I'm Joining Downshift as a Coach and Facilitator

How we’ll be helping high performers navigate transition with intention

“An illustration of a snail in the style of Roy Lichtenstein” | Midjourney

Hey y’all,

A bit of a professional update today. I’m excited to announce that I’m formally joining Downshift as a Coach and Cofacilitator.

I’ve been involved in Downshift from day one. Today I’m deepening my commitment to this work and we’re making it “official”.

What does that mean?

1. I will once again be co-facilitating the Downshift Decelerator alongside

   Steven Schlafman
   ,
   Matt Yao
   , and
   Tracy Lawrence
   .¹ Applications just opened today for the fall cohort!

2. I will be working with clients one-on-one as the first Downshift Coach, helping high performers navigate transition with intention.

You can read more about the announcement and what to expect in the upcoming Downshift Decelerator on Steve’s newsletter here.

Note: I will continue to offer my Community Leadership Coaching. This practice will remain independent of Downshift and I will be spending roughly half my time on each practice.

What is Downshift?

Downshift is both a practice and a philosophy. I’ve written in the past about my views and experiences with downshifting.

We believe that navigating change and transition requires entirely new ways of thinking and being, especially for high performers who have been focused on speed, execution, and outcomes for years, if not decades.

I know this way of being well. I’ve embodied it for most of my life. It was only by going through my own journey of downshifting and healing that I reshaped my relationship with success and achievement, found “enoughness”, and designed a more balanced, integrated, and spacious way of living.

Downshift is about intentional deceleration to deepen your connection to yourself and your experience of life. It doesn't mean stopping entirely or giving up your ambition. Our aim is to help you slow down and move with intention to show up from a more resourced place, rooted in curiosity, self-knowing, and compassion—so you can consciously choose and fully step into your next pursuit.

You can participate in Downshift via our 10-Week Decelerator or with individualized coaching.

How I became involved with Downshift

It was one of those crisp winter days in January. The snow offered a satisfying crunch under the weight of our steps as we walked along the carriage path.

Steve had invited me up to the Catskills to talk about life, our journeys, and about an idea for a new project he wanted to bring to the world. He called it “Downshift”. He asked for my help in designing the community container.

For hours, we walked, talked, and tinkered with ideas for Downshift. I mostly asked questions, helping Steve tune into the community he was yearning to create, the community that wanted to emerge.

I felt very strongly that Downshift needed to exist in the world. It’s the kind of program that would have helped me a great deal when I first stepped into my abyss. It’s a program that I knew would help a lot of people in a very deep and meaningful way.

So I was thrilled when Steve asked me to be a cofacilitator and coach for the first cohort. It was an easy yes.

We hosted the first cohort in the Spring, with 12 incredible, high-performing humans bravely stepping into transition together. You can read Steve’s reflections on that cohort here. It was a magical experience. One I knew I wanted to continue to be involved in.

I’m feeling deeply grateful to get to continue to work on this project and deepen my involvement.

What is the Downshift Decelerator?

The Downshift “Decelerator” is designed to help professionals slow down, reflect, and realign with their deeper values and desires.

Unlike accelerators that focus on rapid growth and scaling, decelerators emphasize introspection, self-discovery, and intentional living to foster personal and professional transformation.

Slowing down doesn’t mean stopping indefinitely, giving up your ambition or losing out on opportunities. Downshift is designed to help you take a pause to gain clarity and realign your life.

The program kicks off with a three-day, in-person retreat and opening ceremony in the Hudson Valley, and is followed by ten weeks of workshops, guest lectures, individualized work, and a closing ceremony.

For more information on the Decelerator, click here.

What does one-on-one coaching look like with Downshift?

One-on-one coaching with Downshift is designed to help you slow down and deepen connection to yourself and your experience of life, enabling self-discovery and transformation as you navigate transition.

We offer a highly specialized and integrated approach to coaching that combines elements of executive coaching, career coaching, and life coaching.

Rather than focusing solely on the professional aspects of transition, we take a whole-person approach, recognizing that personal and professional aspects of life are intertwined. This is especially true for those approaching or navigating the midlife passage.

To learn more about Downshift coaching, click here.

If you’d like to explore working with me specifically, you can reply to this email, message me directly, or reach out through Downshift’s intake form.

I’m over the moon excited and honored to be further developing my work in this space and to get to work more deeply with Steve, Tracy, and Matt.

For those of you who have been following my journey to this point, you know it’s been anything but linear. I spent a lot of time in the abyss. Today, I feel my feet more firmly planted on a new shore. I know there’s a lot of beauty that’s going to unfold from here.

I feel so grateful for all of you who have been reading and supporting me through this journey.

Onward!

1. Fun fact: Tracy was my team’s mentor when I participated in 500 Startups 12 years ago. The universe bringing us back together in this moment has been a beautiful synchronicity.