The most important thing to know about me is that I’ve been where you are.

I know what it feels like to wake up and want to pull the covers over my head.

I know what it’s like to stare at a calendar filled with back-to-back meetings. I spent my whole day putting out fires and answering endless emails and Slack messages. I didn’t have a single minute to think about the big projects my boss kept asking for.

I’d close my laptop at the end of the day, but my mind still raced. I’d stare at my phone during dinner, feeling guilty because my husband was sitting right across from me, yet I was a million miles away.

I worked in tech for over 25 years. For a long time, doing killer work was simple. I worked hard, built great products, and climbed the ladder.

Then I got promoted to Senior Director. Suddenly, everything changed.

I worked late most nights and on weekends, but I still fell behind. A key person on my team wasn’t performing, and I kept avoiding a conversation. I lived in fear of a text from my boss asking about something I’d forgotten.

For the first time in my professional life, I felt like I was failing. But because everyone thought of me as a success, I kept it a secret. I was too embarrassed to admit it to my boss, and I didn't want to look like a failure at home or to friends.

It took me way too long to realize I wasn’t a failure. But my strategies were failing me.

The problem was that I couldn't run a big team just by working longer hours. I couldn't fix things by trying harder on my own. I needed a completely new way of working. I had to:

• Cut useless meetings so I would have real time to focus and plan.

• Learn how to talk to struggling employees without feeling awkward or mean.

• Let go of controlling everything and let my team step up.

With a few mentors and coaches (and dozens of books), I figured this stuff out. I changed how I work, step by step. Over time, my team started running more smoothly, my boss trusted my work, and the constant anxiety faded. Most importantly, I got my life back.

Today, my job is simple: I help senior tech leaders skip the years of stress, self-doubt, and panic that I went through. I want to help them find a way of working that fits them so they can advance their careers, build great stuff, lead happy teams, and love what they do.