The Crucible Coach

I help leaders get back on track after life smacks them down.

I specialize in guiding leaders to uncover and harness their inner strength in times of personal crisis. Through a combination of empathy, experience, and proven techniques, I support individuals in navigating challenges, enhancing resilience, and ultimately leading with renewed clarity and purpose.

Welcome to The Crucible Coach

I guide business owners and corporate leaders who are experiencing major challenges in their personal lives but still need to show up at work to lead and support their teams.

In the high-stakes world of business, a personal crisis such as the loss of a loved one, a sudden health diagnosis, or a painful divorce can be devastating. These experiences shake our emotional foundations and make it hard to focus or function effectively.

The other challenge is that many leaders try to maintain normalcy for their teams. They have no one to talk to who understands the business pressure and loneliness of their intense circumstances. No one should endure this journey alone.

“Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path
to the best things that will ever happen to us”

Nicole Reed

Restore Your Confidence,
Focus and Business Momentum

I specialize in helping leaders navigate these challenges.

With a blend of empathy, decades of executive experience, and science-based tools and strategies, I’ll help you emerge stronger, wiser and more resilient.

My approach creates a safe place to talk about all that is happening in your life. I help you regain your footing by learning to allow and self-regulate the overwhelming thoughts and emotions that are a natural response to life altering events. 

In a short period of time, you’ll find new sources of energy and a renewed ability to focus and function at work.  You’ll emerge stronger, infused with a new sense of confidence, wisdom and purpose.

The Power Within Your Personal Crisis

Historically, crucibles were vessels used by alchemists to transform lead into gold under great heat and pressure. Today, we refer to a crucible as a severe life test or trial by fire. Just as metals are refined in a crucible, these experiences transform us into something more.

I know first-hand these challenges can be difficult. They can also be a time of major transformation and growth. As your coach, my role is to help you discover the gifts the crucible can bring to your life personally and professionally.

Coaching, not therapy

I connect with my clients from a shared experience, and combine that with my own leadership experience – an understanding of the demands of the role and the need to be present under circumstances that make presence premature (until you can regather your self together in a new and profoundly different way).

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Buddha

  • Peter M. | Los Angeles

    “Tony has an appealing magnetism – I experience him as welcoming and free of judgment, he provides a wonderful sense of acceptance and openness that lets me get below the surface and see things with a new clarity. I find I can step back, go deep, and look at my world from different perspectives. Not many coaches provide the quality of listening that he does. He’s really good at being right there with you. He looks deep and helps me go there with him.

    I also find him inspiring – when I hear his story and how he handled his journey, I want to raise my own commitment to myself – he sets a great example.”

  • Irina Kurtsevaya | Ukraine

    “Tony has an amazing way of listening. He sort of plugs into you and creates a space where you can reflect, reconsider and investigate further. He’s just very intuitive. He helped me consider where my thoughts and feelings come from. He showed me how to turn down the white noise - the negative self-talk and anxieties that were often playing in mind. He guided me to hear the voices I wanted to hear, instead of the ones that always seemed to bring me down when I was alone with myself.”

  • Brigette Iarusso | Barcelona, Spain

    “Tony is a deeply curious person – but in a unique way. He doesn’t even say he’s curious. With Tony, it’s not what he says, it’s how he shows it. – it’s in his face and body language and his demeanour. But the effect is that you know he cares. When he reflects on who I am, or who I am being, it’s believable to me. And encouraging.

    Tony helped me step back and see my world from new perspectives. Because of the profound sense of safety he creates , I could dive deep and explore things I used to avoid. There’s a word in Spanish that doesn’t translate well into English —it’s like ‘spark”. The Spanish word conveys someone who gets your mind sparking so you think about things you hadn’t before… that’s Tony.”

  • Karim Mohsen | Berkeley, CA

    “Tony has the ability to generate a sense of safety and invited curiosity into my sessions. He has a presence that lets me go very deep into my past experience. I could finally explore these freely. I was surprised at how these deep dives freed me up and allowed me to make sense of things that I had avoided or felt confused by. I found this revelatory, and it provided me with powerful new insights that inspired me to act and make decisions with clarity.”

  • Susan Bruggerman | St Louis, MO

    “I always feel safe being myself with Tony - he has a quiet strength and an open heart. He’s gone through a lot and yet he still leads with an open heart. That’s an incredible thing for a man. It says that he’s really open.

    He’s very authentic and has an amazing story to share. Despite the hard knocks he’s taken, Tony offers an uplifting sense of positive expectations.”

  • Dana C. | Portland, OR

    “Tony is totally approachable; he gives me more room to be present, and he brings a lightness to even the darkest conversation. He’s really good at being there with you.”

  • Liviu Petri | Lyon, France

    “Working with Tony as our mastermind group facilitator has been an enlightening experience. He possesses a unique talent for allowing conversations to organically evolve, while gently guiding us back to our core objectives when needed. Tony's skill in managing the delicate dance between liberty and focus has been crucial in our group's growth and efficiency. I wholeheartedly recommend him as a facilitator for any group looking to thrive.”

  • S.K. Director, Google | Santa Clara

    “Tony’s coaching helped me see my current challenge as a process, not a problem needing to be quickly solved. He gave me confidence and a compass to navigate my choices, benefiting both my professional and personal life.”

All Testimonials

Let’s Connect

If you or someone you know is in the crucible, I’m here to provide purposeful support and guidance. I invite you to schedule an initial conversation.