written by Stacey Lindsay

They don't just bring out your best, they ignite a transformation. They help you turn mistakes into stepping stones for growth. They are your biggest cheerleaders. And, as Sohee Jun, Ph.D a seasoned women's executive coach, puts it, they "remove the blockers and give you new strategies to really get you to where you want to be." These are all the markers of a great coach—and their professional guidance can be the catalyst to help us transition into new chapters of success.

As a women's executive coach, Sohee aims to help her clients move beyond imposter syndrome and other career barriers so they can thrive in leadership. After years as a corporate leader managing diverse teams, Sohee dived into this work, and she gave up a lot to do so. A corner office, a big team, "and all of the accolades that a lot of people mark as a successful life" were her's, she says, but they were worth letting go to jump into this work to amplify women.

"When I sat with that woman and [we saw] a-ha ways in how they were thinking about things differently and acting on that, and they saw how things started to shift in positive ways, that literally—and I get goosebumps talking about it—lit me up," says Sohee.

So we wanted to dig deeper and learn: What does an executive coach do? Sohee recently sat down with Nada to discuss her approach to coaching women, why it can help catalyze profound change, and the unexpected things that hold us back from growing.

Chatting with Sohee Jun Ph.D

What does a leadership coach do?

First, we are the thought partner, helping you think about things differently and challenging you to frame it up differently if blockers are constantly coming up. A coach is there to be a very active and deep listener, which differs from listening to respond; it's listening to understand. From that, we ask deep questions that allow the person to unlock and see things differently. Aside from listening and the questions, we bring a slew of frameworks. With a PhD, I bring frameworks and theories customized to the person. So, if you and I were in a coaching session, I would hone in on what you're saying and pick the frameworks and the action steps that would be most helpful for you.

A leadership coach conjures up somebody who's a C-suite level or a thought leader perhaps writing a book. Who ultimately comes to you?

Yes to all of that. I've had 15 years in corporate and have deep relationships with female leaders in corporations like media and entertainment and startups. Those women find me, and they have either worked with me in different ways and want to re-up or get serious about working with a coach for the first time. Many of the people who come to me are from the corporations I used to work in and through networks. And more and more, some people want to work with me outside of the corporation and do their own personal growth and development.

Are these often people in acute situations facing a roadblock they're trying to overcome? Or is it somebody who is seeking their own professional or personal growth?

From corporations, it's typically a 'Hey, you have done really well, and we want to get you from good to great.' They've been an individual contributor, maybe a solo person on a team, and now they've been promoted to this team where they have these big responsibilities. It's in those moments of transition when people call me in to say, 'Hey, we know your sweet spot is working with female leaders and executives; they need it because of the position that they're in.' Those are the times when getting that support is invaluable because it requires new skills. The way these leaders get the value and confidence needed to shift with the transitions.

Also, as they're being elevated, they may be unable to talk about the same things with their peers or be as transparent because they're in a leadership position making decisions that could impact people. So, with you, there's a level of transparency that can't exist in those former peer relationships.

Absolutely. The most successful coaching relationships are ones in which there is trust. You must trust your coach because it is a safe container, much like therapy.

I've led teams, and I've been a member of a team and then had to manage that same team. So, there are all these challenges that women and leaders face in the corporate world. It's those moments that leadership, a coach, is called in.

What did you see when working in corporate that led you to say to yourself, I want to be a coach?

There were a lot of breadcrumbs that led to that. One of the strengths I bring to a situation is connecting the dots in a macro way. What I saw allowed me to pivot and move out of corporate life and focus specifically on coaching female leaders. One, I coach from lived experience. That's important because not only do we need the frameworks and the strategies and the book knowledge, but it's also important for a coach to really understand what it's like needing to manage up while you're managing a team, being sandwiched in the middle as an executive with a lot of responsibilities and a lot of stress and not a lot of impact, maybe. I grappled with all those. I started my career doing broad organization development work. I was managing culture, strategy, facilitating, doing a lot of team building, and a lot of coaching, as well. So, I started out broad in my career. And in those moments when I was coaching, I noticed the impact I could make directly. I found that to be so powerful in ways that are different than when you impact a team. When I sat with that woman and [we saw] a-ha ways in how they were thinking about things differently and acting on that, and they saw how things started to shift in positive ways, that literally—and I get goosebumps talking about it—lit me up.

The other thing about connecting the dots macro is that I could see the gap in terms of I'm the only one in the room. Where are my fellow females? Why am I the only one? A lot of women, especially as they're growing their careers, have felt that in corporate America. There have been so many talks in my circle, as well as books and stats about this, that we know this. We need to elevate, amplify, and change the landscape of leadership and that's really in working with women. I know that women lead differently. We connect differently, and we include differently. So, those were all of the things that I had noticed and that I was putting together that gave me the courage to leave a very prestigious corporate life where, yes, I had the corner office and a really big team and all of the accolades that a lot of people mark as successful life, and take the risk of starting my own firm specifically working with female leaders. 

For you, leadership coaching is the end result, but you had to pay attention to where those two independent things intersected. Paying attention to those things that spark something in us can be the first step in moving toward whatever is calling us.

That is why I work with women: to help them hone in on those moments more and more. Through all my years of working with women, I also know that we hide that. There's maybe a fear around listening to this really lights me up, but it feels very scary. That's the other piece I saw all around me: women hiding for various reasons, not wanting to listen to or feel into that. As I coach, I get people to be more heart and brain-integrated. That means we have a very powerful brain that allows us to make strategic decisions on the fly and when we balance that out with our intuition and heart. That's a powerful way to be in the world and to lead.

As a leadership coach and author, Sohee Jun Ph.D. is on a mission to empower women to integrate their true potential. Learn more at soheejunphd.com. You can listen to her and Nada’s full conversation here. 

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