It’s time to get a fresh perspective.

 

I’m a coach for brave leaders who are taking on new challenges. 

As a trusted advisor for leaders who care deeply about impact, inclusion, and innovation, I provide a fresh perspective that’s rooted in experience.

For over 18 years, I worked as a marketing leader across tech, startups, and the arts. 

At Apple, I launched iPhones and iPads in 200+ countries. 

At Smule, I grew from YouTube marketing expert to managing the marketing team. 

I’m particularly proud of my role as an executive leader at Magoosh, where I catalyzed company culture, hiring, and professional growth of teammates across the organization.

I studied Product Design at Stanford with David Kelley, founder of IDEO, while double-majoring in Music, Vocal Performance. I earned my MBA at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where I had the opportunity to help start the first business school for women in Saudi Arabia. I trained with the Center for Executive Coaching and the Co-Active Institute, and I hold an ICF ACC credential.

 

I’m an executive coach for marketing leaders. I know the challenges of being an executive leader because I've lived it. I have 18 years of experience leading marketing teams in tech, startups, and the arts.

AbouT Me

I’ve been leading teams in tech companies, startups, and nonprofit arts orgs for the past 18 years. I bring all of that experience, and more, to my coaching practice.



A young boy and his father look out into the distance from aboard a sailboat. "There!" the boy sees something. He points to the land. He's ready to go to his next destination.

Ready to take the next step?

We’ll start by doing an Intro Call + Coaching Demo where we’ll talk about your goals, how we’d work together, and answer any questions you have about coaching.

 

Q & A – The Basics

  • Coaching provides a focused, interactive, and stimulating experience for clients to work through issues in their professional and personal lives.

    The Coach doesn’t hold the answers, but is responsible for drawing out the answers the Client holds but cannot see.

    In our sessions, we would “be together, in action.” My role is to remain curious, open, and non-judgmental, and your role is to be honest, vulnerable, and courageous. Together we can tackle challenging issues and reveal pathways forward.

    My coaching style is informed by the practical and experiential — 18 years working in business, an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, training from the Center for Executive Coaching — as well as the artistic and intuitive: training in the Co-Active Coaching model, 20+ years experience as a classical singer / performing artist.

  • With coaching, as with so many things in life, it really does depend on what you put into the experience. Coaching is a significant investment of both time and money. With your determination and hard work, you could see results such as:

    • Finding clarity in big decisions, career or personal

    • Feeling more confident in your leadership role

    • Getting a promotion or raise

    • Finding more success in your business

    • Feeling more at ease in your professional relationships

    I’m honored that several clients have used the term “life-changing” for our coaching sessions.

    While there’s no way to guarantee a specific result, our sessions will address what results you hope for and how you will work towards them.

  • If you’re on this site, you are probably already considering coaching!

    To get the most out of coaching, you need to be upfront about what’s going on in your life, open to making changes, and committed to seeing through these changes.

    I offer a free Intro Call to help you figure out whether I’m the right coach for you and whether the timing is right for your busy life.

    Let’s chat!

  • According to an article by the Society of Human Resource Development, executive coaches charge between $200 and $3,000 an hour.

    Extrapolating that out, six month 1:1 coaching engagements can run anywhere from $5,000 - $30,000+. (Yes, this is a very wide range!)

  • Yes, coaching is professional development, and many times, companies will cover the cost fully or partially.

    Studies have shown that it costs employers 33% of a worker's annual salary to hire a replacement if that worker leaves. So, an employee making $100K costs $33K to replace. That’s a huge cost! Investing in an employee’s growth is not only the right thing to do for the employee, but also a win-win situation for the company.

    If you work in a medium-to-large organization, chances are high that there’s a budget line item related to professional development. Reach out to your manager or HR department to see what’s available. Your company may be able to cover the full cost of coaching.

    If you work in a small organization or startup, chances are there’s still a budget allotted to professional development, even if it’s not publicly known. You can have a conversation with your manager / founder to discuss how this investment will be important not only for you, but also for the company’s success.

  • Coaching:

    • Unblocks barriers standing in the way of success

    • Propels forward action toward goals

    • Focuses on the conversation between the coach and client

    • Assumes that the coach doesn’t have the answers, but asks the right questions

    Consulting:

    • Provides advice and recommendations from a knowledgeable source

    • Often delivers a written product or other “deliverable”

    • Assumes that the consultant has the answers

  • Therapy typically deals with how the past informs the present and future.

    Coaching typically deals with connecting present thoughts, mindset, and actions to future goals.

    Therapy is a licensed profession; coaching is not.

  • I work with individual clients in an initial period of 6 months, with an option to continue on a month-to-month basis afterwards. Most of my clients schedule sessions every 2 weeks, and we complete somewhere between 8-12 sessions over the course of the initial engagement. Several of my clients elect to continue the coaching engagement for 1-2 years.

    Overall, the client experience is completely personalized and tailored to your needs. I can assign you homework and act as an accountability partner, if this is what works best for you. We can start the engagement with a number of assessments, if this is helpful. Together, we design your personalized program to get you where you want to be.

    I default to conducting sessions virtually over Zoom. If you’re based in the SF Bay Area, I would be happy to meet you in person at a mutually convenient location.

    My six month 1:1 coaching engagements range from $9,000 - $12,000 depending on your needs. A 360 Verbal Assessment may be added on.

    Group and corporate coaching engagements are designed on a case-by-case basis; please contact me at j@jessicawan.com to discuss.

    Schedule an Intro Call to learn more.


Available on Apple, Spotify, and Google podcasts

In my podcast, I interview people who straddle two different worlds (e.g. medicine & music) on how they balance two big pursuits.

Together, we’re creating The Ampersand Manifesto: guiding principles for how to live a multi-passionate life.

Follow @ampersandmanifesto on Instagram for the latest updates.


Jessica delivered the best coaching experience I’ve received to date.
— Chad G.