Sarah Walter
Career & Executive Coach | ex- Head of UXR | Social Science PhD @ ex-Google; ex-MicrosoftSarah Walter
Career & Executive Coach | ex- Head of UXR | Social Science PhD @ ex-Google; ex-MicrosoftServices
$240 / month
Start free, decide later
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1
Free 7-day trial
No charge until day 7. Cancel anytime. -
2
Ongoing calls + chat
2 × 60-min calls per month, unlimited Q&A. Replies in 24 hours or less. -
3
No lock-in
Month to month, no contract.
No spots left, but you can save the mentor to your wishlist to get notified about their open spots!
About
I coach people to become indispensable teammates and leaders, by focusing on how to thrive with others. I help with strategic planning to build social capital, navigate difficult teams, improve confidence, and succeed in ambiguity. My approach is support and goal-oriented.
About you:
You might be one or more of the following:
1) New to a role: I will help create a plan to keep you on track with quick wins while focusing on long-term success.
2) New lead / manager / director: What got you to this point will likely not be what you need now. We can work through a plan for you to be successful in your new role.
3) UX researcher: I am happy to help with any stage of your career.
4) Career pivots: Find how to transfer your skills and interests towards a new path
About me:
I stepped away from big tech (Google, Microsoft) after 10+ years to focus on helping people. I do this via career and executive coaching, and community organizing.
At Google, I was Head of Research for hardware and platform teams. I built UXR teams from scratch, hired extensively, inherited teams, and led leaders. I was a member of the cross-functional leadership team, focused on shipping risky V1 products. My leadership scores from the team I led were the highest in the 500+ person engineering department.
After I gave notice at Google, the GM of my org asked to keep me on for 6 months, to consult the leadership team on functioning more effectively.
I've worked in video games, hardware, software, services, edtech, and independent consulting.
I hold a PhD from Stanford focused on learning in online communities; my undergrad work at UCLA was in cognitive science. I've completed 60 hours of training through the Center for Executive Coaching, and have a certificate in career coaching.
I've mentored / coached people on:
- Increasing confidence and visibility on a team
- Working with difficult people
- Return from parental leave
- Dealing with overwhelm
- Figuring out UXR AI workflows
- Stepping outside of traditional work roles
- Interview prep
- Career plans
- Hiring and firing
- Career pivots
- Research plans, analysis and impact
- Thriving in ambiguity
Please reach out to start your free trial, to see if there's a fit! I'm happy to answer any questions.
What happens when you start
You tell Sarah your goals. They see exactly what you want to work on before session one.
You meet within days. Sarah reviews your application and books your first session, usually within a day or two.
You leave with a plan. Concrete next steps and a weekly rhythm from your very first week.
