Leadership Coaching, Events, and Resources

I bring over 20 years of experience leading global teams and driving organizational transformation across Fortune 500 companies, startups, and private equity-backed businesses. I have partnered with executives at Amazon, Estée Lauder, and GAP Inc., helping them strengthen leadership effectiveness, navigate complex change, and scale high-performing teams. My work has included optimizing organizational structures, leading post-merger integrations, and designing strategies that enable leaders to align vision with execution while delivering measurable business results. As an ICF PCC-certified coach, adjunct professor at NYU, and founder of my own company, I combine real-world operational expertise with structured leadership development frameworks. I guide clients to develop presence, influence, and confidence—helping them lead with clarity, make high-impact decisions, and create sustainable performance for themselves and their teams.

Welcome to my profile! With over two decades of experience in healthcare leadership, including roles as CEO and founder of innovative healthcare companies, I am passionate about helping leaders unlock their full potential. My journey spans executive positions at Aware Recovery Care, Kindred Healthcare, and Highmark Health, where I led strategic initiatives and launched successful healthcare solutions. As a Wharton MBA and MD from Drexel University, I bring a unique blend of business acumen and medical expertise to my coaching. Whether you're looking to enhance your leadership skills or navigate complex organizational challenges, I'm here to guide you. Let's connect and chart a path to your leadership success!

I've been working with early- and mid-tenure professionals on their leadership journey for a decade, including: - Working as a Leadership Fellow at Wharton, where I coached 24 first years on team effectiveness, developing skills to lead effectively, and leading without formal roles - Managing at McKinsey for 4+ years, spanning 100+ consultants, many of whom were preparing to become team leads for the first time - Facilitating leadership training at McKinsey, covering both technical and soft skills such as executive-level communication, presenting with confidence, and leading with empathy; I earned 'master faculty' distinction -- the highest recognition bestowed for teaching learning & development at McK -- for my coaching and facilitation - Working as a full time leadership coach for the last year, helping individuals navigate specific workplace challenges via one-on-one coaching; I hold an Associate Certified Coach credential from ICF (International Coaching Federation) Whether you're looking to enhance your leadership capabilities or navigate complex business challenges, I'm here to guide you. Let's connect and chart a path to your leadership success!

I’ve spent my career building and leading teams inside one of the world’s most recognizable consumer goods companies. As a Director at Kraft Heinz, I’ve hired, developed, and promoted talent across multiple levels of a large organization — which means I’ve sat on both sides of the table. I know what it looks like when someone is ready to lead, and I know what holds high-potential people back from getting there. My Kellogg MBA gave me the frameworks and language to understand leadership at a structural level — but it’s the years of actually doing it inside a Fortune 500 that made me a better coach. What I bring to leadership coaching isn’t theory — it’s pattern recognition from years of real management experience inside a Fortune 500 environment. I’ve navigated the challenges that come with leading for the first time: building credibility quickly, managing people older or more experienced than you, earning trust without having all the answers, and figuring out how to develop others while still delivering results. I’ve made mistakes, learned from them, and now help others shortcut that curve.

I don’t coach from the sidelines. I coach from the seat. With 20+ years leading product teams at Amazon, Box, Iterable, and Apollo.io, I’ve lived through the hypergrowth, the AI shifts, and high-stakes executive decisioning. I’m a UC Berkeley (BECI) Certified Executive Coach and a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, but my real methodology was forged while building organizations from $42M to $225M+ ARR. My Philosophy: Kind but Tough. Most leaders think they have to choose between empathy and accountability. That is a myth that kills performance. I help you integrate a Radical Heart with a Relentless Edge. Kindness is the clarity to tell the truth when everything is chaos. Toughness is the conviction to hold the standard for the outcomes that matter. The Approach: I don’t deal in leadership platitudes. Using Gallup Strengths-based frameworks, we decode how you are specifically wired to lead so you can stop chasing an archetype and start operating from your Irreplaceable Human Edge: Discernment, Empathy, Presence, and Imagination. Who I work with: Product, Engineering, Design leaders navigating career inflection points, AI transformation, scale-up friction, or other critical moments where you need a sounding board and thought partner. I'm also passionate about working with Women-in-Tech and Underestimated Leaders across all disciplines. If you want a coach who is kind enough to tell you the truth and tough enough to walk through it with you, let’s talk.

Welcome to my profile! With a robust background in leadership and real estate, I am passionate about helping individuals develop their leadership skills to excel in their careers. As an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow at the Stanford GSB, a the former head coach of the Polish National Lacrosse Team, and a former D1 athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, I have honed my ability to guide and mentor emerging leaders. My professional journey includes key roles in private equity (Storage Star, Brookfield Asset Management), real estate development (White Star Real Estate), and corporate strategy (The Walt Disney Company), where I have built and led teams as well as driven growth initiatives. Whether you're looking to enhance your leadership capabilities or navigate complex business environments, I'm here to support your journey. Let's connect and unlock your leadership potential together!

With over 20 years of experience across law, energy, and education — and having worked with leaders in organizations including Google, Amazon, IBM, OECD, and Daimler — I specialize in helping emerging leaders build the ability to trust their judgment when the stakes are high. Many high performers step into leadership roles, assuming more skill or strategy will solve their challenges. But the real breakdown rarely comes from lack of knowledge. It happens under pressure — in difficult conversations, high-visibility decisions, or moments of scrutiny — where second-guessing, over-explaining, or overworking quietly take over. That’s where I work. Using principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Positive Intelligence (mental fitness), and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), I help leaders strengthen steadiness under pressure, sharpen decision-making clarity, and step fully into authority without losing authenticity. The result is leadership that feels grounded, decisive, and sustainable, not reactive or performance-driven.

I bring over a decade of experience guiding leaders through personal and professional transformation. With a background in education, leadership, and systems thinking, I’ve worked with founders, executives, and emerging leaders to help them lead from a place of alignment, emotional intelligence, and strategic clarity. My coaching is presence-based and people-centered. I create reflective, energizing spaces where clients can pause the noise, reconnect with their purpose, and lead with renewed confidence. Whether you’re scaling a venture, navigating change, or stepping into a bigger role—you don’t need more noise. You need the right questions, a clear mirror, and someone who believes in what you’re capable of creating.

Welcome! With over 15 years of experience as a leader and executive, I specialize in transforming high-potential leaders into boardroom-ready executives. As the Founder of Surko Coaching, I have partnered with numerous leaders to enhance their executive presence, mental resilience, and strategic decision-making skills. My approach is rooted in practical strategies and behavioral shifts, helping clients overcome self-limiting beliefs and achieve sustainable success. Previously, as a Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President at high growth startup companies like Flowcode and Bluecore, I have driven significant organizational growth and team development. Let's work together to unlock your leadership potential and achieve your career goals!

My coaching credentials are built on more than certifications. They are grounded in enterprise-scale impact. As the Air Force Coaching and Mentoring Program Manager, I stood up and scaled one of the largest internal coaching ecosystems in the federal government, growing the program to over 1,500 credentialed coaches and over 13,000 clients across the enterprise. That experience gave me a rare operational perspective on coaching: I didn't just practice it, I architected the systems, training pipelines, and governance frameworks that made it sustainable at scale. To deepen my practice, I pursued and earned both the International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach (ACC-ICF) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) credentials, grounding my instincts in evidence-based methodology and professional standards. I have coached leaders and teams across every level of the organization, from frontline supervisors navigating their first leadership roles to senior executives managing complex, high-stakes environments. My approach blends behavioral science, organizational psychology, and hard-won leadership experience to help people unlock clarity, build capacity, and lead with greater intention.