Clarity Coach | Founder of Essential Career Counseling

I help people who know something needs to change but aren’t quite sure what comes next. Sometimes the answer isn’t obvious because they’re too close to the situation. Sometimes they’ve been successful for so long that imagining a different path feels harder than it should. And sometimes they simply need space to step back, reconnect with what matters, and see possibilities they haven’t considered.

My work turns that uncertainty into clarity—and clarity into a next step that feels both meaningful and achievable.

Where I Come In

People come to me at all kinds of crossroads. They may be ready for a career change but have no idea what direction to take. They may have spent years building a career that no longer feels like the right fit. They may be returning to work after time away, considering a new chapter, or wondering how to make their experience count in a different way.

Often, they have more options than they realize, but it’s difficult to see them from where they stand.

I help people take a step back and look at the bigger picture: what they’re good at, what energizes them, what matters most, and what they want their working life to make possible. Together, we uncover connections between their strengths, interests, values, and opportunities they may not have considered.

The goal isn’t for me to tell you what to do. It’s for you to develop a clearer understanding of yourself and your options, so you can make decisions with greater confidence and move forward in a direction that fits.

The Way I Coach

My approach combines thoughtful listening, self-discovery, and practical strategy. I want you to feel comfortable exploring questions you may not have given yourself time to ask. I also want you to leave our conversations with something useful: a new perspective, a broader set of possibilities, and a concrete roadmap of your next steps.

When appropriate, I use career assessments to help make the invisible more visible. I am certified to use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), and SkillScan, which help clients explore personality preferences, interests, and skills. Along with a Values Assessment, these insights provide a starting point for deeper conversations about career direction and fit—not a box to put you in or a single answer about what you should do.

From there, we connect self-knowledge with real-world possibilities. What might a career pivot look like? How could your existing experience translate into a new field? What would a more fulfilling next chapter involve? What small experiment or conversation could help you test a direction before committing to it?

Clients often tell me that our work helps them see themselves differently. Options that once felt out of reach become realistic, and an overwhelming decision becomes a series of manageable steps. I bring encouragement and optimism to the process, along with the practical information and structure to help turn insight into action.

What Shaped This Work

My work as a career counselor and coach is grounded in a simple belief: people make better decisions when they understand themselves and can see how their experience connects to the possibilities ahead.

Before entering career counseling, I held corporate positions in finance and management. That experience continues to inform how I work with clients. I understand the realities of organizations and the workplace, and I bring that perspective together with my training in counseling and career development.

I founded Essential Career Counseling to help people of different ages and career stages find direction, communicate their value, and pursue work that aligns with who they are and what they want. I am a Certified Master of Career Services, designated by the National Career Development Association (NCDA), and an Academy Certified Resume Writer. I have worked with individuals navigating everything from an early-career decision to a major career pivot, a return to the workforce, or a transition after decades in one field.

My work has included private practice, university and community college career services, and outplacement coaching. I have also provided career assistance through the California State Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program and volunteered with organizations supporting people in need of career guidance. I’ve presented at national conferences, universities, and career events, and my career expertise has been featured in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Sacramento Bee.

Across all these settings, the part of the work I value most is helping someone recognize possibilities they couldn’t see before—and watching that new perspective change what feels possible.

What People Say

“I was ready for a change but unsure where to start. Linda’s program opened my eyes to various short-term and long-term career options that I hadn’t previously considered. Through our discussions and the assessments she provided, I gained greater clarity and confidence in my decision to pursue a different career path. Linda was very skilled at recognizing my strengths and finding new ways to leverage my current skill set in different roles and industries. She also gave me some really great practical advice around job searching, resume improvement, and how to negotiate.”

— Paula P.

“I found myself so deep in the day-to-day of my current position that it was so refreshing to take a step back and identify my career values and interests from square one. She gave me the tools to think through additional, realistic career options that might be good for me and tangible tools and plans to begin the search. ”

— Kyle R.

“Linda is amazing! Her all-encompassing approach helped me get clarity on a new career path following health issues, and a full career switch. She is truly caring and genuine, and made me feel comfortable from the very beginning of my time working with her. It has been a tough transition for me getting back into the workplace following time away, but she was so encouraging and helpful in getting a plan in place and making my goals seem much more attainable. I highly recommend Linda as a career coach to anyone, but especially those in times of major career and/or life transitions!”

– Jake T.

“Working with Linda was a great investment! Not only did I receive a job offer within ten weeks of meeting with her, I found her skills, encouragement, knowledge, and kindness to be incredibly helpful and valuable. I highly recommend you speak with Linda. I was nervous before our first meeting and worried about not being prepared or polished enough for the current job market and with her guidance and support I felt motivated and capable. Thank you Linda!”

–Tracy W.

If You’re Ready for More Clarity

You don’t have to know the answer before you begin. You don’t need a fully formed plan or even the right words to explain what’s changed.

You just need to be willing to explore what might be next.

Sometimes the most useful first step is a conversation that helps you see your situation in a new light.

Please email info@betweenward.com and write: “I’d like to explore coaching with Linda.”

From there, we can start a conversation to determine if we should work together to identify the possibilities that fit you and see what moving forward could look like.

Executive Leadership, Career & Business Coach | Founder, Empowered Leadership Coaching

I work with people who have spent years building successful careers, solving problems, and being the person everyone else counts on. Then something shifts. Maybe the career they’ve worked so hard to build no longer feels fulfilling, an unexpected change forces them to reconsider their future, or an idea they’ve carried for years starts demanding their attention. They know they want something different, but figuring out what comes next isn’t as straightforward as they’d expected. I help them recognize the options they already have, explore new possibilities, and create a practical plan to move forward with confidence.

Where I Come In

Most people don’t come to me because they lack ambition, experience, or ability. They come because the strategies that helped them succeed in the past aren’t necessarily helping them figure out what to do next. They’ve spent years making decisions, leading others, and navigating challenges, yet when it comes to their own future, they find themselves questioning everything. Sometimes they face an unexpected layoff and wonder how to position themselves in a changing job market. Other times they’re ready for greater responsibility but aren’t sure how to take that next step. Some have built impressive careers and are quietly wondering whether they want to spend the next decade doing more of the same.

I also work with people who feel the pull toward entrepreneurship. They have years of knowledge, skills, and experience, but struggle to see how those assets could translate into something they could build for themselves. They might have an idea they’ve been sitting on for years, or they may simply know they want more freedom and flexibility without having the slightest clue what that could look like.

Regardless of the circumstances, the work starts in the same place: understanding what they want, recognizing what they already bring to the table, and identifying the options available to them. I’m not interested in helping people throw away everything they’ve worked for. I’m interested in helping them use it to create something meaningful, whether that’s a new position, a stronger leadership presence, or an entirely different professional chapter.

The Way I Coach

I’m a strategist at heart, which means my coaching is grounded in practical action, honest conversations, and a healthy dose of humor. I believe people are far more capable than they sometimes give themselves credit for, particularly when they’re navigating unfamiliar territory. My job isn’t to tell someone what their future should look like. It’s to help them see possibilities they may have overlooked, challenge assumptions that are keeping them stuck, and figure out what makes sense for their circumstances.

Working with me isn’t about sitting through endless conversations about what you might do someday. We roll up our sleeves, get clear about what matters, and start making progress. Depending on what someone is navigating, that might mean strengthening their leadership presence, developing a strategic job search, preparing for a high-stakes interview, or validating a business idea before investing significant time and money. I bring structure and accountability to the process, but there’s always room for laughter, honest reflection, and the occasional uncomfortable question that needs to be asked.

One of my core beliefs is that options create freedom. You don’t have to make a dramatic leap, burn bridges, or gamble your financial security to create change. Sometimes the smartest move is to build what’s next while you’re still standing on solid ground. I want my clients to make decisions from a place of confidence and possibility, not fear or desperation.

What Shaped This Work

For more than 20 years, I built my career in corporate America, working my way through five promotions and eventually leading high-performing technical teams responsible for complex operations and business-critical initiatives. I loved developing people, solving complicated problems, and helping teams accomplish things they hadn’t thought possible. I understood how to navigate corporate environments, build credibility, and create opportunities for advancement because I’d spent decades doing exactly that.

At 50, I decided to leave corporate America and build my own coaching business. I’d spent years helping others navigate their careers and wanted to take that work in a new direction. What I discovered was that being highly successful in one environment doesn’t automatically prepare you for success in another. I knew how to lead teams, manage multimillion-dollar operations, and solve organizational challenges, but entrepreneurship came with an entirely different learning curve. I made mistakes, invested in things I didn’t need, and learned some expensive lessons about what it actually takes to build a business.

That experience gave me an even deeper appreciation for the uncertainty people feel when they’re standing between what they’ve always known and what they want to create next. It also reinforced something I believe strongly: you don’t have to start from scratch simply because you’re starting something new. Your experience, relationships, skills, and accomplishments are assets, even when the next chapter looks completely different from the last.

Those lessons have shaped both my coaching and my writing. My first book, Promotion Ready in 3 Months, focuses on helping professionals position themselves for advancement, communicate their value, and take greater ownership of their career growth. My second book, The Idea to Income Playbook, explores how people can turn their experience, skills, and passions into income-generating opportunities while making thoughtful decisions about their financial future.

Although the books focus on different paths, they share the same philosophy. We have more options than we often realize, and the experiences that brought us to this point can become the foundation for whatever comes next.

Today, I bring the perspective of both a seasoned corporate leader and an entrepreneur who has navigated her own reinvention. I understand the importance of having a plan, the discomfort of stepping into unfamiliar territory, and the value of having someone in your corner who can help you see the bigger picture while keeping your feet firmly on the ground.

What People Say

“She not only provided me with practical tools and strategies but also offered unwavering support and encouragement. Tabatha helped me see beyond the overwhelming sea of job postings, guiding me to focus on positions that truly resonated with my skills and aspirations.”

— Julie K.

“Tabatha’s coaching style is both supportive and insightful. She helped me become more organized and confident in my leadership abilities, both within my organization and in my professional sector.”

— Carla P.

“What makes Tabatha different is that her approach is structured, direct, and actually works — but only if you apply it. She teaches you how to clearly communicate your value, show up with confidence, and navigate the entire process strategically.”

— Nina H.

If You’re Ready to Talk

You don’t have to have everything figured out before asking for support. Whether you’re navigating a career change, looking to grow as a leader, or wondering if that business idea you’ve been carrying around might actually have potential, we can start with a conversation about where you are, what matters to you, and what might come next.

Email: info@betweenward.com

Note to send: “I’d like to explore coaching with Tabatha.”

No pressure or obligation. Just a conversation about your possibilities.

Founder, Step Out Coaching & Consulting | Author of Inclusionable: Transform How You Lead and Elevate Your Team’s Performance

Where I Come In

I work with people who know that they want to change something but are not sure how to do it. It might be something you are already doing well and you want to get to a deeper level of expertise. Or perhaps you want to branch out into a new territory. Maybe what “got you here” won’t “get you there,” and your go-to strategy is no longer sufficient. Together, we pause to notice what is happening, name the pattern, and consciously choose the next direction.

The Way I Coach

I consider you to be already being creative, resourceful, and a whole, wonderfully complex human with unique life experiences. Together we design our partnership (think of it as an alliance). I support you to be accountable for your learning and growth, paying special attention to the environments you are part of and what is going on around you. We use tools like values identification, journaling, and concrete ‘one sure thing’ steps to ground our work.

What Shaped My Work

I have worked for over 30 years as an internal organization development consultant in mostly STEM organizations, challenging and coaching senior leaders through complex issues. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) for over 10 years and an instructor at UC Berkeley’s Extension program, I believe that if I ask you to become more self-aware, I must be willing to do the same myself. I earned my doctorate in organizational change and leadership from USC, which led to a commitment to amplifying inclusion at work and to writing my Amazon best-selling book, Inclusionable: Transform How You Lead and Elevate Your Team’s Performance.

What People Say

“Working with Christine has been transformative. She created a safe and thoughtful space where I never hesitated to bring my recordings to her, trusting she would offer feedback that was both honest and kind. Her willingness to tell me exactly what I needed to hear has genuinely upleveled my coaching, and I am deeply grateful for the time we shared together.”

~ Doran N., Berkeley, CA

“Christine is an exceptional coach whose presence elevates both confidence and capability. Most recently Christine supported me as a mentor coach while I earned my ICF credential. Throughout our work together, she demonstrated a rare blend of deep expertise, intuitive listening, and a genuine commitment to my growth. Christine has a gift for asking the right questions—the kind that unlock clarity, challenge assumptions, and spark meaningful action. Her coaching style is both grounding and energizing; she creates a space where reflection feels safe and progress feels inevitable. What I appreciated most was her ability to balance strategic insight with heartfelt encouragement. Christine didn’t just help me refine my skills—she helped me expand my perspective and step more fully into my leadership. I’m profoundly grateful for her guidance and partnership.”

~ Jennifer B. Indianapolis, IN

“I worked with Christine Barnes as my coach for six months beginning in February 2025, initially to prepare for an internal VP role application and later to navigate the uncertainty of delays and organizational change. Throughout that time, she was a steady and thoughtful sounding board who supported my growth with warmth, insight, and genuine encouragement, and her approachable style made it easy to build a strong connection even virtually.”

~ Surinder K, San Francisco, CA

If You’re Ready to Talk

If you’re standing at a crossroads and wondering which path to take (or just trying to see a path), let’s talk. Conversations create possibilities, and possibilities create new worlds.

Email: info@betweenward.com

Note to send: “I’d like to explore coaching with Christine.”

Co-founder of Betweenward & Founder of Transition & Thrive

I work with people who’ve always been the one who figures it out. This time, they can’t see the next move — and neither could I, more than once, before I built a way to name what that actually is.

Where I Come In

People usually find me mid-stride, not standing still. A role that ended without much warning. A season of caregiving that’s quietly taken over a life that used to have room for other things. A career that still looks fine from the outside and doesn’t feel that way from in here. Every one of them built a way of solving things that’s worked for years — and this is the first time it hasn’t held.

I don’t start by asking what’s wrong. I start by helping someone see what’s actually shifted, so the ground beneath them stops feeling like it’s giving out.

I also come in when people feel stuck, are at a crossroads, or want structure before choosing a coach. That entry point is the 60-minute Ripple Clarity Session. This session focuses on values and meaning, what’s working and what isn’t, direction, and next-step experiments. From there, a client may continue into ongoing Ripple Journey work with María, or she may recommend another coach depending on the client’s needs.

The Way I Coach

My work blends steady listening with practical structure. Values discovery, enhanced skills assessments, and decision-making tools help people see their experience differently. It becomes raw material for whatever comes next. From there, we turn what surfaces into something concrete enough to act on.

I build customization and flexibility into how I work with clients, so although the programs and tools I offer may be standardized, how you use them and when they fit depends on your needs.

Clients tend to describe my approach as both reflective and forward-moving at once: room to think, and something to do with what they find.

What Shaped This Work

I’ve spent more than a decade coaching people through transitions I’ve already lived through. Before that, I spent years leading teams through corporate change, which is where I first noticed the pattern that would eventually shape my work: capable people are rarely thrown by the change itself. They’re thrown when they discover the way they’ve always pushed through doesn’t work this time around.

I wrote Upside Down to Right Side Up: Turning Transition into Triumph from my own crossing, and I still coach from that same place — having stood in it. There’s plenty of theory about how transition works, and I use it to support my approach, but my lived experience and my clients' experiences are the evidence of what works. In fact, it informed my latest life and career transformation framework, The Ripple Journey™, which is part of the foundation for Betweenward™.

What People Say

Working with María has been extremely helpful. She brings an incredible depth of insight, empathy, and strategic guidance to our conversations. She understands the unique challenges and opportunities that come with navigating change, career pivots, life transitions, and personal goals. Her coaching is rooted in practical wisdom, genuine encouragement, and a deep respect for each person’s individual path.

— Kim K.

What sets María apart isn’t just her expertise; it’s how she shows up for you as a person. She is empathetic and completely nonjudgmental, which made it easy to be honest about my fears and uncertainties during a vulnerable time. She doesn’t let you stay at the surface level; she asks the questions that make you dig deeper, reframe your strengths, and reconnect with your core values in ways you hadn’t considered before.

— W. Weekes

Working with María, I was quickly inspired to explore a new path, one that I would find fulfilling and engaging. Her assignments and tools took me on a journey of self-reflection that helped me articulate both what I would love and what I no longer wanted to do. I have choices.

— Liz L.

If You’re Ready to Talk

If you’re standing in that in-between stretch and wondering what a conversation might open up, that’s the only next step you need to take. Everything starts with a conversation.

Email info@betweenward.com and write: “I’d like to explore coaching with María.”

You’ll hear back personally. No pressure or obligation. Just a conversation about where you are.

Co-founder of Betweenward & Publisher of What Time Binds

I work with people whose sense of who they are was built inside a role: a rank, a title, a seat on the org chart. When the role ends, the skills stay and the words for them go missing. I help people find those words and build the next thing on ground that holds.

Specialties: Identity After the Role | Military-to-Civilian Transition | Job & Graduate School Applications

Where I Come In

People usually reach me when someone asks, “So what do you do now?” and the answer won’t come. The uniform came off, or the title went away on someone else’s schedule, or the résumé started to read like a stranger’s. Some arrive with a deadline: a job posting, a graduate program, a first interview in a field that speaks a different language. In the language of María’s Ripple Journey, I often meet people at the Drop.

I start with the question most coaches skip: why does your body resist the change your mind already wants? Once we answer it, we pin the word you use for yourself (“retired,” “former,” “just consulting now”) and decide together whether it still fits.

The Way I Coach

I coach the way I was trained to build. A combat engineer walks the site before anyone breaks ground, so we start with what is still holding, what has shifted, and what you can build on this month. The order matters. We work on feeling safe first, then on connection, then on purpose, because goal-setting stalls until your nervous system stops reading the change as a threat.

From there the work gets practical.

• Translating your experience. We rewrite rank, billet, and title in the words people in your next field use, and we name what each skill was and where it went.

• Applications. You work in one of the two workbooks I built: Map the Job for a role, Map the Program for a graduate program. For every requirement, you answer two questions in your own words: what do I bring, and what would I do once I’m there. We also find the magnet words in the posting, the phrases that could mean three different things, and plan the question that pins down which one they mean. You write every line that proves you belong, and no tool writes them for you. I pressure-test them.

• A written closeout. At the end you get a record of what we did, what you now run on your own, and what is still open.

One habit to know up front: I tend to answer three levels deeper than the question. So I ask early, short version or the full walk-through, and you set the depth.

Also offered: I help writers and coaches build and grow a Substack publication.

What Shaped This Work

I spent twenty-three years in the Marine Corps as a combat engineer: demolitions, construction, facilities, and project management. On recruiting duty, I was named Recruiter of the Year in 2001. Twenty-five years later, one of my recruits found me on LinkedIn. He had earned a commission and outranked me. I answered as the man I had become instead of the recruiter he remembered, and he did the same. I call that Personization.

Nine years in corporate facilities and business continuity followed. When I left that work in 2025, I sat up at 2:00 AM with a question my résumé could not answer: who am I without the role? The pattern I had seen in the Marine Corps and in corporate work showed up in my own crossing. People keep their skills and lose the words that connect those skills to who they are next.

I built the first version of Map the Job in 2016, a two-column worksheet for my own move from the Marine Corps into a facilities role at SCAN Health Plan. I have refined it with clients for ten years since.

My doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC Rossier gave me the research behind what I had lived: reinvention runs on biology, identity, and community together. Today I teach at UC Irvine’s Division of Continuing Education, and I publish What Time Binds, where I write about how institutions bend words and how the record holds them to account.

If You’re Ready to Talk

If you are carrying a question your résumé can’t answer, a conversation is the place to start.

Email info@betweenward.com and write: “I’d like to explore coaching with Jerry.”

You’ll hear back from me personally, and the first conversation carries no obligation.