About Coach Tim – Technology Career Coach & Leadership Development Expert
Understanding the pressures of tech layoffs and career transitions in today’s market
I understand the pressures and stresses of career changes and layoffs facing software engineers, product managers, engineering leaders, and tech professionals. When you’re ready to make a change, you may want a tech-savvy career coach who understands both the technology industry and the modern job search process.
For more than two decades I have witnessed the incredible growth of technology careers in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Many of my friends and associates have worked at top-tier companies that are now household names—Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and innovative startups across the tech ecosystem. Though there have been significant changes, especially since the tech layoffs beginning in 2023, there is always a spark of innovation that makes technology careers attractive and worth pursuing.
Having worked at several notable tech companies myself, I’ve learned a lot about the modern workplace, corporate culture, and what it takes to succeed in tech careers. If you are seeking a career expert who knows how the technology job seeking game work from ATS-optimized resumes to technical interviews to remote team management.
Let’s meet! Schedule a free, no obligation 20 minute consultation with me.
“Tim blends a strong foundation of coaching techniques with an uncanny observational ability that produced surprising and profound insights every time we met. I highly recommend working with him.”
– JH, Corporate Executive and Business Consultant
Professional Credentials, Training & Certifications
International Coach Federation (ICF) Certified Coach
I am a member of the International Coach Federation, and completed my Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential in 2019 through SeattleCoach. The PCC certification represents advanced coaching expertise and requires extensive training, mentorship, and demonstrated coaching competency.
BetterUp Certified Conscious Business Coach
Trained as a BetterUp Certified Conscious Business Coach, I use techniques developed by Fred Kofman at Google and LinkedIn for coaching technology professionals to improve their authenticity and communication around things that matter to them. This 35-hour intensive training was provided by BetterUp, the pioneers in coaching-at-scale, where I am a Distinguished Coach. This training is particularly valuable for engineering managers, product managers, and tech leaders working on communication skills and leadership development.
In 2019, I received a certification in Tilt365 – a very excellent approach to measuring character and how it shows up for us at work, in life, and as individuals or in teams.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Certified Practitioner
I completed training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Strategic NLP, and Hypnotic Patterns for Learning with NLP co-founder Richard Bandler, and NLP for Sales with trainer John LaValle—certified by Bandler and LaValle’s official NLP training company, NLP Seminars Group International. I am a Certified Practitioner of NLP through the National Federation of NLP. Since 1998 I have been practicing, studying, and using NLP in the field. NLP is a valuable complement to coaching, especially if you feel stuck in your career or facing mental blocks around job search or leadership challenges.
Personal Development & Process Work Training
I’ve completed an 18-hour experiential training with Dr. Stephen Schuitevoerder, “Cultivating Excellence: Personal Development, Awareness, & Power,” to develop personal presence and increase awareness of power dynamics in professional settings. This training covered core concepts in Process Work such as edges, secondary processes and unfolding, enhancement of deep listening skills, and building understanding of non-verbal signals and how recognizing them can deepen communication—essential skills for engineering managers and tech leaders.
Additional Professional Qualifications
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the Edward R. Murrow School at Washington State University, completed graduate-level ICF Coach Training through SeattleCoach, and am a qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) presenter. I also hold a Basic Mediation Certificate from the King County Dispute Resolution Center, completed Landmark Education’s Curriculum for Living, and am a current member of the International Coach Federation and The Association of Psychological Type.
I previously presented and taught classes regarding career search, resume optimization, and interviewing at General Assembly—a nationwide technology training school—from their Seattle campus, bringing real-world tech recruiting knowledge to aspiring tech professionals.
My Technology Industry Background
Early Career in Tech Startups
My first job after college was at a pre-Internet startup that would have been a great Internet company. It went to market too early and ran out of funding too soon—my first lesson in startup dynamics and the importance of timing in tech ventures.
Wizards of the Coast – Website Developer to Executive Producer
The good news is the World Wide Web began emerging as new media just as I was starting my career. I was hired as the first Website Developer at Wizards of the Coast, where I spent a decade advancing through the ranks to Executive Producer while developing skills in both marketing and technology. During this time I gained extensive experience in digital product development, team leadership, and corporate technology operations. That company was purchased by gaming giant Hasbro and underwent a corporate cultural shift and subsequent layoffs—giving me firsthand experience with acquisition transitions and corporate restructuring that many of my coaching clients now face.
Corporate Consulting & Tech Marketing
From there I did consulting at a firm in Bellevue, Washington, working with large accounts including ChemPoint and Microsoft. That company was also acquired, providing another perspective on merger and acquisition dynamics in the tech industry.
I began freelance consulting, but after a short while, I returned to corporate high technology and gaming at Hidden City Games. That company folded when it did not receive a Series B round of venture funding—the 2008 market crash didn’t help either. This experience with startup failure taught me valuable lessons about resilience, career pivots, and navigating unexpected career transitions that I now share with tech professionals facing similar challenges.
Current Technology Marketing Expertise
Now, in addition to professional coaching and tech career counseling, I work in technology marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), online advertising, and social media marketing to keep my skills current in the dynamic landscape of Internet marketing and digital strategy. This ensures I am up-to-date with trends in tech careers and can easily relate to modern tech workers, whether they’re software engineers, product managers, digital marketers, or startup founders.
My clients are based all over the country, including in the innovative tech hubs of Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston, and beyond.
Becoming a Professional Technology Career Coach
From Corporate Executive to Executive Coach
After years of experience in technology companies, startups, and gaming, I started my own consulting business. I found a niche providing expert services to small tech companies, non-profits, and agencies. I really saw the differences between private and non-profit business models while learning a lot about LED lighting technology and Federal programs that help low-income residents in our community.
Collaborating with executives, I have participated in rebrands and acquisitions in technology, non-profits, and gaming. As a consultant, I specialized in Organizational Development, Inbound and Internet Marketing, SEO, SEM, and Web Analytics with clients in Redmond, Washington, San Francisco, and Mountain View, California.
Coaching Technology Professionals Through Career Transitions
Now, as a Technology Career Coach and Executive Coach, I work with clients transitioning between jobs, changing careers, or making important shifts in their personal or business life. Whether you’re navigating tech layoffs, pivoting from software engineering to product management, transitioning from individual contributor to engineering manager, or exploring startup opportunities, coaching can help you navigate these transitions strategically and successfully.
Coaching can also help enhance parts of your life that are already working—sometimes a roadmap can help you create more of what you already enjoy, whether that’s advancing into technical leadership, building remote team management skills, or developing your executive presence.