Testimonials

What Clients Are Saying

Michael, through his perfect balance of thoughtful questions and disciplined practices, has opened my mind to aspects of leadership, personality, and life that I never even knew existed.

As a coach, he beautifully balances the tactical nuances of productivity training with the abstraction of helping you better understand your team, yourself as a leader, and yourself as a person.  Supportive and genuine in his approach, he doesn’t preach an edict – rather, he opens your mind to a perspective that few people do (or can) about understanding how you want to spend your 8,760 hours a year. And getting you excited about the opportunities to make the most of every second.

I’m proud to call Michael my productivity guru.  I’m proud to call him my coach.  But I’m most proud to call him my friend.

With no reservations, I recommend Michael – as a person, a coach, and as an individual that can bring great clarity of purpose to an entire organization.

If you’re willing to bring an open mind, and open heart, and a sense of adventure to the table, Michael will help you expand the horizons of your life and help your business grow to the next level.

Chris Villar
Founder & CEO
FrontPoint Security
McLean , VA

I worked with Michael over the course of a six-month coaching engagement.

I’ve been very successful in my career and wanted to improve my productivity and decrease stress. I had been pretty darn productive, but my frenetic pace was taking a toll.

I used to think I wanted more in my work and life: more accomplishment, more experiences, and more success. Ironically, after working with Michael I’m now clear that I need less of these things. What I have now is a greater sense of fulfillment and meaning, and a much more mindful approach to how I focus my energy and time. I’m more relaxed, focused, and balanced than I’ve ever been. Michael helped me discover how I’d been getting in my own way, and take on new practices to gain freedom from these negative patterns.

I recommend Michael without reservation. He is a talented, perceptive, and sensitive partner in self-awareness.

Bill Moran
Sr. Vice President, Wealth Management
Merrill Lynch
Washington, DC

Have you ever had that experience of meeting a complete stranger on a flight, train or at a coffee shop, you get to talking and after a while they offer you profound advice that alters your life direction?

For me, Michael prepared me for that to happen. I’ve always been a ‘list guy’ with scraps of paper with to-do’s in my car, at home, by my bed, at the office, in my pockets. After listening then understanding how I work, Michael introduced me to fundamental workflow principles and practices then configured a great online list manager with me. To have everything out of my head and into one accessible place, and in context without every item being a top priority due TODAY, has been a relief and transformative.

I’m more productive, I’m more calm, I gnash my teeth less at night and I’m open to hearing what that sage stranger offers to say.

Thanks Michael.

Greg Price
EVP & Chief Services Officer
VolunteerMatch
San Francisco, CA

Fantastic productivity coach!!!

We had Michael come in to help an extremely busy and dynamic executive team keep up with the increasing demands of a high growth company. He is a master productivity coach and is an expert at helping leaders stay in control of their ever-increasing lists of commitments.

Through the process he offered us insights that went way beyond mere productivity. There are very few people with whom I would want to spend 8 hours working side by side; he is a rare breed.

We have asked him back to work with all of our managers. Time with Michael is a great investment.

Steve Harriott
President & CEO
WatchFire Signs
Danville, IL

I’ve worked in the Financial Services industry for the past 23 years. In that time I’ve worked with many personal trainers and coaches, and been on more training courses than I can remember.

The time I’ve spent with Michael has had the most positive impact on my day to day performance in the shortest space of time.

I was initially skeptical that re-arranging my existing workload (rather than getting better at the work itself) could make much of an impact. But with better organization comes transparency and insight – and that very quickly leads to more effective decision making.

Spend 1-2 working days with him over a 2-3 month period and you will really notice the difference. Those that say “but I haven’t got the time” will benefit the most.

Scott Carpenter
Head of Operations
Falcon Edge Capital LLP
New York

I hired Michael to help me get on top of some of the productivity challenges I faced in an increasingly demanding personal and professional life.

I learnt a lot – both at a practical level and at a personal level. Michael instilled disciplines that I practice to this day, all of which make my busy life more productive and enjoyable. I’d recommend his services to anyone.

Ross Christieson
SVP Market Research & Analysis
US Dairy Export Council
Washington, DC

Michael is a perceptive, empathetic, and expert coach. His style is relaxed but keenly focused.

Through only a few sessions, Michael helped me to uncover layers of motivations and unquestioned assumptions. I was asking new and increasingly interesting questions of myself during and after each meeting. Michael’s deep knowledge of the Enneagram was especially beneficial and fascinating to me. I could find no limit to his expertise and recommended ideas and resources.

I’m still continuing on the path that Michael and I defined together, and still learning from his guidance and questions.

I highly recommend Michael as a coach for anyone looking to improve performance and/or self-knowledge.

Steven Wargny
Associate Director
Genentech
South San Francisco, CA

Michael is truly effective coach and a delight to work with. With his guidance and coaching, I have developed extremely valuable skills and have discovered a new depth in my leadership style, connection with others, and overall sense of satisfaction.

His unique approach of looking within to improve communication and connection with others has helped me to become closer with my team and keep us aligned on direction and goals.

I am more productive than I have ever been in my life and have made tremendous improvements in my personal health and well-being.

Steve DeYoe
VP of Technology
FrontPoint Security
McLean, VA

“I initially came to Michael because I felt overwhelmed by all of the commitments on my plate and I thought I needed help creating more structure and order.

But Michael helped me see that was really just a symptom. Instead of working directly on creating structure and order, Michael helped me discover and work with the underlying deeper issues driving the difficulties I was having.

Now I feel more free to say no to the commitments that are not aligned with what really matters to me, and I’m more able to stay connected to my deeper sense of purpose. My stress level went down and I now experience greater joy and satisfaction with what I choose to do.

I am astonished at the depth and breadth of the development process that Michael guided me through. Through our conversations and the practices that Michael offered, I gained tools that I could use to continue growing and developing on my own, not just instructions to follow for individual situations at the time of our coaching.

If you want to reach a new level of meaningful productivity that supports improving all sectors of your life, I whole-heartedly recommend working with Michael.”

Cianna Stewart
Director of New Media & Special Projects
Tencue Productions
Berkeley, CA

Michael brings a lot to the table. He is an expert at productivity-oriented solutions and brings a depth of wisdom to his work that is hard to find.

Michael helped me set up systems to handle the big pile of work that formed as I got busy in my practice. Along the way, he helped peel back some layers so that I could remember why I am doing what I love to do … which helped shine a light on what is most important to get done.

Highly recommended!

Jeremy Rothenberg L.Ac.
Founder
San Francisco Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine

I worked with Michael 1-on-1 in a 9-month executive leadership coaching engagement.

While I had been practicing common productivity techniques prior to the engagement, it was only through Michael’s unique approach that I connected the dots between increased productivity, focus, self-awareness and clearly started seeing the gains. I was handling more work but in a more relaxed mental state!

Michael is also a gifted workshop facilitator who is passionate about productivity and has a masterful way of teaching leaders how to achieve more in their work and life, in a balanced way – something more and more difficult in today’s ever-accelerating digital culture.

I highly recommend working with Michael if you want to create a big shift for yourself in the realms of productivity and leadership.

Sayam Khan
Director of Search Engine Marketing
FrontPoint Security
McLean, VA