a genuine appreciation for cultural diversity, and reinforced his commitment to developing people and their careers.

High-stakes leadership moments rarely come with perfect clarity. You may be preparing for a senior promotion, stepping into a new executive mandate, moving from expert/operator to enterprise leader, navigating founder complexity, or leading through reorganization, ambiguity, stakeholder tension, or increased visibility. These moments often require more than excellent execution. They call for sharper judgment, stronger presence, clearer communication, better sensemaking, and the ability to lead across complexity without losing access to your own center. As an MCC executive coach, I offer a confidential, rigorous, and deeply human coaching partnership for leaders operating at important inflection points. Our work creates space to examine the mandate before you, clarify what matters most, strengthen how you make decisions, and practice the leadership capacity required for the next level of responsibility. Depending on your situation, we may explore questions such as: • What is this role, mandate, or transition really asking of me? • How do I lead with authority and authenticity in rooms where the stakes are higher? • How do I make sound decisions amid market pressure, internal politics, and risk? • How do I manage visibility, pressure, and stakeholder expectations without overextending? • How do I communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and executive range? I bring 20+ years of experience across Fortune 100 innovation, organizational transformation, people systems, executive coaching, team coaching, board service, and business building. I have coached 750+ clients and teams across 30+ industries who were facing similar dilemmas. This engagement is for leaders entering a more complex chapter and seeking a trusted thought partner to strengthen clarity, presence, self-trust, and their executive range. If you are wondering whether executive coaching is the right support for you now, I invite you to book a confidential introductory call so we can explore whether coaching is the right support for your goals and expected outcomes.

Welcome to my profile! I'm Shawn, an Executive Leadership and Human Performance Coach with a rich background in consulting and coaching some of the nation's top leaders, including professional sports teams, Fortune 100 companies, and military generals. With over a decade of experience, I specialize in empowering leaders to enhance their mental, physical, and social fitness through customized, science-backed plans. My approach is designed to help you lead authentically, find purpose, and inspire those around you. Whether you're looking to excel in your career or personal life, I'm here to guide you every step of the way. Let's connect and unlock your full potential together!

I've spent my career at the intersection of technical depth and human complexity — and that's exactly where the most pressing leadership challenges live. My background spans three years as Chief of Staff at Khosla Ventures, where I worked across 60+ portfolio companies and 16 board seats; six years in the Army Special Forces, where I led high-performing teams in high-stakes environments; and a joint MBA/MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford with a focus on AI and quantum computing. I work with tech executives, startup CEOs, and investors at venture capital and hedge funds on the full range of leadership challenges: strengths development, prioritization, goal setting, mindset and motivation, emotional processing, nervous system regulation, energy management, effective communication, team building, and work-life balance. My approach considers the whole person, helping clients integrate their personal and professional identities rather than treating them as separate. I draw on 10+ years of meditation practice to help clients build the self-awareness and nervous system regulation needed to sustain high performance without burning out. And for clients with technical backgrounds, my training in engineering and physics means I understand the work, not just the leadership layer on top of it.

I work with executives navigating high-stakes transitions—moments when you need to recalibrate your operating system, not just add skills. My proprietary Response-Ability Framework integrates Status Intelligence, Systems Fluency, and Role Agility for leaders managing role shifts where the external stakes are high and the internal work is complex. Columbia MBA, ICF-certified, Tavistock Group Relations, École Jacques Lecoq. Twenty years specializing in precision recalibration for people who already perform at the highest levels.

As an executive coach, I help leaders gain clarity, confidence, and momentum as they navigate high-stakes decisions, career transitions, and organizational change. My coaching is tailored, strategic, and encouraging—rooted in real-world leadership challenges and designed to unlock growth. Whether you're a senior leader stepping into broader responsibility or navigating a complex transition, I’m here to help you lead with greater impact and authenticity. With over 20 years of experience coaching and advising executives through global HR and transformation initiatives—and as an ICF-certified coach—I bring both a strategic lens and deep empathy to my work. I’ve supported senior leaders across industries including finance, tech, healthcare, and nonprofit. Clients describe me as thoughtful, insightful, and energizing, with a strong ability to help them turn potential into meaningful progress. My top CliftonStrengths theme, Developer, reflects my passion for growth—yours and mine. If you're ready to elevate your leadership, let’s connect.

I spent the last seven years of my corporate career as the business lead on seven enterprise technology implementations, including a three-year Oracle ERP rollout I stepped into while it was stalling. I wasn't the consultant studying the transformation. I owned the business outcome and the people carrying it. I coach senior leaders through exactly that pressure: complex change they didn't design, teams at the edge of burnout, decisions that have to get made without full information. ICF PCC, Hogan-certified (HPI, HDS, MVPI), Master's in Organization Development Psychology. I'm also senior faculty in an ICF-accredited coach certification program and teach graduate OD and change — so the work is grounded in the discipline, not just experience.

With a background partnering with Tech executives and developing global talent management strategies, I bring a wealth of experience to my client engagements as a coach at Marea Leadership. I hold an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and have completed Leadership Coaching training at the Hudson Institute of Coaching. My career spans over a decade, including key roles at Visa where I served as Director of Global Talent Management and HR Business Partner to Tech executives. I work with high performing professionals to increase their capacity to lead with ease. Whether you're looking to enhance your leadership skills or you're feeling stuck in navigating a challenge, I'm here to partner with you. Let's connect and explore how I can support your growth.

I hold multiple professional certifications and adult continuing education certificates, including a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Certified Executive Leadership Coach (CELC) from Ignite Business Partners' Coaching Excellence (ICF Level 2), Certified Professional Coach in Executive Coaching from RCSJ, and Certified Positive Intelligence Coach® (CPQC®). I also have certifications in trauma-informed approaches and inclusive leadership through implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Additionally, I have an M.S. in Executive Leadership from Champlain College, a B.A. in Political Science/Honors with concentrations in Pre-Law and Women's Studies from Rowan University, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Business Communications from Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ).

I’ve spent over two decades operating inside high-growth tech companies—managing teams, advising execs, and leading through complexity. I’ve coached VPs, Directors, and emerging leaders at companies like LinkedIn, Microsoft, Lyft, and Hillspire (Eric Schmidt’s family office), helping them increase their influence, lead through ambiguity, and scale themselves as their scope grows. I’m ICF-certified, trained through the Center for Executive Coaching, and combine that rigor with firsthand operator experience. My coaching is grounded in business realities, not fluff and tuned for the unique pressures of leading in tech. I work with clients on everything from strategic thinking and stakeholder alignment to imposter syndrome and exec presence. If you’re navigating growth, preparing for a bigger role, or just need a trusted sounding board, I’ve been in your shoes, and I coach from that place.